Day 6: Friday, September 5

Other passengers choose horse-drawn trolleys

"Life is to be enjoyed; life is to be cherished," Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein told friends of The Fellowship aboard the cruise ship Westerdam participating in the activities on the final days of the 25th Anniversary Alaskan Cruise.

"Some of us work so hard and are so mission-driven, or career-driven, or routine-driven that we forget to stop and smell the roses," he continued, citing the authoritative record of Jewish oral tradition, the Talmud, which says, "One day, you will have to give an accounting for all the pleasures in life you did not partake in."

Rabbi Eckstein's explained that during the Jewish Sabbath, which runs from sundown Friday until sundown Saturday, Jews stop working and creating so that they can be spiritually refreshed and re-nourished while spending precious time with their families and acknowledging their Creator. He likened the Sabbath (Shabbat in Hebrew) to "an island in time you cannot get off of for 24 hours."

Rabbi Eckstein went on to say that Shabbat observance can create in the observer an entirely different attitude toward time. "We have to learn to sanctify time," he said. "We don't learn how to manage time until life is too short. " Calling time a "cherished commodity," he stressed that "We should live each moment to the fullest, [whether it be] watching the whales, enjoying those grandchildren, taking those trips you've always wanted to take."

As the conversation continued, Rabbi Eckstein touched on the subject of discerning God's call for our lives. "God is calling each of us in a different way at different times," he observed. "For instance, The Fellowship's 25th Anniversary gives me the responsibility of determining where I take The Fellowship for the next 25 years.

Ketchikan welcomes up to six cruise boats per day

Following Friday in picturesque Ketchikan, the Westerdam left Alaskan waters and sailed to Victoria, British Columbia, to enjoy its distinct English atmosphere on Saturday. Early Sunday morning, the ship's 1,800 passengers returned to dock in Seattle to return to their homes.

The cruise may be over, but the celebration of The Fellowship's 25th Anniversary is not. The next event marking this milestone will be The Fellowship's 25th Anniversary National Conference and Celebration Banquet Sept. 22 and 23 in Chicago honoring Pat Robertson and the late Dr. Jerry Falwell for their support of Israel. You can find out more and register for this landmark event here -- join us in Chicago later this month if you can!