YERUSHALAYIM

Dear Family,

Hope everyone is well.

Mazal Tov again to Devorah Leah whose birthday was today. And we wish you long life for the loss of your grand-mother this week. Wishing you only simchos in the future.

We are now in the 9 day period of mourning until the Fast of Tisha Beav, the saddest day in the Jewish calendar.

The mourning is for the destruction of both our First and Second Temples which were located on The Temple Mount in YERUSHALAYIM thousands of years ago.

I am sure everyone is aware of the events which took place in YERUSHALAYIM this week, and prior to this, the resolution of the UN (UNESCO) on the status of the Temple Mount. (And prior to this throughout history!)

It is totally beyond belief, how a world body, the UN, representing the whole world, can come up with a resolution stating that the Temple Mount belongs to the Palestinians and the Muslims worldwide, ie trying to rewrite history in front of the whole world!!

And this week the Palestinians are rioting throughout the Country because we tried to install security measures there after they murdered 2 of our police from the Temple Mount, claiming we have no right to be there!! And that the Temple Mount belongs to them.

And so the question is, why is the whole world and particularly the Muslim world so keen on taking possession of this site, and blatantly trying to rob HAR HABAYIS AND YERUSHALAYIM from us?

Interestingly I have been learning a brilliant Maamer (Discourse) from the Frierdike Rebbe, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneerson, which is very much relevant to this period of time and to the Har Habayis (Temple Mount) in Yerushalayim OUR ETERNAL HERITAGE, and I think answers our question.

The Maamer is extremely intricate and I will try and summarise, but keeping focus on this week's theme mainly.

It is based on a psukim from Daniel which we say in our tachanun prayers ie 'And now, hear Hashem the prayer of your servant and his supplications, and turn your face to see your desolate Temple, for Your sake, Hashem (in the form of Adni)' and 'Turn your ear, Hashem, and listen, open Your eye and see our desolation, and the City on which Your Name is upon.'

And now.

The and points to something new.

The Name Adni

The Name Adni seems out of place here where Daniel is requesting Hashem's Mercy?

The Name of Hashem where mercy is concerned, is Havaye, and Adni refers more to the physical world?

Another area in Chumash connected to the Name Adni, was with Avraham Avinu, and so there is a strong link here to Avraham Avinu.

Interestingly, The Frierdike Rebbe points out that the Hebrew letters of Daniel are made up of Adni and lamed (I do not yet understand the significance of the lamed)

Hearing and Seeing.

These are powerful senses.

Hearing relates to sound which is more spiritual

Seeing relates more to the physical - one sees a physical object and assess it fully and comprehensively, very quickly.

Both senses powerfully unite and effect the object of the attention.

The philosophers say that Hashem is far removed from the world, and that His seeing and hearing are only parables, but the Frierdike Rebbe brings much evidence from Torah to show that not only does Hashem enliven the whole world, but He also sees and hears everything, and even more - he controls even the movements of a blade of grass flying in the wind, delivering it to its intended destination, and high and low are all equal to Him.

Fear of Hashem

When one will deeply contemplate the above thoroughly, a true Fear of Hashem will arise.

Rav Yehuda states that Hashem only created His world, so that we should come to this Fear.

The Temple and the City upon which Your Name is upon

This of course refers to what remains of the Temple on Har Habayis in Yerushalayim, BUT IT ALSO REFERS TO THE TEMPLE WITHIN EACH JEW ( this is derived from the verse where Hashem says 'You should make for me a Temple so that I can dwell therein - therein should have been singular, but it was written in plural ie within each one of us)

So Daniels message was as follows:

Daniel is a man of Golus , down to earth in this world, requesting Hashem (Adni, relating to the world) to look down with the powerful force of sight at our destroyed and desolate situation in this world ie the physical (which will unite with the situation and effect it to change).

EVEN ALTHOUGH THE TEMPLE IS DESTROYED, HASHEM'S PRESENCE IS STILL THERE AND WILL BE THERE FOREVER. SIMILARLY WITH US AS INDIVIDUALS, WE ARE SLEEPING, BUT DEEP DOWN OUR HEARTS ARE AWAKE.

This 'effecting or arousing' of Hashem's mercy, should be initiated by us through the 'and now' implying something new ie we should do Teshuva which Hashem will hear - developing our Fear of Hashem and then doing His Will (His ear will turn towards this and sense our Teshuvah)

And the Prayer of Daniel should be powered by Avraham Avinu who was also called Adon and powered his way through all the Tests with which Hashem had tested him.

This is why the whole world is after this site, but it will be to no avail.

As soon as we awaken our hearts, the Third and Final Temple will be built, and this should happen before Tish Beav this year, which should be converted to a Great Yom Tov with the Coming of Mashiach!!

Gut Shabbos to all.