Yeshiva
Beit Midrash
- Torah Portion and Tanach
- D'varim
- D'varim
- Shabbat and Holidays
- The Three Weeks
- Shabbat Chazon
Many years, on Tisha B’Av pasts, it has become in vogue to question the appropriateness of such a somber day. Why do we need it? After all, Jerusalem is no longer in ruins; it has been re-populated and transformed into a world-class, spectacular city, one of the most vibrant & visited capitals on the planet. Why cry over it now?
Indeed, there have been numerous suggestions to adjust, or even eliminate, the Nachem prayer which we recite on Mincha of Tisha B’Av (one of only 4 blessings said each year by every Jew throughout the world). That prayer, which depicts Yerushalayim as a "desolate, deserted, degraded" place, one filled "with death & destruction" has rankled the sensibilities of many modern Israelis, who walk the streets of a starkly different Jerusalem. They wonder why we cannot "upgrade" Nachem into a far more upbeat, optimistic version reflecting the current reality.
Well, sadly, the events of the past several weeks – not coincidentally, coming precisely during the 3 Weeks - have sent us a stark reminder that the tragic tone of Nachem is far from misplaced; it reflects an appraisal of Jerusalem that is far from ideal, one that is still, sadly, filled with moments of sadness, struggle & sacrifice.
Anyone with any semblance of savvy knows that the ongoing turmoil in Yerushalayim is not about cameras, or metal detectors, or security. It is about sovereignty, about control, about who actually rules the Holy City – Am Yisrael, or the Muslim world. And, I am sorry to say, we are far from having won this all-important battle.
And so, we have more than just cause this 9 Av to sit mournfully in low places & bemoan our fate. Yes, we must thank G-d for all He has miraculously given us, for the glorious State of Israel that is truly the flowering of our Redemption, greater than any Israel of the past. But the project is far from complete: We pray for the fulfillment of "Chazon Yeshayahu," Isaiah’s grand, future vision, when "V’Yashiva Yadi Alayich," G-d will return His protective hand upon us, give us the upper hand over our enemies & total rule over our united, eternal capital. Keyn Y’Hi Ratzon.
Rabbi Stewart Weiss
Was ordained at the Hebrew Theological College in Skokie, Illinois, and led congregations in Chicago and Dallas prior to making Aliyah in 1992. He directs the Jewish Outreach Center in Ra'anana, helping to facilitate the spiritual absorption of new olim.
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Hosha'ana Rabba FLYDUBAI & HOSHANA RABBA- ANI VAHU HOSHIA NA- I & HIM SAVE US
"Ani vaHu Hoshia Na", "I and Him, Save Us". We don't just pray to Him, but we also pray to and for ourselves that we should emulate and educate our children to have that instinctive altruism with which He created the world. President Trump seemed amused about Yaniv Hayon, our PLUMBER who confidently worked with G-d like Superman (he learned from a pilot on a TV show!) to save 174 lives on the Dubai hijacking, but we in Israel are totally accustomed already 78 years to our plumbers, teachers, garbage-men, rabbis, farmers & doctors being Hashem's shlichim! This is what Zionism is about.
