copyright (c) 2005 by Mr. Yosef Ben Shlomo HaKohen
I am sure that most of you are aware that Palestinian Arab mobs burned several synagogues in Gaza, and that the Palestinian Authority is in the process of destroying the remaining synagogues. This desecration was reported by much of the world media. In fact, the first letter to The Jerusalem Post protesting this desecration of the synagogues was sent by a Muslim woman in France, who expressed her sorrow and pain that some of her co-religionists destroyed houses of God.
Nevertheless, most of the world's political and religious leaders were silent. The media also reported on how those destroying the synagogues laughed and rejoiced over their destruction. This reminded me of earlier media reports on how many of them laughed and rejoiced when their terrorists murdered Jewish men, women, and children.
It is not surprising that those who laugh when terrorists destroy Jewish lives also laugh when synagogues are destroyed. Jewish history is full of examples where those who hated our People also hated our spiritual heritage. The following are a few examples from our "modern" age:
--The Nazis and their supporters desecrated and burned synagogues, Torahs, and all Jewish books.
--When the Jordanian Arab army captured the Old City of Jerusalem in 1948, they destroyed or desecrated all the synagogues in the Old City. The Jordanian government also vandalized the ancient Jewish cemetery on the Mount of Olives, ripping out three-quarters of its tombstones.
--On October 7, 2000, the BBC sent out the following report on the Palestinian desecration of Joseph's Tomb, a holy site for the Jewish People: "Joseph's Tomb is now destroyed. Its domed 19th century structure survived the Palestinian attack, but its concrete shell is blackened, so is the cenotaph which sits inside. But little else remained intact when it was ransacked and set alight. A muddy floor covered with cinders is strewn with charred wood, torn Jewish prayer books, metal railings turned upside down." Three years later, Palestinian Arabs attacked the site again, and they reduced to a pile of rubble the tombstone marking the traditional burial place of Joseph.
--Shortly after the initial Moslem attack on the tomb, Arabs from Jericho ransacked and destroyed the ancient Bet Shalom synagogue in the Jordan Valley. The destroyers laughed and rejoiced over the destruction.
We and good people everywhere are entitled to know that the destroyers will not have the last laugh. This hopeful message is found in the following Psalm about the Messianic Age which we chant before the Grace After Meals on Shabbos, the Festivals, and the New Moon:
A Song of Ascents: When the Compassionate One will bring about the return to Zion, we will be like dreamers. Then our mouth will be filled with laughter and our tongue with glad song. Then will they declare among the nations, "The Compassionate One has done great things for them." The Compassionate One has done great things for us; we will rejoice. O Compassionate One, bring back our exiles like springs in the desert. Those who sow in tears will reap with joyous song. The one who walks along weeping, carrying the bag of seeds, will return with joyous song carrying his sheaves! [Tehillim/Psalm 126]
"O Compassionate One, bring back our exiles like springs in the desert" Just as the springs in the desert bring life to thirsty creatures, so too, may our complete physical and spiritual return to Zion bring life to the spiritually thirsty, as it is written:
It will happen in the End of Days: The mountain of the Temple of the Compassionate One will be firmly established as the head of the mountains, and it will be exalted above the hills, and all the nations will stream to it. Many peoples will go and say, "Come, let us go up to the Mountain of the Compassionate One, to the Temple of the God of Jacob, and He will teach us of His ways and we will walk in His paths." For from Zion will go forth Torah, and the word of the Compassionate One from Jerusalem.
There is a universal goal to our historical journey, and when we reach this goal, we will call out to the entire earth to rejoice together:
A Psalm of Thanksgiving: Call out to the Compassionate One, all the earth. Serve the Compassionate One with joy, come before Him with joyous song.
Shavua Tov from Liberated Yerushalayim
Related Comments:
1. All of nature will rejoice at the arrival of the Messianic Age, and this idea is discussed in our letter, "The Song of the Trees," which is found in the archive (lower section) on our website at http://www.shemayisrael.co.il/publicat/hazon/.
2. According to most commentators, the following verse from Psalm 126, which we cited above, will be said by the People of Israel: "The Compassionate One has done great things for us; we will rejoice." The Chasam Sofer, a sage of the late 18th and early 19th centuries, has another interpretation. He teaches that this verse will be said by the nations of the world. For the final ingathering and spiritual renewal of the People of Israel in Zion will bring goodness and blessings to all the nations; thus, all the nations will rejoice. (This interpretation is found in a Passover Haggadahwhich is dedicated to Passover teachings of the Chasam Sofer. My above interpretation of "bring back our exiles like springs in the desert" was inspired by a somewhat similar interpretation of the Chasam Sofer which is found in this Haggadah).
3. The name Yitzchak literally means, "He will laugh." Our mother, Sarah, was barren, but the Compassionate One healed her and she gave birth to a son, who was named Yitzchak (Isaac). The Compassionate One had earlier told Abraham that Sarah would give birth to a son, and that the son should be called Yitzchak-- he will laugh . This name alludes to the future laughter of our People, when everyone will realize that our hopes for the rebirth and redemption of Israel and the world were not in vain. Throughout history, our enemies laughed at our faith in the future redemption. Many of them argued that even if the world will be saved, there was no future for Israel and Zion. The name Yitzchak is therefore to remind us that we will have the last laugh. Good people everywhere will laugh with us. (This insight was inspired by the commentary of Rabbi Hirsch on Genesis 21:6).
4. Most of the translation of Psalm 126 was taken from The Metsudah Tehillim: A Linear, English Translation with Noteby Rabbi Avrohom Davis.
copyright (c) 2005 by Mr. Yosef Ben Shlomo HaKohen
I am sure that most of you are aware that Palestinian Arab mobs burned several synagogues in Gaza, and that the Palestinian Authority is in the process of destroying the remaining synagogues. This desecration was reported by much of the world media. In fact, the first letter to The Jerusalem Post protesting this desecration of the synagogues was sent by a Muslim woman in France, who expressed her sorrow and pain that some of her co-religionists destroyed houses of God.
Nevertheless, most of the world's political and religious leaders were silent. The media also reported on how those destroying the synagogues laughed and rejoiced over their destruction. This reminded me of earlier media reports on how many of them laughed and rejoiced when their terrorists murdered Jewish men, women, and children.
It is not surprising that those who laugh when terrorists destroy Jewish lives also laugh when synagogues are destroyed. Jewish history is full of examples where those who hated our People also hated our spiritual heritage. The following are a few examples from our "modern" age:
--The Nazis and their supporters desecrated and burned synagogues, Torahs, and all Jewish books.
--When the Jordanian Arab army captured the Old City of Jerusalem in 1948, they destroyed or desecrated all the synagogues in the Old City. The Jordanian government also vandalized the ancient Jewish cemetery on the Mount of Olives, ripping out three-quarters of its tombstones.
--On October 7, 2000, the BBC sent out the following report on the Palestinian desecration of Joseph's Tomb, a holy site for the Jewish People: "Joseph's Tomb is now destroyed. Its domed 19th century structure survived the Palestinian attack, but its concrete shell is blackened, so is the cenotaph which sits inside. But little else remained intact when it was ransacked and set alight. A muddy floor covered with cinders is strewn with charred wood, torn Jewish prayer books, metal railings turned upside down." Three years later, Palestinian Arabs attacked the site again, and they reduced to a pile of rubble the tombstone marking the traditional burial place of Joseph.
--Shortly after the initial Moslem attack on the tomb, Arabs from Jericho ransacked and destroyed the ancient Bet Shalom synagogue in the Jordan Valley. The destroyers laughed and rejoiced over the destruction.
We and good people everywhere are entitled to know that the destroyers will not have the last laugh. This hopeful message is found in the following Psalm about the Messianic Age which we chant before the Grace After Meals on Shabbos, the Festivals, and the New Moon:
A Song of Ascents: When the Compassionate One will bring about the return to Zion, we will be like dreamers. Then our mouth will be filled with laughter and our tongue with glad song. Then will they declare among the nations, "The Compassionate One has done great things for them." The Compassionate One has done great things for us; we will rejoice. O Compassionate One, bring back our exiles like springs in the desert. Those who sow in tears will reap with joyous song. The one who walks along weeping, carrying the bag of seeds, will return with joyous song carrying his sheaves! [Tehillim/Psalm 126]
"O Compassionate One, bring back our exiles like springs in the desert" Just as the springs in the desert bring life to thirsty creatures, so too, may our complete physical and spiritual return to Zion bring life to the spiritually thirsty, as it is written:
It will happen in the End of Days: The mountain of the Temple of the Compassionate One will be firmly established as the head of the mountains, and it will be exalted above the hills, and all the nations will stream to it. Many peoples will go and say, "Come, let us go up to the Mountain of the Compassionate One, to the Temple of the God of Jacob, and He will teach us of His ways and we will walk in His paths." For from Zion will go forth Torah, and the word of the Compassionate One from Jerusalem.
There is a universal goal to our historical journey, and when we reach this goal, we will call out to the entire earth to rejoice together:
A Psalm of Thanksgiving: Call out to the Compassionate One, all the earth. Serve the Compassionate One with joy, come before Him with joyous song.
Shavua Tov from Liberated Yerushalayim
Related Comments:
1. All of nature will rejoice at the arrival of the Messianic Age, and this idea is discussed in our letter, "The Song of the Trees," which is found in the archive (lower section) on our website at http://www.shemayisrael.co.il/publicat/hazon/.
2. According to most commentators, the following verse from Psalm 126, which we cited above, will be said by the People of Israel: "The Compassionate One has done great things for us; we will rejoice." The Chasam Sofer, a sage of the late 18th and early 19th centuries, has another interpretation. He teaches that this verse will be said by the nations of the world. For the final ingathering and spiritual renewal of the People of Israel in Zion will bring goodness and blessings to all the nations; thus, all the nations will rejoice. (This interpretation is found in a Passover Haggadahwhich is dedicated to Passover teachings of the Chasam Sofer. My above interpretation of "bring back our exiles like springs in the desert" was inspired by a somewhat similar interpretation of the Chasam Sofer which is found in this Haggadah).
3. The name Yitzchak literally means, "He will laugh." Our mother, Sarah, was barren, but the Compassionate One healed her and she gave birth to a son, who was named Yitzchak (Isaac). The Compassionate One had earlier told Abraham that Sarah would give birth to a son, and that the son should be called Yitzchak-- he will laugh . This name alludes to the future laughter of our People, when everyone will realize that our hopes for the rebirth and redemption of Israel and the world were not in vain. Throughout history, our enemies laughed at our faith in the future redemption. Many of them argued that even if the world will be saved, there was no future for Israel and Zion. The name Yitzchak is therefore to remind us that we will have the last laugh. Good people everywhere will laugh with us. (This insight was inspired by the commentary of Rabbi Hirsch on Genesis 21:6).
4. Most of the translation of Psalm 126 was taken from The Metsudah Tehillim: A Linear, English Translation with Noteby Rabbi Avrohom Davis.
copyright (c) 2005 by Mr. Yosef Ben Shlomo HaKohen