"Can these bones become alive?"
(Ezekiel 37:3)
Iyar 28, 5770/May 12, 2010
43rd day of the Omer
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Jerusalem Day 5770
This week Jews around the world begin the book of Numbers, in Hebrew, Bamidbar, literally, "in the wilderness." The opening chapters of the book describe in detail how the tribes of Israel are to array themselves in the desert. Three tribal encampments on each of the four directions, east, south, west and north, create an outer perimeter around the Tabernacle, which, situated in the center of the encampment, is flanked by an inner perimeter formed by the encampment of the tribe of Levi, according to their family divisions.
This tribal deployment is but the latest stage in the development of the people of Israel from a formless band of freed bondsmen to a great and independent nation. The first transformation occurred at Mount Sinai where the children of Israel received Torah, and as a nation thereby acquired a soul. The second transformation was achieved by the building of the Tabernacle and the inauguration of the Divine service, in effect implanting a living, beating heart, animated by the soul, within the nation. And now, with the deployment of the tribes, each according to its own banner, a body is formed around the heart which is animated by the soul. Each tribe, each individual being assigned his own unique purpose to fulfill, as part of the whole.
The modern rebirth of the nation of Israel upon the land that G-d promised to Avraham, Yitzchak and Yaakov, and their descendants, can be seen to be transpiring in reverse fashion. With Israel's declaration of independence in 1948, an army, consisting of refugees from the four corners of the earth had to be formed in order to defend the people and the land from the seven invading Arab armies. Only nineteen years later, on the 28th day of the month of Iyar, (June 7, 1967), whose Hebrew anniversary we are celebrating today, was ancient Jerusalem and the Temple Mount, the place of the Holy Temple, liberated. And thereby Israel reacquired its heart.
Just as in the prophecy of Ezekiel, the bones of the two thousand year exile, which ended in the furnaces of the Holocaust, were laid over with sinew, and upon the sinew new flesh has grown. So too Israel has returned to life back in the land G-d has promised. And now having regained Jerusalem, the heart of the nation that feeds nourishment to the entire body of Israel, Israel is searching for its soul, for that animating and guiding force rooted in G-d's will, which will inspire and direct the reborn nation.
Israel has made dramatic achievements throughout its short (modern) history. Her accomplishments in agriculture, science, medicine, humanitarian aid, literature, the arts, high tech, and the military have earned her great, if sometimes begrudging, universal admiration. What is less visible to the foreign eye is the intensive spiritual revolution that is occurring today in Israel and in the heart of Israel - Jerusalem. As in all true revolutions, the Torah revolution taking place today in Israel is intended to through off the yoke of foreign rule. Two thousand years of being oppressed strangers, of laboring in fields that were not theirs, has left an indelible mark upon the soul of Israel. But what looks like so much turmoil and dissent from the outside is, in fact, the first signs of Israel returning to its spiritual inheritance here in the land of Israel, as G-d intended it when He first set Israel upon eagle's wings, and brought them our of Egypt.
So it can be said that Israel today, having physically redeployed itself in the land, and having regained the heart of the nation, is marching toward Sinai in search of its soul. The celebration of Jerusalem Day, situated on the calendar six weeks after the Passover exodus, and two weeks after Yom Atzmaut - Israel Independence Day - and one week before the holiday of Shavuot, which marks the receiving of Torah at Sinai, could hardly be more propitious. From this privileged vantage point we can see with confidence what lies ahead: The rebuilt Holy Temple, the living, beating heart, which will house the soul of Israel, the Divine Shechinah - the indwelling of G-d's presence here on earth which will spread through the arteries and reanimate the nation of Israel in true holiness and attachment to G-d.
May the day come soon when Israel will no longer be in the docket of the travesty of what today is cynically called international "justice,' which is nothing more than the politically correct and self serving law of Sodom. May the day come soon when these same nations which today sit in judgement of Israel will turn their eyes and their hearts to Jerusalem in anticipation of His word:
"And many peoples shall go, and they shall say, 'Come, let us go up to the L-rd's mount, to the house of the G-d of Yaakov, and let Him teach us of His ways, and we will go in His paths,' for out of Zion shall the Torah come forth, and the word of the L-rd from Jerusalem." (Isaiah 2:3)
Tune in to this week's Temple Talk as Rabbi Chaim Richman and Yitzchak Reuven talk with Pastor Kenneth Rawson, an outspoken opponent on dividing Jerusalem, who shares his insights on American policies towards Israel, and his adamant opposition to Christian attempts to convert Jews.The Rabbi and Yitzchak also speak from the heart about Jerusalem Day, Rabbi Richman shares his experience of the recent ascent to the Temple Mount by 43 rabbis to mark the historic day, and together our hosts rejoice in the very fact that G-d has reunited His people with Jerusalem, the soul of our people and the heart of our land. What a privilege to live here! What joy just to walk the streets of Jerusalem!
Special Update: Next week the holiday of Shavuot begins on Tuesday evening. Therefore, Rabbi Chaim Richman and Yitzchak Reuven will be broadcasting Temple Talk live on Monday afternoon, May 17, at the usual hour, (3:00 PM Israel time).
Jerusalem Day 5770: When Israel liberated the Temple Mount on June 7th, 1967, the prophetic clock began ticking anew. The place where King David and his son Solomon first built the Holy Temple is back in the hands of their descendants. Come what may, the Holy Temple will be rebuilt!Standing at the foot of the southwest corner of the Temple Mount wall, Rabbi Chaim Richman delivers a passionate paean to Jerusalem and to the once and future glory of the Holy Temple. Please click here to view.
Jerusalem Day Reflections by Rabbi Yisrael Ariel: Rabbi Yisrael Ariel, paratrooper and founder of the Temple Institute, reflects on his experiences in the Six Day War and the liberation of the Temple Mount. Please click here to view.
43 Rabbis Ascend The Temple Mount, Marking The 43 Year Anniversary Of The Liberation Of The Temple Mount: On May 10th, 2010, two days in advance of Jerusalem Day, (Yom Yerushalayim), in which the nation of Israel and its supporters around the world celebrate the anniversary of the day upon which Jerusalem's Old City and Temple Mount were liberated by the Israel Defense Forces on June 8, 1967, (the Hebrew date of 28 Iyar, which falls this year on May 12), forty three leading Rabbis of Israel converged at the gates to the Temple Mount, where they proceeded to ascend the Mount. The number forty three was chosen to symbolize the forty three years since the Mount was liberated. Additional rabbis and members of Knesset joined the group. For pictures, and to learn more, please click here.
Rabbi Richman Tours America: The Battle for Jerusalem has Begun! "The prophecy of the word of the L-rd concerning Israel... Behold, I am making Jerusalem a cup of poison for all the peoples all around... it shall be on that day that I make Jerusalem for all the peoples a burdensome stone... and all the nations of the world will gather against it... " (Zech. Ch. 12)Rabbi Richman brings an urgent message from Israel: These prophecies are coming to pass now, they are the secret of every headline, every negotiation... come to learn how the future of Jerusalem will effect the entire world!
Rabbi Richman will also be exhibiting the completed Breastplate for the High Priest, featuring the 12 stones of the tribes of Israel, ready to be worn by the Kohen Gadol in the rebuilt Holy Temple. The Breastplate is the instrument of prophetic enlightenment in the Holy Temple.This coming month of June Rabbi Chaim Richman will be speaking to audiences across Texas, New Mexico and Minnesota. For more information on when and where, please click here.
Project Heritage: Some months ago, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu announced a new government program in which Israel's most cherished and revered sites of national heritage would be receiving special attention for the purpose of refurbishing the sites, improving access to the sites and encouraging people to visit the sites. Yet, inexplicably, the Prime Minister left the Temple Mount, the holiest place on earth, off the list! We have an opportunity to try to correct this grievous omission: Representatives of the Temple Mount Lobby will be meeting next week with the members of Knesset who are the co-chairmen of the parliamentary committee which is overseeing the implementation of the Heritage Site Plan. We aim to present the Knesset members and the Prime Minister with a petition containing no less than 10,000 signatures. Your signature is required! Help us to make change. Help us to put the heart of the nation of Israel back on top of the national agenda. Click here to sign the petition.
This week features the new Bat Melech video teaching with Rabbanit Rena Richman, entitled, "The Month of Sivan: Shavuot and the entire month of Sivan offer us the opportunity to take stock of our spiritual well-being. Our spiritual maturity, like the first-fruits we bring to the Holy Temple on Shavuot, is the end result of a long and careful process of preparation." Click here to view.
This week features the new Light to the Nations teaching by Rabbi Chaim Richman, entitled, "The Pilgrimage Experience: The pilgrimage experience combined a sublime sense of expectation with an all-embracing feeling of total trust in HaShem, as Temple-goers left their farms and fields and made their way to Jerusalem and the Holy Temple. The festival of Shavuot, which celebrates the land of Israel and commemorates the receiving of Torah at Sinai epitomizes the total pilgrimage experience. Filmed at the southern wall of the Temple Mount." Click here to view.
In the desert each of the Israelite tribes was assigned a flag. What was the significance of the flags? What made them so important to Blessings from the holy city of Jerusalem,
Yitzchak Reuven
The Temple Institute
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