YOM YERUSHALAYIM IYAR 5778 • MAY 2018

CANADIAN EDITION

SPECIAL EDITION FOR YOM YERUSHALAYIM ( DAY)

“When a Jew visits Jerusalem for the first time, it is not the first time. It is a homecoming.” (Elie Wiesel)

This edition is dedicated in memory of the soldiers who fell in defense of Yerushalayim Elan Mazer Yerushalayim: The Complete Picture

s we celebrate the reunification Below, but there is also a divine Jerusalem, of the holy city of Jerusalem, we a potential of what Jerusalem can be, contemplate the reasons why we Jerusalem of Above. And Jerusalem is lostA Jerusalem some 2,000 years ago, as a model for the whole world, so every well as the ramifications of regaining our To live the idea creation contains its current state and its eternal capital. potential – what it is now and what it could of Jerusalem is be. To “see” completely, to live the idea of The presents a number of "to recognize the Jerusalem, is to recognize the mundane explanations for the destruction of and the divine in everything; to see beyond the Second Temple and the ensuing mundane and the surface and envisage the potential. exile. The most famous reason is sinat chinam, baseless hatred.1 Another the divine in Therefore, omitting the blessing before explanation – attributed to God Himself learning Torah is to forsake the purpose of – is that we didn’t say Birkot HaTorah, everything the Torah and Jerusalem – to connect the the blessings before learning Torah.2 divine with the mundane. Accordingly, the Rabbi Joel Sirkis4 explains that when we root of baseless hatred may be the inability These explanations are quite puzzling. learn Torah for the wrong reason – whether to see the divine potential in physical The sins responsible for the destruction as an intellectual pursuit, for honor, or as reality. If we view every single person of the First Temple3 seem like valid an escape from other responsibilities – we not only as who they are at the moment, reasons, and we can also understand how separate the divine world from the material but as someone with divine purpose hatred can lead to the breaking apart world. The purpose of Torah study is to and potential, there would be no way we of a nation. But why is omitting Birkot connect to the Divine – to make ourselves could hate them. Rav Kook says Jerusalem HaTorah a valid reason for 2,000 years and every part of our lives more divine. will only be rebuilt when we love each of exile? Furthermore, what is the real Thus, the blessing on the Torah directs individual as an integral part of Am Yisrael’s cause of the destruction? Baseless hatred one’s Torah learning in the right direction, national goal – perfecting the world under or not blessing before learning Torah? towards this ultimate connection. God’s Majesty.

This connection is also the essence of So on Yom Yerushalayim we are celebrating Jerusalem. more than just the unification of a city. We are celebrating the unification of a people The Hebrew word Yerushalayim is made with their destiny; a unification of theory .and actuality, of dreams and realization , ׁשָ ֵ ל ם to see, and ,ְירּו :up of two words complete. Hence, Yerushalayim is “to see the complete picture.” Our Sages 1 Yoma 9b. expand on this idea based on the verse in 2 Nedarim 81a. Psalms: “Jerusalem, when built, is like 3 Idol worship, immorality, and murder. a city connected together.”5 And Rabbi 4 1561-1640. Yochanan says: God declares, “I will not 5 122:3. come to the Jerusalem of Above until you 6 Ta’anit 5a. have arrived at the Jerusalem of Below.”6 Rabbi Elan Mazer is the ‎National There is the reality of Jerusalem as we see it Director of Mizrachi Canada ‎ A typical scene in the center of Jerusalem today, the physical Jerusalem, Jerusalem of [email protected]

2 Rabbi Doron Perez Torat HaMizrachi Jerusalem: A Tale of Two Cities erusalem is not one city but two. multiplicity, difference. The reality of two This is the key to unlocking the creates complexity. mystery of the Jewish people’s J holiest city. The secret of Jerusalem’s The great challenge of the number two is duality reveals the essence of itself. whether the potential for difference will create division or unity. Theologically, Jerusalem is at the same time both heavenly and earthly – a physical Will the complexity of contrast at the heart and a spiritual reality, Divine and mundane, of life create contradiction or complete- transient and timeless. ness? Thesis and antithesis can remain irreconcilable opposites or they can fuse in Geopolitically, there is and beautiful synthesis. , an upper city and a lower one, a city divided territorially between Because Jerusalem is the epicenter of spir- A soldier and an ultra-Orthodox Jew near the two tribes: Judah (Leah’s child) and Benja- itual life it presents us with this challenge min (Rachel’s child). Additionally, the city more sharply than anywhere else. Will the is located at the nexus of the western world heavenly and earthly cities be locked in Will it remain that way? and the Oriental East. eternal conflict or will they become one eternal city of peace and harmony? It depends on us. Philosophically, Jerusalem combines the national and the universal, the ethnic and This is the challenge our Sages see in a cryptic To ensure the city remains geopolitically .united, it must first be united from within “ ְ י רּו ׁשָ ל י ַ ם ִ ְּכ י עִ ר ׁשֶ חֻ ְּב ה רָ ל ָ ּה :the ethical, the Jewish and the democratic verse in Psalms 122 Jerusalem is like a city that was joined The external political reality is a mirror – יַ ְח ּדָ ו “ .and is a city of both truth and peace together itself. They say this alludes to two image of the internal spiritual one. The fis- Jerusalem has two primary names in Bib- cities, a heavenly one above and an earthly sures which form contrast and conflict ought lical literature – Tzion and Yerushalayim, one below (Ta’anit 5). And they maintain to be forged together as complementary and Jerusalem. The name Yerusha- that the city has the power to transform us all forces creating a complete and united whole. ,engendering friendship– חֲ בֵ רִ י ם – layim itself consists of two words – Yireh into friends and Shalem. understanding and acceptance among all Jews May we merit the ultimate expression of (, Chagiga 3). spiritual wholeness – the rebuilding of the What is the essence of this duality? Temple – soon and speedily in our days. After the miraculous Six-Day War, and Rabbi Yehuda Loewe, the Maharal of through an extraordinary turn of events, the 1 Tiferet Yisrael 34 Prague, explains1 that two is unique of Jerusalem, the Kotel and the because it is the first number that converts returned to Jewish sovereign the unitary into a multiple; a single into a control for the first time in almost two mil- Rabbi Doron Perez is Head of plural. One is uniform; two is the birth of lennia. A divided city was finally reunited. the Mizrachi World Movement

Mizrachi World Movement Chairman Mr. Harvey Blitz Head Rabbi Doron Perez Editor-in-Chief Daniel‏ Verbov [email protected] ‎54 King George Street, Jerusalem‎ Creative Director Jonny Lipczer www.mizrachi.org Production Manager Meyer Sterman [email protected] Follow us Design Hadas Peretz, Estie Brauner Rabbanit Shani Taragin Double ‎Yom Yerushalayim: Portion The Perfect Prelude to Shavuot

om Yerushalayim and Shavuot Presence) in Yerushalayim is a perpetuation were separated and disconnected. Had we are one week apart and so easily of the revelation celebrated on Shavuot. succeeded then, it would have been a sit- associated with each other. On Indeed, the greatest days of celebration uation in which “two were holding on” to YShavuot in 1967, thousands of Jews flocked are associated with Yom Yerushalayim and Jerusalem, each one saying “it is entirely to see and pray by the Kotel for the first Shavuot: mine.” Jerusalem would have turned into time since the reunification of Jerusalem, a source of divisiveness, a cause of quarrel setting the precedent for the custom that Go forth and look, daughters of Zion, and argument… And Jerusalem was… continues today. upon King Solomon adorned with the given to the entire people of … crown his mother made him on the day of Jerusalem comes to increase peace in There are numerous parallels between these his wedding and on the day of his heart’s the world. Therefore, only now (1967), two dates, and many messages to be learned. joy. (Song of Songs 3:11)… on the day when we have all entered through a single Perhaps the most obvious connection is of his wedding – this is the Giving of the gate… only now, when we are all united, that Shavuot is the day the Torah was given Torah… on the day of his heart’s joy – this when a national unity government stands on Mount Sinai and would continue to refers to the building of the holy Temple… at the helm, when our fighting army is a emanate from Yerushalayim – “For Torah (Ta’anit 26b) unified army… when all of our brothers in comes forth from Zion and the word of the Diaspora stand behind us with a single God from Jerusalem” (Isaiah 2:3). Though Perhaps the most timely – and timeless heart, only now have we merited this great the Torah was given on Mount Sinai, our – message to be learned as we celebrate event: He who restores His Shechina to Sages associate Mount Moriah – the Temple these holidays is the message of achdut Zion has restored Jerusalem to us!… As Mount in Jerusalem and where the Binding (unity). When the Jews received the Torah, long as we continue to be united, all of of Isaac took place – with Mount Sinai.1 they were unified, “as one people with Jerusalem will continue to be ours…” one heart.” Similar solidarity is meant to There are also numerous parallels between be realized in Yerushalayim, the one city 1 See Midrash Tehillim Psalm 68 for one example. the narratives of these two events (e.g. three not divided among the tribes; the city that 2 Genesis 22:1-19 and Exodus 19:10-24. days preparation, prostration, sacrifice, brings us together as friends.3 3 Jerusalem Talmud, Chagiga 3, 6. morning, seeing and fearing).2 4 Mo’adei HaReayah, pp. 480-48. Rabbi Moshe Tzvi Neria 4 suggests this is why states that the three sections Yerushalayim was reunified in 1967 and not Rabbanit Shani Taragin is of holiness surrounding the Beit HaMik- given to us in 1948: Co-Director of Education at dash in Yerushalayim are modeled after RZA-Mizrachi USA and a senior the Children of Israel’s three encamp- “In 1948, the Palmach broke through Zion ‎educator in various women’s ments by Mount Sinai. This implies that Gate, and the Etzel soldiers were about to higher educational institutions the manifestation of the Shechina (Divine break through the . We in Israel

Festive prayers at the Western Wall

4 Rabbi Reuven Taragin ‎Why We Sing “Next Year Double Portion in Jerusalem” (L’Shana Haba’a B’Yerushalayim)

e open the Pesach Seder by which to offer sacrifices. Yerushalayim expressing our hope that was a city that revolved around the House next year we will be in Eretz of God; a model of how sacred and sec- WYisrael. We close the Seder by expressing ular are meant to connect. It showed the hope that next year we will celebrate how the spiritual is meant to be engulfed in Jerusalem. by and inspire city life and how city life is meant to connect with and revolve Our yearning for Eretz Yisrael is very around a spiritual core. understandable. The first mission God gives Abraham, the first Jew, is to move The various mishkans were framed by there. It is the land promised to his curtains. Yerushalayim was bordered by descendants and it is the destination of walls. Each wall passed brought one to an the Jewish people from the moment they area of increased holiness that emanated left Egypt through the end of their wan- from the Holy of Holies and permeated derings in the desert. each sector of the city. For this reason,

as opposed to the temporary sanctity of The Wall – accessible to all Yerushalayim, on the other hand, is never the places in which the Mishkan resided, mentioned explicitly in the Torah. So why Yerushalayim (and possibly its sanctity) is independent Jewish State, but it was not does our tradition focus on our return to permanent and eternal. the model we had been praying for. We Yerushalayim, often instead of the broader had returned to Eretz Yisrael, but we kept Eretz Yisrael? Why do we sing L’Shana Unfortunately though, we were unwor- praying for Yerushalayim. Haba’a B’Yerushalayim and not L’Shana thy of this holiness and Yerushalayim was Haba’a B’Ar’ah D’Yisrael? destroyed. In exile we established shuls, This is why the reunification of Yerusha- but we lacked a holy city. Even in the layim 51 years ago added so much signifi- Persian period, when we finally returned, cance to the Six-Day War and to the State Yerushalayim’s full restoration eluded us. of Israel. It not only helped the belea- It was defiled – first by the Greeks and guered country to see God’s Hand in their Yerushalayim then by the Romans. We continued to live miraculous victory, but it also restored its in Eretz Yisrael, but we lost Yerushalayim. spiritual core. The longer and further we were distanced defines the from the Yerushalayim ideal, the more we May showing our appreciation of what " yearned for it. God has gifted us so far earn us His com- unique essence pleting the Yerushalayim gift by rebuild- For two millennia we yearned and pre- ing its Beit HaMikdash. of Eretz Yisrael pared not only for the return to Israel, but even more for the return to Yerushalayim. L’Shana Haba’a B’Yerushalayim HaBenuya, Sadly, in 1948 the State of Israel did not in the Yerushalayim being rebuilt before I believe the answer is that Yerushalayim include Yerushalayim’s spiritual center. our very eyes! defines the unique essence of Eretz Yis- rael. Sacrifices were offered in the Mish- The State felt incomplete. That was why Rabbi Reuven Taragin is Co- kan (Tabernacle) in the desert and then the Chief Rabbinate refrained (pre-1967) Director of Education at RZA- in Eretz Yisrael before Yerushalayim was from sanctioning with a bracha Mizrachi USA and Dean of the identified as the capital of Israel. Yerusha- on Yom HaAtzmaut. The State of Israel Yeshivat HaKotel Overseas layim is much more than a location in without Yerushalayim may have been an Program 5 Greetings from Israel’s Leaders

Reuven (Ruvi) Rivlin President of the State of Israel Rabbi Yosef Zvi Rimon Ask the Is There a Mitzvah Rabbi to Live in Yerushalayim?

he Mishna in Ketubot (110b) (233-235), he discusses at length the states: “All may compel their importance of living in Jerusalem, which family/household to go up (move) has special holiness, and he even discusses Tto Eretz Yisrael, but no one may remove them giving preference to the poor of Jerusalem from it. All may compel their family/house- before other poor people. hold to go up (move) to Jerusalem, but no one may remove them from it.” Practically speaking, it seems that the main view among the Poskim is that there is a In the Mishna, it explains that a spouse mitzvah to live in Yerushalayim (but one may force their husband or wife to live in does not have to force one’s spouse to live Eretz Yisrael, and so too with Jerusalem, there for various reasons). and this is how the rules (Even Haezer 75:4). "After visiting almost every major city on this planet, I chose to live in What is the reason and meaning behind Jerusalem. No other place in the this? world makes me feel this alive." Many commentaries have discussed this (Myriam Miller) law at length. In the Responsa of Avnei Nezer (Yorah Deah 454), he explains the Rav Kook (Igrot HaReayah volume 1, 39) main points on this topic: also wrote at length about the importance of Jerusalem, and how living there takes A. Pertaining to the mitzvah of settling preference to the rest of Israel. However, he the – there is no difference explains that there are some great tzaddikim between Israel and Jerusalem. who did not live in Jerusalem because on a personal level their souls felt more con- B. Pertaining to the mitzvot that are nected to a different city in Israel (and obvi- dependent on the Land – there are more ously there is a mitzvah to settle the whole mitzvot regarding those who live in Land of Israel). From here we see, that when Jerusalem (eating Ma’aser Sheni, Neta one lives in Israel there are many factors Revai, Korbanot, Tumah and Tahara, etc.), involved in choosing a place to live (educa- and one can pray in the Temple, although tion, the type of community etc.), which this does not exist today. influence one’s choice of where to settle.

The light railroad passes under the Chords Bridge at C. One is closer to the Shechina, and it Since one of the reasons to settle in the entrance to Jerusalem turns out that there is a mitzvah to live in Yerushalayim is the closeness to the the shadow (shelter) of God. According Shechina and the importance of connecting Rabbi Yosef Zvi Rimon is to this, there is a special reason to live in to holiness, and in our day and age it is Head of Mizrachi’s Shalhevet Jerusalem because of its close proximity easy to travel from place to place, even Educational Advisory Board, to the place of the Shechina, and maybe it one who does not live in Jerusalem should Chairman of the Halacha is a mitzvah in its own right. Additionally, make the effort to come to Jerusalem Education Center and Rabbi of in the Responsa of the Chatam Sofer often and draw from its special holiness. Machon Lev

Photo of Rabbi Rimon: Yehoshua Halevi 7 Greetings from Israel’s Leaders Rabbi Ashkenazi of Jerusalem

Speak to the Heart of wonderful fusion occurs, Yerushalayim will in holiness and in seeking Jerusalem shine upon all of the people throughout the social cohesion based on Land. From here, from Yerushalayim, one positive values. We cannot erusalem was and always will be the can see how everything is exalted and sancti- rest on our laurels, enjoy the capital of the Jewish State. This was fied, like someone standing atop a mountain Jerusalem we have and wait already understood by the State’s observing everything below. This is how we for everything to fall from J founders, even in those years when the find Isaiah the Prophet standing in the Beit Heaven. We are obligated city was small and divided and all the more HaMikdash in Jerusalem saying, “The whole to instill sanctity into the so now – after the Six-Day War – that it is world is filled with Your glory,” i.e. from the holi- content of life in Yerushalayim adorned with beauty and glory as befitting a est place, from Jerusalem, we can see how the which will illuminate the entire capital city. sanctity dissipates and illuminates the whole country. world. מִ ְק ּדָ ׁש“ We are familiar with the expression i.e. the city contains a combi- In its essence, Jerusalem can bring true unity, On Yom Yerushalayim we ”,מֶ לֶ ְך עִ יר ְמלּוכָ ה nation of holiness and majesty. It is clear that which is why it was not divided between the joyfully note the great merit we there is no place for sanctity in Israel without tribes. It belongs to us all and we are always have in witnessing our reunited the foundations of kingship, and there is no looking towards it wherever we are in the Jerusalem, although we should point in kingship without the seal of sanctity. world. not forget that the first stage, the establishment of the State, was what completion – is Therefore, when we speak about taking allowed us to reach the second stage – ” ְׁשלֵ מּות“ Indeed, the word contained in the name of the city, and this action in Jerusalem, the intention is not just of the liberation of Jerusalem. Both completion or perfection can only be achieved to build, although that is important too of events are so obviously a gift from God through these two ideals. And when this course, but whatever we do must be rooted – “It is wondrous in our eyes.”

Nir Barkat Unity and Openness

am honored to send you greetings on Jerusalem over 50 years ago, Israel has Jerusalem is continuously strengthened the occasion of your celebration of maintained freedom of religion, move- by its friends around the world. As we 51 years of Jerusalem’s reunification. ment, and expression for all. In the past celebrate over 50 years since the reunifi- I few years, the city has undergone a cul- cation of the eternal capital of the Jewish When Jerusalem was founded 3,000 years tural and economic renaissance and the people, I thank you for your continued ago, it was established as a center of unity capital of the Jewish people is thriving. support of Jerusalem and wish all of and openness for all people. Since reuniting Jerusalem has returned to the promise of you a meaningful and memorable Yom its founding as a beacon of inclusiveness. Yerushalayim.

Photos – Rabbi Stern: A. Bejell, : Yam Vignola Rabbanit Yemima Mizrachi

The Power of Dreams

“The God of Israel will grant your “There was a strip that went out from “So she could dream; so she could yearn for request (shalatech),” said Eli the Judah’s territory and into Benjamin’s. This home. She knew that women dream, that Priest to the barren, broken Hannah, strip belonged to Judah, but Benjamin really they would bring the sons to their borders…” and she dreamed – with the word wanted it… As a reward for his intense “shalatech” – about “shiliatech” (your desire, Benjamin merited the Temple being There was no child who dreamed more than placenta), and she started sewing a built in his territory” (Megillah 26a). Benjamin… and it was he who received coat for her unborn child – Samuel Yerushalayim. the Prophet, who would one day What did Benjamin dream of? After all, formalize the kingship in Jerusalem. Jerusalem was not his – it was in Judah’s territory! “When God returns the captivity of Zion, we will be Yes, but this is the power of the dreamers. like dreamers.” In the merit of those dreamers we “May your payment be full (shleima) from can today celebrate the city we love so much. God!” said Boaz to Ruth, the forlorn Every day he would ask, “Who was my mother?” beggar girl, and she dreamed – with the And they would answer him, “Rachel.” word “shleima” – about King Solomon “Was she attractive?” Rabbanit Yemima Mizrachi is a (), her descendant who would “There was no woman more beautiful than her!” popular Israeli teacher, speaker one day build the . “And why was she buried on the way?” and writer

Dr. Avshalom Kor

What’s צִי ּוֹן in a Word

ebrew is a system of roots a wasteland, far from human habitation?2 Editor’s Note: Two little words contain- and words. A word and its Similarly, what is the connection between ing one huge idea! Judaism is not a reli- .the hub of national spiritual activity, gion of separation from the physical world , ְּד בִ י ר meaning is the foundation of which means desert? Yet involvement in that world can taint the , מִ ְד ּבָ ר Ha number of other words related to that and root. Using this connection, let us dis- soul. Hence the essence of Judaism is to cover a fascinating insight into Yerusha- I had been contemplating these contradic- seek integration in all aspects of life while layim and the Beit HaMikdash. tions for years until I thought of another aspiring to be holy, untainted and pure; two words that offer a remarkable solu- while aiming for the ultimate spiritual goal .means clear.3 – Zion, Dvir and Yerushalayim צַ ח :Zion) refers to both Israel tion to this dichotomy) צִ ּיֹון The word and Jerusalem. It appears 152 times in For example, a clear soup – no vegetables, 1 Tanach as a name for Jerusalem! And soup nuts, or chicken. And we describe See Kings 1 8:6, for example. 2 .See Isaiah 35:1 – צָ חִ י חַ another name for the Holy of Holies in the a desert, where nothing grows, as 3 .Dvir).1 arid, barren. See Song of Songs 5:10) ְּד בִ י ר Beit HaMikdash is

is ְּדבִ יר, צָחִיחַ is connected to צַ ח So if words with similar roots are con- Just as Just as Dr. Avshalom Kor is an Israeli . צִ ּיָ ה to צִ ּיֹון and מִ ְד ּבָ ר be the connected to צִ ּיֹון nected in meaning, how can is untainted, void of any impurities, so linguist and expert on Hebrew צח another) צִ ּיָ ה heart of the nation while grammar and semantics צִ .ּיֹון and ְּד בִ י ר word with the same root) means desolate, are 9 9 Photos – Rabbanit Yemima: www.parasha.org, Dr. Kor: Roy Achiron Rabbi Benji Levy The Three

n 1933, on , in the When Rav Kook began to talk of the least biblical proportions for the Jewish nation Old City of Jerusalem, Rav Kook preferred , the horn of a non-kosher and is reminiscent of other legendary delivered a powerful speech about animal, he burst into tears. Six years before shofar blasts such as the giving of the Ithe different types of shofars that we are the Holocaust, he talked of the third shofar Torah at Sinai (Exodus 19:19), which allowed to use, comparing them to different as a wake-up call from anti-Semitic nations, transformed the moral landscape of types of (immigration to Israel). urging Jews to escape to Israel as a place of civilization forever, or the announcement refuge. In this scenario, evil people become of the Jubilee year (Leviticus 25:9), The preferred shofar is a ram’s horn, instruments of redemption, sounding a introducing one of the most decisive representing Akeidat Yitzchak – the final warning to leave foreign lands. If one statements about freedom ever made. Binding of Isaac. Its source is spiritual doesn’t respond to the first two wake-up Joshua employed the shofar in conquering and compared to the motivations of calls, there is no blessing recited on this Jericho, the first stage of claiming Eretz Nachmanides, Yehuda Halevy, Bartenura, sounding. Yisrael for the Jewish people, and Isaiah the students of the Vilna Gaon, the saw the shofar as the instrument of Chasidim of the Baal Shem Tov and other Rav Kook closed his speech with a prayer reunification, captivating the hearts and righteous individuals who moved to Israel for the ‘great shofar of redemption,’ one minds of those lost in exile (Isaiah 27:13). as a response to a spiritual calling. awakened from within and not from And this was the same sound heard on that without. Today, in 2018, the State of Israel fateful day next to the ancient stones of the The second best option is the horn of is indeed a spiritual treasure and boasts a Western Wall. any other kosher animal (except that of a Jewish army and government. At the same cow), which albeit not the absolute ideal, time, anti-Semitism is still rampant in many This Yom Yerushalayim, may we, and still contains greatness – the calling to countries. We need to choose which sound our entire people, heed the call of the return for other benefits, such as to live as we will hear. first shofar and continue to grow in our a free people in our ancestral homeland, faith, our relationship to Israel and our with a Jewish army and government, It is no coincidence that the famous picture connection with one another. punctuating our calendar with the Jewish epitomizing the reunification of Jerusalem festivals in a Jewish environment. A at the Kotel is that of Rabbi blessing is recited over both of these blowing the shofar. Yom Yerushalayim in Rabbi Benji Levy is CEO shofars on Rosh Hashanah. 1967 heralded a miraculous awakening of of Mosaic United

Rabbi Shlomo Goren blowing the shofar at the Western Wall in 1967 (GPO)

10 Six-Day Operation Moked: War Miracles within Miracles une 5th, 1967, 7:15 am. Almost on the ground. Had the Egyptian jets been in very morning and the word “Anab” was no all the planes in the Israeli Air the air at 7:30, they would have spotted the longer valid. The Jordanian supervisor had Force set off to attack their Israelis, alerted their comrades and severely made a mistake and used the old code word J Egyptian counterparts. Only 12 planes curtailed the success of Operation Moked. which Egyptian Intelligence, who had been stayed in Israel. It was a huge risk. using the new code from midnight, didn’t In the investigation conducted by the understand. On June 4th, the Egyptian War Minister, Egyptian Chief of Staff after the war, the Abdel Hakim Amer, decided he would take reason for the critical delay came to light. These three events occurred at exactly the an air tour above Sinai the next morning same time: 7:30 in the morning, the critical and meet his officers stationed on the The evening before, the Commander-in- moments, as Israeli planes – unaware of Israeli border. Chief of the Egyptian Air Force, General what was happening behind enemy lines Sidki Mahmoud, had decided to hold a – made their way across the Egyptian He invited some senior army personnel party at the Anshas airfield for his pilots, to coastline to eliminate 120 planes on the and a delegation from the Iraqi Army, and raise their morale. The party, full of food, ground! they were due to take off in special planes drinks and belly dancers, went on till the leaving Cairo at 7 am. To ensure their early hours of the morning. Coincidences? Chance? Luck? safety, Amer ordered his anti-aircraft units to cease their fire between 7 and 8 in the Hence it is no surprise they were late for No! The Divine Presence was riding the morning. their morning jaunt! wings of the planes, granting the Jewish people a victory unprecedented in the Precisely the hour the Israeli pilots were But that’s not all… annals of modern warfare. setting off for their mission... There was a brand new radar base in Adapted from “The Six-Day War Scroll” by Dr. Hagi What is amazing is that Israeli Intelligence Ajloun, Jordan, observing all parts of Ben-Artzi. Published by World Mizrachi and Sifriat knew absolutely nothing about this VIP Israel and the eastern shores of the Beit-El, 2017 tour; neither the planning nor when it Mediterranean Sea. The Jordanian Army happened. was under Egyptian command so a joint code was implemented for communication The next story is no less astonishing... between the two armies.

On that same morning, the Egyptians were On the same morning, at 7:20 am, dozens of flying over the shores of Sinai with four minute dots filled the Jordanian radar screens. new MiG-21s. These flights began at 4:30 The dots were moving quickly towards the am and ended at 8:30 am. Their aim was to coast of Egypt. The Jordanian supervisor pre-empt any Israeli air strike. However, the immediately identified them as Israeli planes. 7:30 take-off was delayed. He immediately transmitted the code General Al Hamid el Dajidi wanted to find out word for an Israeli attack – “Anab” (grape) the reason for the delay. His Deputy Commander to Egyptian Headquarters. But Egyptian apologized, saying he had overslept and was Intelligence couldn’t decipher the message. now on his way to the planes. The Jordanian supervisor tried again and again – “Anab,” “Anab,” but to no avail. The

But Israeli fighter planes were already Egyptians cut the line to their Jordanian ally. (naamoush.wordpress.com) bombing the airport and disabling the planes It turns out the code had been changed that 11 Children’s Corner Yerushalayim

Yerushalayim (Jerusalem) has always been at the center of Jewish prayers. roughout history, Jews around the world have prayed The Center of the World for the rebuilding of Yerushalayim and yearned to see it with their own eyes. Yerushalayim is referred to as the center of the world. 51 years ago, on the 28th of the Hebrew month of Iyar at 10:15 am, an Israeli Army commander's voice was heard 1. Midrash Tanchuma, Kedoshim, Article 10 over the radio: “Har HaBayit (Temple Mount)* is in our hands! e Land of Israel is located in the center of the world. Yerushalayim is located in the center of Israel, On this day, God gave us the opportunity to return to the Beit HaMikdash is located in the center of Yerushalayim, the Holy City of Yerushalayim – the Eternal Capital of Israel. the Hall is located in the center of the Beit HaMikdash, 1 e Kotel (the outer Western Wall of the Temple) the Ark is located in the center of the Hall and the Even HaShtiya, 2 was under our control again! from which the world was created, lies before the Ark. 3

Explanations4 Because this event was so miraculous, the Chief of Israel in the center – the most important part. the Hall – the place where the Table and Altar were located. instructed us to sing the Hallel prayer on this day. Even HaShtiya – a holy foundation stone under the Holy of Holies. the world was created – this stone was the rst object created. e rest of the world was created from it. * e Temple Mount is the place on which the Temple was built.

Anybody who looks at the map of Israel sees that

Yerushalayim is not in the center. What did our rabbis mean then? Jerusalem Quiz 2. Based on Maharal, Agaddot, Rosh Hashanah, Page 23 e meaning is not that it is the geographical center of Israel… 1. How many gates are there around the Old City Walls rather that it is always in a Jew's heart, which is the center of the body. ? 2. What are they called e heart is so important that the entire body depends on it for survival. ? So is the case with Yerushalayim, which is the central and most important part of the Land of Israel. 3. How many names does Jerusalem have All Jews face it in prayer, wherever they are in the world. ? So Yerushalayim is the heart of the world, 4 the heart of the Land of Israel and the heart of the Jewish nation. . Can you name 10 of them ? Just like the heart pumps blood throughout the entire body, 5. What is the source of the expression “” so Yerushalayim “pumps” spiritual life into the Jewish people and into the entire world. ? 6. What does the name “Yerushalayim” actually mean

? 7. What sites or places in Jerusalem are named a er a. Saul b. Moses c. David

Send your answers to: ? [email protected] and you could win a prize! Prize winners from the last issue: Azariah Grogin (9), Chashmonaim, Israel, and Ya'akov Meir Tuman (9), Chicago, USA.

12 David M. Weinberg ‎ Children’s Corner Yerushalayim Israel Why Jerusalem Insight‎ Must Remain Whole Yerushalayim (Jerusalem) has always been at the center of Jewish prayers. roughout history, Jews around the world have prayed The Center of the World for the rebuilding of Yerushalayim and yearned to see it with their own eyes. united Jerusalem under Israeli Israel has developed the city from that eastern Jerusalem’s 350,000 Arab sovereignty is the key, not an a backwater town to a truly radiant residents increasingly understand that Yerushalayim is referred to as the center of the world. 51 years ago, on the 28th of the Hebrew month of Iyar obstacle, to peace and security in international capital city sparkling with they will always be better off under theA city. The bisection of Jerusalem would energy and creativity – and open to all. Israeli administration, and they are slowly at 10:15 am, an Israeli Army commander's voice was heard 1. Midrash Tanchuma, Kedoshim, Article 10 over the radio: “Har HaBayit (Temple Mount)* is in our hands! be patently unwise, exceedingly unfair to integrating. e Land of Israel is located in the center of the world. , and an insult to Israel’s fine Let’s be even blunter: Israel has developed stewardship of the city. Jerusalem as an attractive city because it 5. Yerushalayim is located in the center of Israel, On this day, God gave us the opportunity to return to the Beit HaMikdash is located in the center of Yerushalayim, cares; because Jerusalem is the historic Which leads to one final irony. The notion the Holy City of Yerushalayim – the Eternal Capital of Israel. Here are five reasons why: centerpiece of Jewish peoplehood. The of dividing Jerusalem into two capitals the Hall is located in the center of the Beit HaMikdash, 1 e Kotel (the outer Western Wall of the Temple) Arabs and don’t really care with two governments has been around the Ark is located in the center of the Hall and the Even HaShtiya, 2 was under our control again! 1.‎ about Jerusalem; they never have. In for decades, leading Israeli governments from which the world was created, lies before the Ark. 3 Full Israeli control over fact, they would consider it a triumph if to delay and deny eastern Jerusalem the

Explanations4 Because this event was so miraculous, the Chief Rabbis of Israel is the linchpin for the country’s grand Jerusalem were so wracked by conflict and development dollars it needs. After all, why in the center – the most important part. security posture. Jerusalem anchors the poverty that it was ruined for 1,000 years – should Israel invest there if one day eastern the Hall – the place where the Table and Altar were located. instructed us to sing the Hallel prayer on this day. Even HaShtiya – a holy foundation stone under the Holy of Holies. critical west-east axis from the coastal just as long as it would be lost to the Jews. Jerusalem may be forked over to an Arab the world was created – this stone was the rst object created. plain to the Jordan River. Israel’s long- regime? e rest of the world was created from it. * e Temple Mount is the place on which the Temple was built. term hold of the strategic arc from Anybody who looks at the map of Israel sees that to Jericho necessitates Israeli dominance But now the Israeli government has in and around Jerusalem. This should determined that Jerusalem must and will Yerushalayim is not in the center. What did our rabbis mean then? Jerusalem Quiz be buttressed by settlement in E-1, the remain whole under Israeli administration, 2. Based on Maharal, Agaddot, Rosh Hashanah, Page 23 expansion of Maale Adumim eastwards, Israel has and not just for security reasons; and that e meaning is not that it is the geographical center of Israel… 1. How many gates are there around the Old City Walls and the reinforcement of Israel’s military Israel has received important international rather that it is always in a Jew's heart, which is the center of the body. and civilian presence maintaining a backing for this stance (Trump: “We have ? developed 2 defensible border in the Jordan Valley. " taken Jerusalem off the table”) – Israel . What are they called e heart is so important that the entire body depends on it for survival. ? can no longer ignore its responsibilities to So is the case with Yerushalayim, which is the central 2. Jerusalem as an develop the eastern half of the city. and most important part of the Land of Israel. 3. How many names does Jerusalem have The shearing of the city into Arab All Jews face it in prayer, wherever they are in the world. ? and Jewish sovereignties would turn attractive city Which explains why it is davka the most So Yerushalayim is the heart of the world, Jerusalem into Belfast at its worst. Any conservative administrations ever, led by 4 the heart of the Land of Israel and the heart of the Jewish nation. . Can you name 10 of them section under Palestinian sovereignty Prime Minister Netanyahu and Jerusalem ? because it cares Just like the heart pumps blood throughout the entire body, will become Ground Zero for the fierce Mayor Barkat, that have finally begun to 5. What is the source of the expression “Jerusalem of Gold” wars being waged within the Arab world, invest in the welfare of Jerusalemite Arabs. so Yerushalayim “pumps” spiritual life into the Jewish people and into the entire world. and become a base of attack on Israel. Investment and good governance on the ? Thus a partitioned Jerusalem will lead 4. local level is the core of sovereign political 6. What does the name “Yerushalayim” actually mean to violence that will suck the lifeblood However, effective rule is going to action that will keep Jerusalem whole and from the city in every way – culturally, require massive investment by the Israeli make it prosperous for all. ? religiously, economically and more.‎ government and Jerusalem municipality, 7 . What sites or places in Jerusalem are named a er a. Saul b. Moses c. David because eastern Jerusalem has been David M. Weinberg is the Vice- 3. neglected for decades. And only a generous President of ‎the Jerusalem Send your answers to: ? The truth is that for the past 50 years Israeli approach can overcome the Institute for Strategic ‎Studies [email protected] Israel has managed the complicated suspicion and hostility that leads to www.davidmweinberg.com and you could win a prize! city with sophistication and sensitivity. security problems. The good news is www.jiss.org.il ‎ Prize winners from the last issue: Azariah Grogin (9), Chashmonaim, Israel, and Ya'akov Meir Tuman (9), Chicago, USA.

13 One on Is One Allowed One to Visit the Rabbi Rabbi Temple Mount? Shlomo Riskin Ya’akov Shapira

Rabbi Shlomo Riskin Rabbi Shlomo Goren drew up a precise eyes, and they laid out a path to praise and map as to where one may walk on the thank God for it, imprinting a religious seal ur tradition speaks of the Temple Mount, and since many rabbinical on Israel’s revival. sanctity of the Land of Israel and leaders – like Rabbi Shear Cohen the additional sanctity of the and Rabbi Dov Lior – have urged Jews to Nevertheless, they were insistent not OTemple Mount in Jerusalem. Maimonides visit, many of us feel it is important to visit, to enter areas on the Temple Mount, as distinguishes between these two sanctities, taking all the necessary preparations of instructed by the Chief Rabbinate of Israel maintaining that the sanctity of Israel sanctifying ourselves properly. since Rav Kook’s time. They wouldn’t have depends upon the presence of the Israeli dreamed of saying that going up to the nation. If Israel is exiled from the Land, And, as the Americans say, if you don’t use Temple Mount was the test of our loyalty the Land loses its sanctity, whereas the it, you may lose it, God forbid. to Eretz Yisrael. sanctity of the Temple Mount is eternal, for its sanctity is dependent only upon the 1 , Laws of the Chosen Temple, 6,16. The site of the Mikdash belongs to the Shechina (Divine Presence), and that can 2 Ibid. Jewish people. Of course we have the never be nullified. 1 3 Iggrot HaRambam, Shilat Edition, 224. capability of going up there but we don’t because of its excessive sanctity. And the “I shall lay waste their sacred Temples” Rabbi Ya’akov Shapira same Torah that is the basis of our religious (Leviticus 26:31), declares our Holy Torah, world view is the same Torah that teaches and “even though they are laid waste, they still hen Rabbi Zvi Yehuda Kook us such great care in relation to sanctity. retain their sanctity.” 2 was shown a booklet dealing with the clarification of the The opinion that says we need to find a One possible reason for this distinction is Wborders of the Temple Mount, he cried out: Torah-based solution to the public’s desire that the Land of Israel is Israel’s homeland “Another piece of karet (Divine punishment by to go up to the Mount is an approach that while the Temple Mount is God’s home, as untimely death or eternal excommunication), turns weakness into error and undermines it were, wherein the leaders of all nations and another piece of karet… is it right that we the public’s relationship to Jewish values. will gather to learn God’s commands from play with estimated measurements of a place Israel. This Divine Home will eventually into which someone who enters receives karet?” This discussion is a religious and national expand into a redeemed world of love and one of the highest significance and must be peace, of compassionate righteousness and My late father (Rabbi ), in founded solely upon halachic tradition. moral justice, accepted by all humanity. his final talk at Merkaz HaRav, quoted this Hence many great authorities forbid going story, adding that we should be shocked up at all, even to the general area, lest one at those who organize trips on the Temple Rabbi Shlomo Riskin is Chief even accidentally overstep the specific Mount. Even those who permitted it never Rabbi of and Founder and boundary of permissibility and wander into imagined it would become a tourist walk- Rosh of the Ohr Torah the actual perimeter of our Holy Temple, way. Where has the “awe and trepidation of Stone network of educational which is the forbidden area. the Mikdash” gone? and social institutions

However, since the Temple Mount is the These rabbis – and others – educated thou- Rabbi Ya’akov Shapira is Rosh holiest place in the world for us, and since sands to see the State of Israel as the fulfill- Yeshiva of Yeshivat Merkaz Maimonides himself prayed in a synagogue ment of a Divine vision. They believed in HaRav in Jerusalem and there (obviously not within the exact place the Redemption of Israel beginning with a member of the Council upon which the Temple stood),3 and since the processes unfolding before our very of the Chief Rabbinate

14 Photo – Rabbi Riskin: Chaim Snow Rabbi Ya’akov Shapira

15 Jerusalem Renewed

King David Hotel and Y.M.C.A., 1925 – King David Hotel and Y.M.C.A. 2017 G. Eric and Edith Matson Collection

GPO – 1967 The same three paratroopers in 2017

Mamilla 1949 – Moshe Kanari Mamilla 2017

Photos in this publication are courtesy of Sharon Gabay (unless stated otherwise), who kindly donated them for this special issue – www.sharongabay.com, Instagram: sharongabay2.

With grateful thanks to the founding sponsors of 16 Australia