Thursday, September 30, 2010

The Last Great Day

Holy Days:
Last Great Day
by Martin G. Collins
Forerunner, "Bible Study," September-October 1996


This study concludes the series on God's annual holy days. We have seen that Passover, the first festival, memorializes Jesus' sacrifice for man. The Days of Unleavened Bread instruct Christ's disciples in holy conduct. Pentecost pictures God's Holy Spirit given to His church. The Feast of Trumpets warns mankind of impending war and the return of Jesus Christ. Atonement depicts Satan being restrained and man finally becoming one with God. The Feast of Tabernacles pictures Christ's thousand-year reign of unprecedented peace and prosperity.

The final festival is the Last Great Day. It looks forward to a time after the Millennium when an awesomely wonderful period of salvation will take place. During this time the majority of mankind—rich and poor, young and old, men and women—will be resurrected and have an opportunity to inherit eternal life. Billions will qualify to enter the God Family! On the other hand, those who will not repent, who will not submit to God and His way, will be cast into the Lake of Fire and die the second—eternal—death. What a fair and merciful God we have!


Read more: http://www.cgg.org/index.cfm/fuseaction/Library.sr/CT/BS/k/404/Holy-Days-Last-Great-Day.htm#ixzz113Pj4cJ0

Muslim confiscates Christian Bible on Temple Mount


Jewish guards prevent Christians and Jews from exercising their religious right to pray on the Temple Mount? That's right! Only Muslims have unlimited access to Judaism's most holy site. Only the Koran is permitted within. The Tanach (Jewish Scripture, known to much of the world as the "Old Testament") and Christian Scriptures (the New Testament) are forbidden. Yet Israel claims to respect the religious rights of all people.

Read more...

A House of Prayer For All Peoples?

Wednesday, September 29, 2010

First Words of the New Year

"In the beginning... "
Simchat Torah and the First Words of the New Year

Tishrei 21, 5770/September 29, 2010
Hoshana Rabba



Today is the seventh and final day of the Sukkot festival, also known by the name Hoshana Rabba. Hoshana Rabba is a day both intensely solemn and intensely joyful. If this seems reminiscent of Yom Kippur, it is not coincidental. Hoshana Rabba "completes" the entire process of personal stock-taking and return to HaShem that began seven weeks ago with the onset of the month of Elul, and reached its crescendo on Yom Kippur. On Rosh HaShana we stand before HaShem, our King and Judge, and write our names into His Book of Life. On Yom Kippur the very same Book of Life is sealed, and on Hoshana Rabba the book, (and its verdict), is delivered. Of course, when it comes to teshuva, (returning to G-d and to the path of Torah), G-d is always ready to receive us, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, (yes, even on Shabbat), every day of the year. But in terms of setting for ourselves our goals and intentions for the coming year, the seven weeks which stretch from Elul to Hoshana Rabba form both the written text and the clean slate that will inform our spiritual well-being throughout the upcoming year.
How do we know that we have responsibly utilized this time given to us and have truly effected change in our selves, in how we relate to others and how we relate to G-d? Is there a preview or clue that can show us that we are not, in fact, precisely the same person that we were when we began our process of introspection and spiritual endeavor? Yes, there does exist a tried and true litmus test which can evince for us a clear answer to our question, and this is Shmini Atzeret, the day which immediately follows Hoshana Rabba.
Shmini Atzeret, literally, "the assembly of the eighth day," is also known as Simchat Torah, the day of rejoicing with the Torah. (In the diaspora Shmini Atzeret and Simchat Torah are celebrated on two consecutive days.) On this day, Jews around the world assemble in their synagogues, take out their Torah scrolls from the aron kodesh, (holy ark), in which they are kept, and dance joyfully with the Torah scrolls in their arms. The dancing, which can last for hours, is then followed by the public reading of the final chapters and verses of Deuteronomy, which describe Moshe's blessing to his people, his death on Mount Nevo, east of the Jordan River, and Yehoshua's assumption of leadership. This is then followed by the reading of the opening verses of the book of Genesis, which describe the six days of creation and the advent of Shabbat, the day of rest. In this manner we inaugurate our yearly reading of the five books of Torah.
The sign that we seek is evident in the first letters, words and verses of Genesis. We do, in fact, read these same words every year, year-in and year-out, and if they seem a bit old, tiresome, or stale; if they don't elicit deep within our souls a spark of excitement, a new, never-before explored challenge, then this is indeed a worrisome reflection of our own inner spiritual state. But if, as to be anticipated, these opening words of Torah stir us and shake us to the very core of our being, igniting within us a flame both warmly familiar and yet completely new and bold, sending our hearts and our thoughts spiraling upward toward new understandings and insights, then we can rest assured that our spiritual efforts of the past seven weeks have indeed borne fruit.
Torah is an unparalleled joy for all whose souls are nurtured by its words of instruction and revelation of truth. Dancing with Torah scrolls on Simchat Torah is but the new year's initial and outward expression of the sublime dance of Torah learning and guidance which will accompany us and guide throughout the upcoming year. May we merit to be always uplifted and and inspired by the holy words of Torah, each and every day, each and every moment.Chag Sameach and Shana Tova!
 
Temple TalkThere is no Temple Talk this week, due to the Sukkot holiday. Temple Talk will be back again next Tuesday, October 5th, in its usual time slot.
 
Temple Mount AliyaThe Temple Mount has remained open to Jews this Sukkot holiday, despite Arab rioting in the city of David. adjacent to the Mount, and hundreds of Jews, young and old, have taken advantage, ascending the Mount in honor of the annual pilgrimage festival. In a break from precedent the police allowed large groups to ascend, as can be witnessed by these photographs. Click here to view.
 
Queen HeleniQueen Heleni, Second Temple Patron, Returns to Israel: Traditionally, every day of the seven day Sukkot festival, we invite into our sukkot one of the seven ushpizin, (guests), Avraham, Yitzchak, Yaakov, Yosef, Moshe, Aharon and David. This year we have had the additional honor of hosting in Israel the much admired Queen Heleni, (in Hebrew, Heleni HaMalka), after a 137 year absence. Click here to learn more.
 
Temple Mount Update
As always, the Sukkkot holiday brings the Temple Mount to the forefront of the news. Click here for a Temple Mount update.
 
Wishing to all a joyful Simchat Torah and a good new year,
  Yitzchak Reuven
  The Temple Institute

Monday, September 27, 2010

Jew Arrested on Temple Mount?

Jew Arrested on Temple Mount for Daring to Seem to be Praying

by Elad Benari
(IsraelNationalNews.com)

A Jewish man in his 30s, who took advantage of the holiday of Sukkot in order to visit the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, was arrested on Sunday morning simply because an Arab security guard suspected that he was praying during the tour of the complex.

David Ha'ivri, Executive Director of the Shomron Liaison Office, who was on the scene of the incident, told Arutz 7 what had taken place:

“At 7:30 this morning I had the privilege of going up to Temple Mount with 20 other Jews,” said Ha’Ivri and added that Israeli police officers as well as inspectors from the Waqf accompanied the Jews who took part in the tour of the area. Among their responsibilities, explained Ha’Ivri, is to ensure that no Jew violates the instructions he receives upon entering the complex, which include a prohibition to pray at Judaism's holiest site.

“After the checkpoint at the Mugrabi Gate, a police officer gives a list of guidelines in a cold and dry voice,” described Ha’Ivri. “Do not pray. Do not tear a garment. Do not prostrate yourself. It is forbidden to take any action that the Muslims may see as a religious act.

Read more

Sunday, September 26, 2010

Priestly Blessing

Priestly Blessing in Pictures

by Maayana Miskin

Members of the Biblical priestly class, Kohanim, blessed tens of thousands of worshipers at the Kotel (Western Wall) on Sunday morning. The entire Kotel plaza filled with Jews seeking their blessing, and many more crowded balconies and streets overlooking the Wall.

The Kohanim blessed the crowd twice, once during the Shacharit (morning) service and again during Mussaf.

Kohanim are those related by direct patrilineal descent from the first High Priest of the Jewish people, Aharon, the brother of Moshe (Moses) . They blessed the congregants using the three Torah verses traditionally recited by Kohanim during the time of the First and Second Temples (Numbers 6:24-26).


Continue to see pictures

Thursday, September 23, 2010

Worldwide Church of God Feast of Tabernacles

The first time I visited Israel was with the Worldwide Church of God in 1980 to celebrate Sukkot -- the biblical Feast of Tabernacles. (Some Christians understand that Israel's harvest festival foreshadows the peace and prosperity that everyone will soon enjoy under the Messiah's golden rule). But that whirlwind experience only whet my appetite...

From Toledo to Jerusalem

Chag Sukkot: Festival of Joy

Chag Sukkot: Festival of Joy


Tishrei 14, 5771/ September 22, 2010



The festival of Sukkot is referred to in our holiday prayers as zeman simchatenu, "the Season of Our Joy," and this of course derives from the scriptural commandment, "And you should rejoice before HaShem your G-d for seven days." (Leviticus 23:40) Indeed, there is an irrepressible joy that fills and overflows the heart of every sukkah dweller, from the first day of the seven day festival to the last. To fulfill the commandment of building a temporary dwelling, and then to immerse our entire physical and spiritual beings in it for seven full nights and days is the closest thing we experience today to being within the courtyards of the Holy Temple itself, and this, no doubt, is a source of the intense joy of the sukkah. It is also a timely reminder that, just as everyone builds his and her own sukkah, and nobody expects it to descend from the heavens, fully accoutred and beckoning us to enter it, we should not deceive ourselves that the Holy Temple itself will one day descend from heaven, ready for us to bless it with our presence. On the contrary, the G-d that has commanded us to build each year a sukkah is the very same G-d who has commanded us to "Build for Me a sanctuary that I may dwell amongst them." (Exodus 25:8)
 
THE TEMPLE INSTITUTE WISHES ONE AND ALL A JOY FILLED FESTIVAL OF SUKKOT!
 
Temple TalkTune in to this week's Temple Talk and join Rabbi Chaim Richman and Yitzchak Reuven in the annual Temple Talk Sukkot Extravaganza - just what you need to start the joyous festival of Sukkot. What is the secret of Sukkot joy? What were the original "booths" of the Children of Israel in the desert (Lev. 23:43) - real booths, or Divine clouds of glory? Yitzchak Reuven and Rabbi Richman can hardly wait to take up residence in their respective temporary dwellings, to enjoy the rarified atmosphere of basking in the Divine Presence and feeling the enveloping embrace. May the lessons learned from these "temporary dwellings" stay with us all through the coming year!
 
Living in the House of G-dThis week features the new Bat Melech video teaching with Rabbanit Rena Richman, entitled, "Living in the House of G-d: We emerge from seven weeks of soul searching, spiritual rebirth and reckoning and find ourselves victorious and stronger than ever. What better place for us to live, eat, sleep, breath and imbibe Torah for the next seven days and nights than our own heavenly sukkah made with our own hands out of leaves and branches, fabric and wood. Via our seven day sukkah sojourn we will emerge yet again, ready to march forward into our new year." Click here to view.
 
Over the Rainbow and into the SukkahToday also features the new Light to the Nations teaching by Rabbi Chaim Richman, entitled, "Living with G-d: Over the Rainbow and into the Sukkah: We all long for that perfect spot where bluebirds sing and all contradictions fade away. It can be attained, we can place ourselves on the other side of the rainbow, even in our own back yards, in the sukkot booths that we are commanded to build. Part cloud of glory and part earthly dwelling, our sukkot create for us a harmonious environment in which to dwell within G-d’s presence, the holy Shechina. Jews and Gentiles alike have a place in the sukkah." Click here to view.
 
Sukkot in the Holy TempleSukkot in the Holy Temple: As glorious as the festival of Sukkot is today, it is only a shadow of what it will be when the Holy Temple has been rebuilt and the Divine service renewed. To learn how the sublime holiday of Sukkot is celebrated in the Holy Temple, please click here.
 
The Sukkot Building SpecialThe The Sukkot Building Special: Back by special demand! Last year's sukkah building special has become a cult classic! There is no time better spent than the time we spend in the sukkah, and this remarkable spiritual odyssey begins with the building of the sukkah. Join Rabbi Chaim Richman and Yitzchak Reuven as they build their classic Jerusalem sukkah. Along the way the Rabbi shares his pearls of Torah wisdom. Chock-full of adventure, breathtaking insights, and occasional mishap, you will not want to miss a minute of this timeless documentary. Truly a must-see! Click here.
 
Chag Sameach Sukkot from Jerusalem!
  Yitzchak Reuven
  The Temple Institute

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Holidays or Holy Days - Does it Matter Which Days We Observe?

Table of Contents

Crucial Questions
Many people are shocked to discover the origins of our most popular religious holidays. They are also surprised to find that the days God commands us to observe in the Bible—the same days Jesus Christ and the apostles kept—are almost universally ignored. Why? Also, why are today's supposedly Christian holidays observed with so many rituals and customs that are not sanctioned anywhere in the Bible? In this booklet you'll discover detailed answers to these questions.

Christmas: The Untold Story
Christmas is one of the world's most popular holidays, celebrated by people of many faiths. Yet the holiday has a strange and convoluted past, one hinted at in such puzzling symbols as decorated trees, holly wreaths and mistletoe.

How Christmas Grew

Christmas vs. the Bible

Biblical Evidence Shows Jesus Wasn't Born on December 25

Easter: Masking a Biblical Truth

Many millions of people believe Jesus Christ rose from the dead on a Sunday morning. But do the Scriptures tell a different story? And how did rabbits and colored eggs come to be associated with Christ's resurrection?

The Resurrection Connection

Fertility Symbols: Beneath the Dignity of God

The Chronology of Christ's Crucifixion and Resurrection

Halloween: A Celebration of Evil
Why would anyone celebrate a holiday emphasizing the morbid and macabre? Where did such strange customs originate?

What About Thanksgiving, Hanukkah and Purim?
An important distinction between acceptable holidays and those rooted in paganism (like Christmas and Easter) is that they do not alter, replace or distort the meaning of a festival of God or other biblical truths.

God's Days of Worship
Many are surprised to learn that the Bible nowhere encourages us to celebrate Easter and Christmas. It does, however, show that God revealed a series of festivals that teach mankind about His great plan for all of us!

God's Festivals in the New Testament

Does It Matter to God?
History shows that religious authorities systematically set aside the Bible's days of worship and substituted other practices and celebrations with distinctly non-Christian origins. Is God pleased and honored with such worship?

An Ancient Cultural Clash

The Delights of Obedience

Saturday, September 18, 2010

Yom Kippur at Sdot Yam

Tradition - even empty, hollow, shallow - has assisted Jewry to preserve this Day, however imperfectly; yet I also couldn't help but think of God & Kahane who might dismiss such "worship" as vain and such "devotions" as void. Liberal, Hellenist, humanists who have nothing to do with God and are ignorant of or deny His Word as a general rule, as hypocritical & unacceptable as professing Christianity on the pagan days of Christmas and Easter...

Yom Kippur at Sdot Yam

Friday, September 17, 2010

LCG Commentary: The devil's end

Commentary: The devil's end
By Michael Heykoop | Thursday, September 16, 2010
As a society, we love a good story. Writers can make millions of dollars crafting thrilling tales to keep us on the edge of our seat. The most common formula used is that of good versus evil. Read more Read More

Thursday, September 16, 2010

Yom Kippur: The Happiest Day of the Year

Yom Kippur: The Happiest Day of the Year


Tishrei 8, 5771/ September 16, 2010


It is said that "Yom Kippur is the happiest day of the year, for on this day the Holy One, Blessed be He, atones for Israel." The feeling of joyful anticipation is palpable. After many arduous weeks of intensive soul-searching and reflection, stock-taking and personal assessment, we arrive at this most solemn of days, ready to stand before our Creator in judgment. Our good acts, pure thoughts and supplications, and perfect desire to draw near to G-d's Holy presence, the Divine Shechina, and write ourselves into His Book of Life are our defense attorneys and our witnesses. Awesome trepidation? Certainly. A sense of morbid dread? Absolutely not. For it is our own hand that writes our name into the book of Life, and if our signature is a true reflection of our purpose on this earth, to love G-d and walk in His ways, then He will surely place His seal of love and forgiveness upon us. Yom Kippur - truly the happiest day of the year!
G’mar Chatima Tova - May we all be inscribed and sealed in the Book of Life!
 
Temple TalkTune in to this week's Temple Talk as Rabbi Chaim Richman and Yitzchak Reuven share their thoughts on preparing for the awesome experience of Yom Kippur and getting the most out of the day guaranteed by Hashem to give us a fresh start - if we utilize it properly. The real challenge, of course, starts the day after...
What is the secret of a true ba’al teshuva - a "master of repentance?" How does one earn such a title? Can anybody do it? And what do our sages really mean when they teach that if one truly engages in repentance for the right reasons, G-d literally changes his personal history? Temple Talk.
 
The Art of Yom Kippur, 5771The Art of Yom Kippur, 5771: Have you ever made a mistake? Have you ever wished you could turn back the clock, press a delete button, wipe clean your own personal slate? Yom Kippur is G-d's certificate of guarantee that if you have it within you to leave your past errors behind and draw near to Him, He will forget your past mistakes, and accept you as you are today, new and improved, and ready for tomorrow. Click here to view this three minute video blessing.
 
Living with G-dToday also features the new Light to the Nations teaching by Rabbi Chaim Richman, entitled, "Living with G-d: Yom Kippur 5771: The opportunity to do teshuva, commonly translated as repentance, but more accurately defined as returning to G-d, and returning to yourself, as G-d intended you, awaits us every day of the year. But there is no day as propitious for teshuva as the 10th day of Tishrei - Yom Kippur. On this day, G-d, our Father and King, opens before us His Book of Our Lives, and allows us to make the changes we need to draw closer to Him, to our own true selves, and restart our lives on a whole other level." Click here to view.
 
Temple Mount ActivistsWe are still mourning the tragic loss of Yitzchak and Talya Imas, devoted Temple Mount activists, who were murdered by terrorists, leaving behind six orphaned children. Many people have inquired how they can help. If you would like to donate to a fund which has been established in Israel to care for the six Imas children, please contact us. Arrangements can be made for an IRS recognized deduction.
 
Yom KippurThe Yom Kippur service, as it was conducted by the Kohen Gadol in the Holy Temple, was unparalleled in the intensity of its activity and its intended purpose. To learn how Yom Kippur was observed in the Holy Temple, please click here.
 
G’mar Chatima Tova - May we all be inscribed and sealed in the Book of Life!
  Yitzchak Reuven
  The Temple Institute

Wednesday, September 08, 2010

Rosh Hashana Greetings from the Temple Institute 5771

The Temple Institute wishes to all our friends and supporters, to all the House of Israel, and to all who love the G-d of Israel, a very sweet new year.

May this year of health and happiness, peace and prosperity for all, also be the year of the rebuilding of the Holy Temple and the renewal of the Divine service.

Rosh Hashana Greetings from the Temple Institute


A Sweet and Good New Year to All

Elul 29, 5770/September 8, 2010 - Erev Rosh HaShana



The Temple Institute wishes to all our friends and supporters, to all the House of Israel, and to all who love the G-d of Israel, a very sweet new year.
May this year of health and happiness, peace and prosperity for all, also be the year of the rebuilding of the Holy Temple and the renewal of the Divine service.
 
ROSH HASHANA GREETINGS
ROSH HASHANA GREETINGS FROM THE TEMPLE INSTITUTE FOR THE NEW YEAR OF 5771: View this one minute video greeting.
 
Temple TalkThe last Temple Talk of 5770 bids the year goodbye and welcomes in the coming year, may it bring blessings upon Israel and the entire world. What is our role in the cosmic saga of Rosh HaShana? What should we be praying for? How do we sweeten the judgments? And what is the significance of the shofar-blasts on this day, the birthday of the first man? Tune in to this week's Temple Talk as Rabbi Chaim Richman muse over these things and more as they prepare for the awesome-yet-joyous days of Rosh HaShana.
 
The Bridge to Our Future
Rosh Hashana 5771 - The Bridge to Our Future: Rabbi Chaim Richman speaks with Lorelai Kude of Jerusalem's Radio Free Nachlaot internet radio station, discussing what's expected of us as we arrive, on Rosh HaShana, to celebrate the birthday of our common forefather - Adam HaRishon - the first man. To hear the rabbi please click here.
 

Yitzchak Imas, 5723-5770. One week ago, Israel lost a true hero and visionary this week, martyred at the hands of Moslem terrorists. Yitzchak worked tirelessly to return a Jewish presence to the Temple Mount, and to return the Temple Mount and the Holy Temple to the hearts of every Jew. This week, after completed shiva, (the traditional seven day mourning period), the six Imas orphans returned to the Mount so loved by their father. Overlooking their children from their graves on the Mount of Olives, were Yitzchak and Talya Imas, of blessed memory. To learn more about Yitzchak, and to learn how you can assist his children, please click here.
 
The Shofar: Speaking to Our SoulThis week features the new Bat Melech video teaching with Rabbanit Rena Richman, entitled, "The Shofar: Speaking to Our Soul: On Rosh HaShana the order of the tru-ot and tekiyot of the shofar choreographs an intimate dialogue between man and G-d. Understanding the "language" of the shofar enables us to take part in the dialogue." Click here to view.
 
Who is a G-d like You?This week features the new Light to the Nations teaching by Rabbi Chaim Richman, entitled, "Who is a G-d like You?: Our closeness to G-d is described by Torah as one of kinship, not on a literal, fleshy level, but in terms of our absolute spiritual proximity to Him. This knowledge should inform how we relate to G-d and how we relate to our fellow man, likewise our kinsmen." Click here to view.
 
Rosh Hashana in the Holy

Temple
Rosh Hashana in the Holy Temple: From declaring the new moon to the blowing of the shofar by the kohanim upon the steps of the Holy Temple Sanctuary. To learn the details and the joy of Rosh Hashana in the Holy Temple, please click here.
 
Parashat Hashavua We may think we’re too clever for the “G-d game.” Think again. Trapped in a web of dime-store philosophies and talk-show sophistries, we may be short-changing ourselves of a deeper meaning to life. We can gain the true wisdom of Torah only by shedding our supercilious pretensions and false sophistication, and thereby letting G-d’s light into our hearts. Click here to view Rabbi Richman's short teaching on parashat Ha'azinu (Deuteronomy 32:1-32:52).
 
Blessings for a Shana Tove Umetuka - a Sweet and Good New Year, from the holy city of Jerusalem,
  Yitzchak Reuven
  The Temple Institute
 
donate to the Temple InstituteHelp us build the future.
Click here.
 
THE TEMPLE INSTITUTE
PO Box 31876
Jerusalem, Israel 97500

Tuesday, September 07, 2010

Tomorrow night is Rosh Hashana! Get ready with Aish.com

Friday, September 03, 2010

Standing this Day before HaShem

"You are all standing this day before
HaShem your G-d"
(Deuteronomy 29:9)
Elul 22, 5770/September 1, 2010


The sublime beauty and harmony of the Torah, the Hebrew calendar, and the appointed meetings between man and G-d, are never more evident, never more clear and tangible, then they are in this season, the weeks and days leading up to Rosh HaShana and Yom Kippur. The Torah readings of the past weeks have been imbedded with clear and unmistakable messages of encouragement and practical guidance for all of us who are preparing ourselves for our upcoming appearance before G-d, the King and Judge of all creation. Torah has been quietly shepherding us forward in a way which speaks clearly G-d's love for His people, meaning all people, the entire family of man. But it is this week's double Torah reading, Nitzavim-Vayelech, which pulls out all the stops, in a no-holds-barred, full-court-press, all out effort to make certain that each one of us enters Rosh HaShana confident of who we are, and, even more importantly, who we can be, and that ten days later when we conclude Yom Kippur, we have become finer versions of our own true selves.
How does Torah do it? It is tempting to say that Torah all but shouts out the answers to our upcoming "final exam," but that would be misleading. What Torah does is state the questions that we need to be asking ourselves, and then present the necessary challenges that we must face and accept upon ourselves, in order to acquire the "right answers" to our upcoming test.
"For this commandment which I command you this day, is not concealed from you, nor is it far away. It is not in heaven, that you should say, 'Who will go up to heaven for us and fetch it for us, to tell [it] to us, so that we can fulfill it?' Nor is it beyond the sea, that you should say, 'Who will cross to the other side of the sea for us and fetch it for us, to tell [it] to us, so that we can fulfill it?' Rather,[this] thing is very close to you; it is in your mouth and in your heart, so that you can fulfill it." (ibid 30:11-14)
There are no other words in Torah quite like these, which express both G-d's love for His people, and His total, unquestioning confidence that they can meet every challenge that Torah presents them, perform every commandment which comes their way, and by doing so, stay fixed on a course of goodness and righteousness. G-d knows, for He created us, that we possess within our hearts and within our souls every tool necessary to aspire to and to attain our very finest selves. We cannot honestly claim that we don't have what it takes to stand before G-d on Rosh HaShana.
"Behold, I have set before you today life and good, and death and evil... " (ibid 30:15) Torah again puts forward in breathtaking simplicity the only issues which need concern us. Good and evil, life and death, the distilled unvarnished essence of what man's sojourn in this world is all about, and why G-d created him. And to strengthen the wavering, and enlighten those who may be in darkness, Torah goes on to say, "I command you this day to love HaShem, your G-d, to walk in His ways, and to observe His commandments, His statutes, and His ordinances, so that you will live and increase, and HaShem, your G-d, will bless you in the land to which you are coming to take possession of it." (ibid 30:16) And if, in spite of these most emphatic words there is still ambivalence in one's heart, Torah concludes, "You shall choose life, so that you and your offspring will live." (ibid 30:19)
It is tempting to say that all one needs to do on Rosh HaShana is to show up. After all, Torah has pretty much given us all we need to know, in these few verses quoted above. Equipped with these answers we can surely embark upon a new year of truth and righteousness. But, of course, temptation and false security is everything the Torah is NOT about.
In reality, Torah has not provided us with any answers. What it has done is provide us with the necessary questions we must ponder and challenges we must face, not just on Rosh HaShana, but in the days and weeks and months that follow. Only we can provide our own answers as to how we will meet these challenges. Only we can represent our selves before G-d, and only we can write our own names into the Book of Life.
What Torah does provide us with is the greatest pep-talk ever. The rest is up to us.


Temple TalkTune in to this week's Temple Talk as Rabbi Chaim Richman, off-site, preparing spiritually for the upcoming Days of Awe, leaves it up to Yitzchak Reuven, who, manning the microphone, has what to say about our upcoming "day in court," and about the great lengths this week's double Torah reading of Nitzavim-Vayelech goes to in encouraging and preparing us for Rosh HaShana. Our choices may seem obvious, but they may be deceptively simple, all the same.


Yitzchak Imas
Yitzchak Imas, 5723-5770. Israel lost a true hero and visionary this week. The Temple Institute has lost a dear friend and compatriot in our historic task to rebuild the Holy Temple and bring the light of G-d back into the world. Click here to learn more about Yitzchak Imas, murdered, along with his wife Talya, Kochava Ben Meir, and Avishai Shindler, by Arab terrorists, on the eve of the so called "peace talks".


One Extra StepThis week features the new Bat Melech video teaching with Rabbanit Rena Richman, entitled, "One Extra Step: Divine providence is all about starting over. G-d is with us every moment of our lives. If we welcome His presence in our lives, we will dare to take that one extra step in order to meet our own expectations of ourselves." Click here to view.


Pure Cleansing WaterThis week features the new Light to the Nations teaching by Rabbi Chaim Richman, entitled, "Pure Cleansing Water: Our relationship with G-d is direct and unemcumbered by outside forces. It is part of His essence to forgive us our transgressions. Are we able to access the G-dliness within us in order to forgive our own imperfections, and move on toward improving and perfecting who we truly are?" Click here to view.


Parashat Hashavua"And you will return to the Lord, your G-d... you and your children... " (Deut. 30:1) The positive commandment and the Divine promise of repentance and reconciliation between G-d and His children is THE message of the days preceding the awesome day of Rosh HaShana. Click here to view Rabbi Richman's short teaching on parashat Nitzavim-Vayelech (Deuteronomy 26:1-29:8).


Join Us
A new year is about to enter, one of blessing, G-d willing, for all of us. This year you can make the Temple Institute a part of your life by supporting our work and becoming a partner in our tireless efforts to turn the dream of the Holy Temple into a reality. Click here to learn more.


Blessings from the holy city of Jerusalem,
  Yitzchak Reuven
  The Temple Institute


donate to the Temple InstituteHelp us build the future.
Click here.


THE TEMPLE INSTITUTE
PO Box 31876
Jerusalem, Israel 97500