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"We are programmed to only look from the day of birth to the day of death. How can I be most comfortable here," says Roni Ayalon as he begins to tell his story of returning to Judaism.<\/p>
"I was born in Jerusalem. My mother is a teacher, my father is a doctor. Much of what I've achieved is actually thanks to my family, even though they're secular. You know, you have an internal desire to fulfill yourself, and you're not afraid of anyone. You believe in yourself, and that's something a person mainly gets from their parents."<\/p>
The First Memory<\/strong><\/p>"A movie about a boy who found a gold watch. When he pressed the hands of the watch, the whole world would stop, everything would freeze, and he was the only one who could move around the world, do whatever he wanted, everyone else was frozen. Then when he would press the hands again, suddenly the world would flow again. Then I got this bug in my mind saying 'One day I'll find that watch.'"<\/p>
The Mission<\/strong><\/p>"As I appreciate my parents, I appreciate the army for my spiritual process. A soldier in the army, it's very simple. There's a briefing, you go out for a mission, come back from the mission – there's a debriefing. You go out on missions that are dangerous, they aren't simple, and there's a possibility I might die. So if I really die now and am faced with such a debriefing, can I say I completed the mission? Now it's not just the military mission. I suddenly realized, one of the basic things, I have no idea what my mission is here in life."<\/p>
The Journey Begins<\/strong><\/p>"I returned to Israel, and even here I dabbled a bit in modeling and acting. I was the presenter for Pepsi when they entered Israel, acted in several films here. I began studying law. I met my wife, changed my name, grew long hair, a long beard, it was that period... I practiced yoga and meditation strongly, to the point that I said I would travel to the East, and I didn't care if I never returned."<\/p>
Dalai Lama<\/strong><\/p>"We were with the Dalai Lama dressed in robes, went through the whole process until the Dalai Lama told all the Jews: That's it, this far no further. From here on, go back to the branch you sit on, from which you need to get your vitality."<\/p>
Judaism<\/strong><\/p>"We returned to Israel, and then my wife and I received an invitation to hear a lecture on Judaism here, well, why not. And suddenly I hear a Jewish lesson with spiritual ears, and suddenly you realize, wow, there's some wisdom here. It's not only similar and interesting, it's the branch I'm sitting on suddenly, it's my home."<\/p>
Return upon Return<\/strong><\/p>"I began teaching complementary medicine in the country, at Medicine College. I opened a clinic to teach complementary medicine. We moved then from Rabbi Auerbach to Belz because we were looking for the Hasidic experience, and we grew up in Belz for a period. Our children grew up in Belz. And then they say in Hasidism that there is a return upon return. I returned because there was a huge light that took me. Suddenly we understood that the framework, as we were in it, doesn't really give space to all the richness we bring with us from the world—from the darkness we came from, but we came with the darkness with a lot of light. Suddenly I feel it's not me, it's not the truth. I broke the framework there, disappointed my parents and everyone for my truth, and suddenly I'm living in a reality that's not real. You have a connection. Go with it. Your truth, even if you can't currently meet your standards, don't worry. You are undergoing decay now for new growth."<\/p>
