Jewish Holidays

The sages ruled that when a person builds a house for himself and arrives at its final stage, the whitewashing of the walls, he must remember that the Holy Temple still lies in ruins. He must therefore leave a square cubit of wall without whitewash.

If, during the Three Weeks, a person accidentally blessed "boreh pri ha'etz" over a new fruit, some authorities hold that the fruit should not be eaten. Others hold that pronouncing God's name in vain is a greater offense than eating the new fruit.

There is an interesting parallel between the seven days of creation and each of Judaism's seven holidays. These similarities are discernible in both the Torah's language and in the subject matter of each day of creation and each holiday.

How can we continue the phenomenon of a connection between physical and spiritual that began at Sinai when heavens touched earth and the Divine Presence rested on a human nation? It requires sanctification, as Bnei Yisrael prepared at that time.

Shavuot, the festival of the giving of the Torah, is a festival of Judaism's oral tradition. It belongs to the Torah scholars in each age. In every generation the Torah is given anew, and this day has the power to allow a renewed acceptance of Torah.

When I finished the memorial service we all stood at attention and sang "Ha-Tikvah." After this, I kissed the Regional Headquarters Commanding General and other soldiers and officers, and then I began singing, "This year in the restored Jerusalem!"