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Our Dvar Torah: “A House For HaShem”
We are currently within the Three Weeks of Mourning of Bein ha-Metzarim, which means “Between the Straits.” Our sages explain that there are five MAJOR events in particular that we mourn during these Three Weeks, but there are innumerable other woes our people experience during this period as we will discuss in more detail on Tisha B'Av.
We began our observance with the Fast of Tammuz on Thursday. The Three Week Period of Mourning continues until Tisha B'Av which, this year, will be observed July 30th. During this period we remember the following:
Moses returned from the heights of Har Sinai and broke the tablets when he saw the Jewish people worshiping the Golden Calf.
During the Babylonian siege of Jerusalem during the First Temple Period. At that time the Jews were forced to cease offering the daily sacrifices due to the lack of sheep caused by the violent conditions they were forced to endure.
Antiochus iv Epiphanes, AKA Apostomos, burned the Holy Torah. Even his name is blasphemous, meaning, “Antiochus the god.”
Antiochus also set up a idol of Zeus Olympus in the Temple in 168 b.c.e. It is also alleged that he caused a sow to be offered on the desecrated alter.
The walls of Jerusalem were breached by the Romans, in 70 CE, after a lengthy siege. (Three weeks later, after the Jews put up a valiant struggle, the Romans destroyed the second Holy Temple on the 9th of Av). Tisha B'Av will be remember this year on July 30th.
Let's read Likutey Moharan # 219
As said by Shlomo HaMelech in First Kings chapter 8:
Verse 18 The Lord said to David my father, 'Since it was in your heart to build a house unto My name, you did well that it was in your heart.Nevertheless, you shall not build the house; but your son that shall come forth out of your loins, he shall build the house for My name.' ...
26.And now, God of Israel, please let Your word come true, which You spoke to Your servant David, my father.
But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold the heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain You; much less this temple that I have erected.”
The Two Temples were built so that we could properly serve and worship HaShem as our hearts desired, as written, “'Since it was in your heart to build a house unto My name, you did well that it was in your heart...”
The First Temple was constructed by Shlomo HaMelech, based on detailed plans that G d had given to his father, David HaMelech through the prophet Nathan. Construction began on the First Temple in 833 BCE, during the fourth year of Shlomo's reign. It took seven years to complete. Then, in the twelfth year of his reign, in 827 BCE, Shlomo HaMelech dedicated the Temple and all its contents.
After Shlomo's death, the ten northern tribes refused to accept his son Rehoboam as their king. Because of this division, in 796 BCE, the country was divided into two kingdoms: the Kingdom of Israel in the north and the Kingdom of Judah (containing Jerusalem) in the south.
The Northern Kingdom practiced idolatry and assimilation and were destroyed as punishment by HaShem. To a lesser extent the Jews of the Southern Kingdom did the same. G-d sent many prophets but they refused to change their ways.
In 555 BCE, Samaria, the capital of the northern kingdom, fell to the Assyrians, the Kingdom came to an end, their citizens were murdered or assimilated fully.Judah, the Southern Kingdom soon went into deportation and slavery to Babylon for the same sins.
On the seventh of Av, the chief of Nebuchadnezzar's army, Nebuzaradan, attacked Jerusalem. The walls of the city were torn down, and the royal palace and other structures in the city were set on fire.
According to the shared memories of our Sages, when Nebuzaradan entered the Temple he found the blood of Zechariah literally, miraculously, “seething.” He asked the Jews what this phenomenon meant. They explained: "There was a prophet among us who chastised us, and we killed him. For many years now his blood has not rested."
Nebuzaradan said, "I will appease him." He proceeded to kill the members of the Great and Small Sanhedrins. He then killed many youths and maidens, and even school-children. Altogether, he killed 940,000 people.
But still the blood of the prophet continued to boil. Nebuzaradan then cried out: "Zechariah, Zechariah! I have slain the best of them; do you want all of them destroyed?" At last the blood sank into the ground. This according to Talmud, Gittin 57b.
On Tisha B'Av, toward the evening, the Holy Temple was set on fire and destroyed. The fire burned for 24 hours.
These and so many other terrible things happened because WE the Jewish people, refused to make teshuvah, repentance.
BUT HaShem upholds His Covenant with us even though we are wholly unworthy of it! Jeremiah also promised that the Jewish people would one day return to Jerusalem and rebuild the Temple. That happened seventy years later. The Second Temple stood until the year 70 CE when it too was destroyed.Today a small portion of our Land has been restored to us. About half of our people have returned Home to the Land. Many Jews again pray daily to HaShem that He would restore the Beit HaMikdash, the Third Holy Temple. That He would restore us to freedom and independence, and permit us once again to perform His Ancient Ways, and that He would send HaMashiach ben David to free us and rule over us. To this surely we of Beit Emunah will all say Amen!
But... consider... why did HaShem order the destruction of the Second Temple? The Talmud tells us why at Yoma 9b:"Why was the Second Temple destroyed? Because of sinat chinam, senseless hatred of one Jew for another.”
Today our baseless divisions, infighting and sinat chinam, senseless hatred, are at least as bad as they were then! The lack of ahavat chinam, love of our fellow Jews, is woefully absent. Many Jews refuse to even talk to one another due to often insignificant differences.
Until our people are willing to communicate with each other, to respect each other, how can we seriously ask HaShem to redeem us, to restore us, to restore His Sacred Temple? This is on US, even as it was on those Jews of the first century whose pseudo-holiness lead to the destruction of the Second Temple!These self-loathers and in-fighters honestly believe we deserve the Temple today? Hardly! We must humble ourselves before HaShem, regardless of movement, sect etc. and before our fellow Jews. We must once again become one united people!
It is extremely important, especially during times like the Three Weeks, that we study the history of the destruction of the Two previous Temples carefully, because there are so many valuable lessons we need to learn from those events! If we really want to see the reign of Mashiach ben David. If we REALLY want to avoid the coming War of Magog and the anti-G-d globalist dictatorship of the “One Like Haman.” It is up to US as Jews to unite.
Friends, the Beloved needs no Messiah!We need him!
The Beloved needs no House!
We need it!
The Beloved needs no Covenant!We need it!
The Beloved needs no Teshuvah!We need it!
The “House of the Holy” will ONLY be built on the foundation of Torah, ahavat chinam and emunah. If we really want HaMashiach ben David and the Third Beit HaMikdash we must increase these things before its too late!We need to know, understand, and internalize the Truth that HaShem our G-d is truly echad, One in Everything! We must become One People!Shema Y'israel Adonai Eloheinu Adonai Echad!If one truly incorporates this fact into his or her life, with strong emunah, one will naturally walk humbly before the Beloved proclaiming:
Baruch shem kvod malkhuto l'olam va-ed.Blessed is the Name of His Glorious Kingdom Forever!Only then will there be Peace. Not before.
May HaMashiach come soon and in our lifetime and we may all say Amen and change ourselves accordingly!Got Questions or Comments?
Let us knowVisit Our Shul: Beit Emunah
Be the Blessing you were created to be
And
Don't let the perfect defeat the good
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