Jewish Holidays

There is a tendency, on fast days, for people to concentrate upon the calamities of the past and on the stages that led up to the destruction of the Temple. People reflect on the distant past when they aught - says the Rambam - consider the present.

Naomi was certain that Boaz would not allow himself to participate in an act of prostitution. She knew that once he understood their motives and grasped his own responsibility as a redeemer, he would surely take Ruth for his wife.

Torah calls for preparation. The Patriarchs preceded the giving of the Torah, and, as the foundation of the Jewish people, fulfilled the entire Torah even before it was given. This measure was taken as a kind of preparation for receiving the Torah.

Jerusalem’s eminence stems from its being the city of the Holy Temple, the home of the kingdom of Israel, and the Torah center of the world. In liberating Jerusalem we merited advancing toward the full revelation of the greatness of the Holy City.