When Americans talk about making aliyah, one piece of advice comes up again and again: “Make sure you have a soft landing.”

I’ve always wondered what that really means. Does it mean life should be easy at first? Comfortable? Cushioned? And after that soft beginning…what then? Reality begins? Because the truth is, reality isn’t soft.

I learned that lesson in the maternity ward, of all places.

When I gave birth to my first two children in the U.S., I barely had to leave my hospital bed. Meals were brought to me. Pain medication was plentiful. I was given a special cushion to sit on and special numbing spray to apply to my stitches. Every discomfort had a solution. Yet despite all those comforts, I became terrified of pain. Seven days after my son’s birth, I still hadn’t had a bowel movement........

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