Once a Potato Head

(Israelnationalnews.com) Realizing that readers were right in protesting my use of the expression "Potato Heads" to describe my detractors, I have deleted my original introduction to today's blog, in the spirit of promoting brotherly love, which is a more fitting response to nasty talkbacks during this period of the Three Weeks. As initial talkbacks suggested, the real Potato Head is me.

If you say in all humbleness, “Who am I to pay over the destruction of Jerusalem?” the “Mesilat Yesharim” has already answered this contention:

“If one would say, ‘Who am I and what am I worth that I should pray for Jerusalem etc... Will the exiles be gathered in and will Salvation sprout because of my prayer?’ his answer awaits him. As we learned (Sanhedrin 37a) ‘Man was created individually so that each man should say: The world was created for my sake.' It is the Blessed One's pleasure that His sons desire and pray for this. And though their desire may not be fulfilled because the proper time has not yet arrived, or for some other reason, they will have done their part and the Holy One Blessed Be He rejoices in it (“Mesilat Yesharim,” Ch.19).

More on Tikun Hatzot to follow.