We live in a time of endless technology- cellphones (anyone remember when the first car phone came out? With a wire still attached to it!), computers, cameras, internet- you can think of a dozen examples, I'm sure.
All of this technology makes it so easy to communicate with those back home. Just pop open your computer with built in wireless chip (thank you, Israeli Intel) and video camera, install Skype from your Internet browser and subscription, and chat with friends across the globe for free, with live video conferencing.
Mail- well, snail mail takes about 5 days to get across the Atlantic (not registered mail, of course). Email- it can be there in a second. And, don't forget the IMs, G-chats, and Twitter updates.
Reb. Ruchoma Shain mentions how her father, when living in Israel, didn't have a telephone- they had to phone the gemach upstairs, and it cost 40 dollars for one phone call.
When she was living in Mir- her sister (Reb. Sheinberg) brought a small travel iron to the town, and when she plugged it in, it shut down the entire town's elecricity. Her newspaper from America- came a month late each time. And, don't even mention telephones there. Hey, they didn't have indoor plumbing.
We're so lucky to live in an age when living in Israel doesn't mean you're cut off from the rest of the world. I mean, sure, you have to calculate time differences, and it may mean that California has a 10 hour difference from Israel, or Australia- with a 24 hr time difference (which is actually convenient).
Of course, it means that family knows just about everything that goes on in your life- as if they were living next door- but that's a good price to pay for such a wonderful thing.
Israel is no longer a place where people have to live without their relatives- they can call every day, email every second, and share their photos on Picasa.
So- I'm lucky to live here in a time when communication is simple.
Just pick up the phone and dial away.
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