Who wants to live on autopilot? Who wants to be an ant marching through our life? Who wants to live mindlessly? And who wants to look at our grandchildren, someday at the end of our life, and explain to them, that we just didn't know any better, we simply weren't aware, we really didn't know to pay attention - to our water, our environment or our life?

Water isn't just a practical issue. It's not only an existential issue. At it's core water is a spiritual issue. Holy water isn't simply what you sprinkle for Baptism or dunk within, in the Mikvah (Jewish Baptism). Holy water is what you drink, what you water the lawn with or what you pour down the sink.

I have gotten to know the governor as he and the Chickasaw Nation are staunch supporters of Israel, consistently sending delegations to Israel and now working to build business bridges as well. The people of the Chickasaw and the people of Israel have so much in common, so much shared strength and resilience and so much to gain through this relationship.

Tonight in Israel, the Jewish people will turn to God in prayer during the final days of Sukkot, with a prayer for rain. It’s a beautiful ceremony. It’s a lovely gesture. And the Israeli’s have got it right. It is the finale, not the kickoff, in our quest for rain. First you conserve. Then you manage your water wisely. And then, and only then, do you have the audacity to stand before God and ask him for rain. 

It was an Israeli scientist who figured out how to harness the sun’s rays and convert them into usable energy. Harry Zvi Tabor transformed how humans utilize energy and will be remembered as the father of solar power.

After 3,000-plus years, today Israel’s water engineers, scientists, innovators and modern-day Moses have fulfilled this ancient mandate and literally brought water forth from rocks.

Israel is a world leader in agricultural technology and when it comes to bee-tech Israel is leading the way.

What we see, how it appears, the way things seem to be is not always, or often, the truth. The physical is an illusion. The senses are deceiving. That which is visible is fleeting. That which is invisible is real.

As I pack my bags readying to leave, after three amazing years living in Israel, I’m reflecting on all the insights, lessons and inspiration I’ll take with me. Nothing has been more profound than this. Israel isn’t simply the modern, Start-up Nation, but equally the ancient Entrepreneur Nation, creating and nurturing entrepreneurs for four thousand years and counting. Thanks to this entrepreneurial spirit  I am a better person and this world is truly a better place.

So, the next time you visit the Wall or turn to face it in prayer or reflect upon it, remember that those stones are there to remind us of the indomitable, creative, resilient and entrepreneurial spirit that is alive and well within the Jewish homeland, the Jewish people, and in each and every one of us.