BS"D
YESHIVAT HARA'AYON HAYEHUDI
Jerusalem, Israel
HaRav Yehuda Kroizer SHLIT"A, Rosh Yeshiva
PARSHAT DEVARIM/SHABBAT CHAZON
6 Av 5767/20-21 July 2007
TIME TO ARISE FROM THE GROUND
If our sages of old were alive in our generation, certainly the laws of mourning, that vast quantity of laws limiting our joy up to the Ninth of Av - the destruction of our holy Temple - would not be needed. All one would have to do would be to listen to the latest news broadcast to get into the spirit of Tisha B'Av. From Shimon "the man behind Oslo" Peres becoming President of the State of Israel, to Olmert releasing 250 murdering terrorists, to the brilliant new plan of "Pucker lips" Ramon to throw out some 100,000 Jews from their homes in Yesha and give it over to the Arabs. Based on the same model of the"disengagement" that worked out so well in Gaza, just ask anyone in Sderot today. To President Bush’s address on the Middle East, telling Israel to remove illegal building from Yesha and that
the Jews should instead build up the Negev (that’s nice of him). To the giving of some 190 million dollars to the PA's "moderate" terrorists, and the planning of a regional conference this fall to tighten the noose around the neck of Israel.
Yes, during these days one can become very disheartened, as they see the great dangers threatening the Jewish State and how our leaders walk blindly into the darkness. Still, in bygone days, when there was not much people could do to help their situation, such as leaving the exiles and returning home to the Land, or the building the holy Temple in Jerusalem, our sages imposed upon us many decrees to help us feel the mourning period. Starting from the seventeenth of Tammuz throughout the three-week period until the Ninth of Av, our sages added decree after decree, from no shaving and haircuts to no wedding bells, to no swimming, all the way to no wine and meat. For, in any case, a Jew who was thousands of miles from his Land, and with no means to return, could only sit and weep.
But if our sages were here today, when a flight to the Land of Israel is only hours away and takes place daily, or where millions of Jews already live in the Land, even if each one would bring just one small stone to the Temple Mount, they could build the Temple today. What would our sages tell us today: To continue to sit on the floor - or to get up and act?
The holy Vilna Gaon teaches us in "Kol Hator" that one needs to know in advance that this period before Redemption will have a lot of hardships, but from these very hardships will come forth salvation. So one must not become disheartened when the difficulties arise or if his path is blocked, but he must overcome them and continue to work towards Redemption.
What, then, are we waiting for? Could there be a clearer path of the Redemption process that is unfolding before us today? Does one sit in the exiles of NY or LA and mourn the destruction, when he could get up and come home in a few hours? What does he think, that Moshiach will be a travel agent giving out tickets to El-Al flights? ("Hi, this is Moshiach, I booked you on the Monday night flight to Tel Aviv")??!!
It's in our hands to act and make the change. Certainly, we have to feel the loss of our holy Temple, but more important - much more important - is to start the rebuilding process. This is what the Torah wants and demands of us. Don’t be left out, for time waits for no one. It is time to get up off the floor and act!
With love of Israel,
Levi Chazen
