As we have already mentioned, each request of the Amidah is a milestone on the road of return—the journey of teshuvah. After asking for the power to know what to want, for the power to change, for forgiveness, for personal redemption, for national healing, we now turn our attention to the Land of Israel, asking that God restore its productivity in preparation for the return of the Jewish people. Our concern for teshuvah extends beyond the damage we have caused to ourselves and to our nation, but also to the ecological well-being of the land. Thus, we ask: Bless on our behalf, YHVH Eloheinu, this year and all its produce for good. And bestow blessing [or dew and rain as a blessing] upon the face of the earth. May we be sated with Your goodness, so bless our year like the good years. Blessed are You, YHVH, who blesses the years. After Adam and Eve sinned, God said to them, “Cursed is the ground for your sake; in sorrow you will eat of it all the days of your life; thorns and thistles it shall produce …” Later in the Torah God tells the Jewish people that if we live according to His commandments, “I will give rain … and you will gather in your grain, your wine and your oil. I will put grass in your field for your cattle … [Otherwise] there will be no rain, and the fields will not yield their produce.” These verses make it clear to us that living according to the Torah’s commandments affects the climate and the productivity of our fields. Our wrongdoings damage the fertility of the land and create an imbalance within the conditions of nature. Therefore, after requesting personal teshuvah and national teshuvah, we pray that God repair the damage to the ecological balance caused by our wrongdoings and prepare the Land of Israel for the return of our nation. The prophet Yechezkel prophesized, “Mountains of Israel, you will give off your produce for your people are soon coming.” And the Talmud teaches that there is no clearer sign of the coming redemption than the greening of the Land of Israel. When the land once again is fertile and yields its produce, it is a sure sign that the land is preparing itself for the return of the Jewish people and the coming redemption. It is interesting to note that when the Jewish people lived in the Land of Israel, it was fertile and flourishing. Yet whenever the Jews were expelled from the land, it would become desolate. Mark Twain, writing about his 1867 trip to Israel in Innocents Abroad, described it as barren and sad, adding: “I would not desire to live here. It is a hopeless, dreary, heartbroken land.” Today, however, anywhere one travels in Israel, be it north or south, one can see the lush vegetation of the land. And the best proof of the coming redemption can be found in the center of Jerusalem at the Mahaneh Yehudah farmers’ market, where an abundance of juicy fruits and fresh vegetables spills out of the market stalls. Whenever the Jewish people and the Land of Israel unite, they both bloom. This is because the Jewish people and the Land of Israel are soul-mates. (And we know that we’ve met our soul-mate when he or she brings out the best in us.)