Read this semi-prophetic dvar-Torah that Rabbi Kook gave in the Hurva Synagogue.
A Jew's view from the capital of Israel and the future site of the Third Temple, may it speedily be rebuilt.
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Showing posts with label Rosh HaShannah. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Rosh HaShannah. Show all posts
Sunday, September 13, 2015
Goodbye 5775!
Goodbye 5775! As for 5776, bring it on! May you all be written and sealed for a good year!
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
The Seventh of Marcheshvan
Today is the day we that start to request rain in the silent prayer, at least here in the land of Israel. Although the rainy season officially begins on Shemini Atzeret, when we start to say "Mashiv HaRuach U'Morid HaGeshem", we waited until now so that all the American Jewish tourists Babylonian Jews could return safely to their dwellings in America Babylon without being rained upon.
Perhaps this is a good time to look back at the holiday season that was. Here are a few observations:
1) You get out of it what you put into it. If you made an effort to get up early in Elul to say Selichot, if you devoted time to really reflect on your deeds, if you made an effort to change, if you fulfilled the mitzvot of Sukkot properly, I have no doubt that you were spiritually uplifted.
2) I had the opportunity do daven in the rebuilt Churva synagogue in the Old City of Jerusalem. It was really special. They have an interesting custom of not saying "Baruch Hu U'Varuch Shmo" during the repetition of the silent prayer. This I was told, was in keeping with the custom of the Gaon of Vilna. There is a certain atmosphere of splendor and honor that gave me a slight idea of what it might be like to daven in the Temple, may it speedily be rebuilt!
3) The Old City was packed with tourists from all over the world. BDS is a real big failure!
4) The Western Wall was packed with worshipers. The facilities available here have greatly improved over the years.
5) I was also in the City of David. That place has changed so much since in the almost three decades that I have been here. The more they dig there the more they reveal the ancient city of Jerusalem, much to the chagrin of the Arabs and the leftists. The City of David, like the Old City, was packed with tourists.
7) We are progressing towards full redemption, little by little. So I say to you Jews living abroad what Moses said to his father in law, " 'We are journeying unto the place of which the LORD said: I will give it you; come thou with us, and we will do thee good; for the LORD hath spoken good concerning Israel.' "
Perhaps this is a good time to look back at the holiday season that was. Here are a few observations:
1) You get out of it what you put into it. If you made an effort to get up early in Elul to say Selichot, if you devoted time to really reflect on your deeds, if you made an effort to change, if you fulfilled the mitzvot of Sukkot properly, I have no doubt that you were spiritually uplifted.
2) I had the opportunity do daven in the rebuilt Churva synagogue in the Old City of Jerusalem. It was really special. They have an interesting custom of not saying "Baruch Hu U'Varuch Shmo" during the repetition of the silent prayer. This I was told, was in keeping with the custom of the Gaon of Vilna. There is a certain atmosphere of splendor and honor that gave me a slight idea of what it might be like to daven in the Temple, may it speedily be rebuilt!
3) The Old City was packed with tourists from all over the world. BDS is a real big failure!
4) The Western Wall was packed with worshipers. The facilities available here have greatly improved over the years.
5) I was also in the City of David. That place has changed so much since in the almost three decades that I have been here. The more they dig there the more they reveal the ancient city of Jerusalem, much to the chagrin of the Arabs and the leftists. The City of David, like the Old City, was packed with tourists.
7) We are progressing towards full redemption, little by little. So I say to you Jews living abroad what Moses said to his father in law, " 'We are journeying unto the place of which the LORD said: I will give it you; come thou with us, and we will do thee good; for the LORD hath spoken good concerning Israel.' "
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Rosh HaShannah is Coming!
Last day of the year 5769
Can you feel the excitement? I hope and pray that the coming year will be a good one:
A year of good health,
A year of good livelihood,
A year with lots of rain,
A year with lots of Torah learning,
A year with lots of Teshuvah,
A year of settling the land of Israel,
A year of peace (real peace, not piece),
A year of happiness.
לשנה טובה תיכתבו ותיחתמו
Can you feel the excitement? I hope and pray that the coming year will be a good one:
A year of good health,
A year of good livelihood,
A year with lots of rain,
A year with lots of Torah learning,
A year with lots of Teshuvah,
A year of settling the land of Israel,
A year of peace (real peace, not piece),
A year of happiness.
לשנה טובה תיכתבו ותיחתמו
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Mitzpe Hoshaya and Tzipori
23 Elul, 5768
Do you see those red roofed houses nestled so nicely on the hill? That's Mitzpe Hoshaya, a religious community in the Galilee. Nice, isn't it? Happiness is the rebuilding of the land of Israel (See Or HaChaim on Deuteronomy 26:1).
I took the picture from the ruins of Tzipori. Tzipori was an important town in the land of Israel after the destruction of the Second Temple. The Sanhedrin, the High Court of Jewish Law, was here for a while. Many remains from the Mishnaic era have been found here. For me the most impressive find was the ancient synagogue of Tzipori. It has a mosaic floor with several different motifs:
Could you make out the seven branched Menorah? The Rambam holds that the branches of Menorah were straight and not curved. In every ancient depiction of the Menorah that I seen here in Israel the branches are curved. Of course this has no bearing on deciding halacha.
I don't know if I will be posting again before the New Year. There are so many preparations to be made.
May you all be written and sealed in the Book of Life. In 5769 may we rejoice in the rebuilding of the land of Israel and the banishing of God's enemies from it. Amen.
Do you see those red roofed houses nestled so nicely on the hill? That's Mitzpe Hoshaya, a religious community in the Galilee. Nice, isn't it? Happiness is the rebuilding of the land of Israel (See Or HaChaim on Deuteronomy 26:1).
I took the picture from the ruins of Tzipori. Tzipori was an important town in the land of Israel after the destruction of the Second Temple. The Sanhedrin, the High Court of Jewish Law, was here for a while. Many remains from the Mishnaic era have been found here. For me the most impressive find was the ancient synagogue of Tzipori. It has a mosaic floor with several different motifs:
Could you make out the seven branched Menorah? The Rambam holds that the branches of Menorah were straight and not curved. In every ancient depiction of the Menorah that I seen here in Israel the branches are curved. Of course this has no bearing on deciding halacha.
I don't know if I will be posting again before the New Year. There are so many preparations to be made.
May you all be written and sealed in the Book of Life. In 5769 may we rejoice in the rebuilding of the land of Israel and the banishing of God's enemies from it. Amen.
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Elul Thoughts #5: The Hebrew Calendar
As we approach the New Year 5769, it is fitting to discuss our calendar. The Hebrew calendar is cool when you think about it. The months of the Hebrew calendar are real lunar months. Months really should have something to do with the moon shouldn't they? Isn't it cooler to count the years from the Creation and not from the birth of you know who? Think about it!
Here in Israel you can write the Hebrew date on checks. Sometimes I do, and sometimes I don't. Perhaps that will be one of my New Year's resolutions: to use the Hebrew date as much as possible, to be as conscious of the Hebrew date as much as possible. Today is the 16th of Elul, 5768! A Simple Jew has got the idea. My children were born here in Israel have almost no knowledge of the Gregorian calendar. Sometimes they will ask me questions like, "When is March?" I answer them and say that March is around the time of Adar.
A guy I know in Jerusalem is very strict about using only the Hebrew date. This calendar is his handiwork:
Here in Israel you can write the Hebrew date on checks. Sometimes I do, and sometimes I don't. Perhaps that will be one of my New Year's resolutions: to use the Hebrew date as much as possible, to be as conscious of the Hebrew date as much as possible. Today is the 16th of Elul, 5768! A Simple Jew has got the idea. My children were born here in Israel have almost no knowledge of the Gregorian calendar. Sometimes they will ask me questions like, "When is March?" I answer them and say that March is around the time of Adar.
A guy I know in Jerusalem is very strict about using only the Hebrew date. This calendar is his handiwork:
Monday, September 08, 2008
Elul Thoughts #3
There sure is a lot to do in order to prepare for Rosh HaShannah. Two days of Rosh HaShannah means four holiday meals. That in itself means that there is a lot of shopping to be done. I can see it now. Jews in Jersey, Jews in Jerusalem, filling the shopping cart with delicacies. Of course this means that there is a lot of work to be done in the kitchen. I can smell the sweet aroma of chicken being cooked in wine, pineapple and honey now! Then there are those that are invited to eat elsewhere, to spend the holiday with good friends or close relatives. The change in scenery is in itself invigorating, a mechaye. The women of the family certainly want to greet the High Holy Days with some new clothes to say "shechechiyanu" on. It's time to pull out the credit card! Of course one must prepare good divrei Torah, the kind that will be interesting to children as well adults. We certainly have enough tasks to keep us busy.
I know of one Jew who will be spending the holiday alone. No one has invited him to spend the holiday with him. New clothes? No way! As for delicacies, I am not even sure that he has kosher food to eat. He's going to be spending the holiday locked up in a United States prison, just as he as done for over twenty years. The reason he is still in jail for the crime he committed is because he is a Jew.
Please forgive me, Jonathan Pollard. Forgive me for not doing enough for you. Please forgive the various Israeli governments for doing next to nothing to to get you out of jail, in spite of the great service that you did for them. Please forgive the Jews of the United States of America. You are their biggest nightmare. The mention of your name instills fear in their hearts, fear of the demon of the accusation of dual loyalty. This demon hovers above them as they sit in their comfortable US Government jobs and chat with their gentile colleagues about politics, sports, and the latest sitcom. The demon haunts them in their medical and law practices. He scratches them under the white collar and under the blue collar. When they mow their lawn, when they go the shopping mall, the demon is with them. They will do nothing for you for they dread the demon.
May this be the year that the demon is slain! May this be the year that Jonathan is set free, that his great stain of injustice will be removed from America once and for all. Amen, Kein Yehi Ratzon!
Update: Dry Bones has his say.
I know of one Jew who will be spending the holiday alone. No one has invited him to spend the holiday with him. New clothes? No way! As for delicacies, I am not even sure that he has kosher food to eat. He's going to be spending the holiday locked up in a United States prison, just as he as done for over twenty years. The reason he is still in jail for the crime he committed is because he is a Jew.
Please forgive me, Jonathan Pollard. Forgive me for not doing enough for you. Please forgive the various Israeli governments for doing next to nothing to to get you out of jail, in spite of the great service that you did for them. Please forgive the Jews of the United States of America. You are their biggest nightmare. The mention of your name instills fear in their hearts, fear of the demon of the accusation of dual loyalty. This demon hovers above them as they sit in their comfortable US Government jobs and chat with their gentile colleagues about politics, sports, and the latest sitcom. The demon haunts them in their medical and law practices. He scratches them under the white collar and under the blue collar. When they mow their lawn, when they go the shopping mall, the demon is with them. They will do nothing for you for they dread the demon.
May this be the year that the demon is slain! May this be the year that Jonathan is set free, that his great stain of injustice will be removed from America once and for all. Amen, Kein Yehi Ratzon!
Update: Dry Bones has his say.
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