Parsha with Rabbi David Bibi JewishPodcasts.org

Today is Yom Yerushalayim where we celebrate the unification of Jerusalem and the miracles of the Six Day War. Following the War of Independence in 1948 when the Arab countries surrounding Israel rejected the partition plan and sought to annihilate the 600,000 Jewish residents of the new State, the Jewish people won a resounding victory, but Jordan took possession of the Old City of Jerusalem. Those who had been living in the Old City, lost their homes. Synagogues and Yeshivot were destroyed and the area around the Wall was stripped of Jews who had been living there for decades and centuries. We could no longer worship at the Kotel. 



19 years later the voice of Motta Gur, commander of the paratrooper’s brigade, rings in our ears and we can all hear his historical announcement: “Har Ha-bayit be-yadeinu!” “The Temple Mount is in our hands!” ... It is this we celebrate with Hallel and praise for Hashem’s miracles. 



We read each day in the Amida: 

תִּשְׁכּוֹן בְּתוֹךְ יְרוּשָׁלַֽיִם עִֽירְךָ כַּאֲשֶׁר דִּבַּֽרְתָּ, וְכִסֵּא דָוִד עַבְדְּךָ מְהֵרָה בְּתוֹכָהּ תָּכִין, וּבְנֵה אוֹתָהּ בִּנְיַן עוֹלָם בִּמְהֵרָה בְיָמֵֽינוּ

Dwell within Jerusalem Your city, as You spoke about, & the throne of David, Your servant, speedily prepare it within it, & build it an eternal structure speedily in our days.

We mention the throne of David. Some compare the throne below with the throne above and just as we long for the throne below to be re-established, we realize that in some ways, the throne above is not whole. 



We read each Friday morning, Friday afternoon, evening and Shabbat: 

נָכ֣וֹן כִּסְאֲךָ֣ מֵאָ֑ז מֵעוֹלָ֣ם אָֽתָּה׃

Your throne stands firm from of old; from eternity You have existed. Again the throne! 



When Amalek attacks Benai Yisrael after leaving Egypt, Moshe sends Joshua to fight them. It is there we are commanded never to forget what Amalek does and Moses builds an alter and says 

וַיֹּ֗אמֶר כִּֽי־יָד֙ עַל־כֵּ֣ס כַּהּ מִלְחָמָ֥ה לַהֹ’ בַּֽעֲמָלֵ֑ק מִדֹּ֖ר דֹּֽר׃

He said, “It means, ‘Hand upon the throne of Hashem, Hashem will be at war with Amalek throughout the ages.”



Rashi asks: And what is the force of כס — why does it not say as usual (throne or chair) כסא? And the Divine Name, also, is divided into half (Kah is only the half of the Tetragrammaton)! The Holy One, blessed be He, swears that His Name will not be perfect nor His throne perfect until the name of Amalek be entirely blotted out. 



And I would venture to put forward based on this that Amalek and the establishment and rebuilding of Jerusalem and the Temple are diametrically opposed. 



Although Jerusalem is mentioned in Tanach in some way between 700 and 800 times, it is not mentioned at all in the Torah itself. 

We do have a verse in Devarim which states: 

כִּ֠י אִֽם־אֶל־הַמָּק֞וֹם אֲשֶׁר־יִבְחַ֨ר הֹ

but look only to the site that Hashem will choose amidst all your tribes as Hashem’s habitation, to establish the divine name there. 



There you are to go, Rabbeynu Bachya writes: The place in question is Mount Moriah; it is well known among the Goyim. They know of its spiritual advantages through tradition. There is no need to mention this location by name. The people all had a tradition that this was where their ancestor Yitzchak had lain bound on the altar. Maimonides writes in his Moreh Nevuchim (3,45) that there were three reasons why the location of the future Temple was not spelled out at this point. 



1) If the nations of the world had known that in that location prayers are answered positively by G’d and sacrifices are welcome to Him, every nation would have made a supreme effort

Mishkan

Leviim 

Flags 

   

אִם־בְּחֻקֹּתַ֖יתֵּלֵ֑כוּ וְאֶת־מִצְוֺתַ֣י תִּשְׁמְר֔וּ וַעֲשִׂיתֶ֖ם אֹתָֽם׃ 

If youfollow My laws and faithfully observe My commandments, 

וְנָתַתִּ֥י גִשְׁמֵיכֶ֖םבְּעִתָּ֑ם וְנָתְנָ֤ה הָאָ֙רֶץ֙ יְבוּלָ֔הּ וְעֵ֥ץ הַשָּׂדֶ֖ה יִתֵּ֥ן פִּרְיֽוֹ׃ 

I will grantyour rains in their season, so that the earth shall yield its produce and thetrees of the field their fruit. 

וְהִשִּׂ֨יג לָכֶ֥םדַּ֙יִשׁ֙ אֶת־בָּצִ֔יר וּבָצִ֖יר יַשִּׂ֣יג אֶת־זָ֑רַע וַאֲכַלְתֶּ֤ם לַחְמְכֶם֙ לָשֹׂ֔בַעוִֽישַׁבְתֶּ֥ם לָבֶ֖טַח בְּאַרְצְכֶֽם׃ 

Yourthreshing shall overtake the vintage, and your vintage shall overtake thesowing; you shall eat your fill of bread and dwell securely in your land. 

וְנָתַתִּ֤י שָׁלוֹם֙בָּאָ֔רֶץ וּשְׁכַבְתֶּ֖ם וְאֵ֣ין מַחֲרִ֑יד׃ 

I will grantpeace in the land, and you shall lie down untroubled by anyone; 

   

One of the most uniquely celebrated days on the Jewish calendar is ל'ג בעמר /Lag BaOmer

(the 33rd day of the Omer-Count), when tens of thousands of Jews descend upon Meiron

in the Galil to celebrate the yartzeit (anniversary of death) of the holy Tanna Rabi

Shimon bar Yochai (known by the acronym Rashbi), the primary author of the teachings

found in the Sefer HaZohar. And ultimately all of Eretz Yisrael is ablaze on Lag BaOmer

with bonfires lit in honor of the day.

Though, as celebrated as this day is, if one delves into the matter, it’s actually not so

straightforward what exactly is being celebrated. That is, most people understand that

Lag BaOmer is a double-rejoicing over the fact that the students of Rabi Akiva ceased to

die after many weeks of them passing away in a plague, together with a celebration in

honor of the yartzeit of Rashbi. But the truth of the matter is that neither of these

explanations for the Lag BaOmer festivities is clear cut. In order to understand why not,

let’s first get the necessary background.



Based on Insights of

HaGaon HaGadol Rav Yaakov Hillel shlit”a

In the פתיחה and first essay of his sefer on Lag BaOmer – Eid HaGal HaZeh

*

Prepared by Chaim Rosenblatt

Also based on the notes of Rav Pinchas Friedman