Rosh , Web Yeshiva

YOM YERUSHALAYIM

n 1965 after receiving smicha and gate were manned by Jordanian soldiers spending several years in the YU who were not at all part of the dream. It IKollel, Miriam (my wife) and I was not clear to me how they got there or were on a plane going to Eretz Yisrael. We what they were doing but they carried real had arranged to go directly to Kibbutz Lavi guns. I had just arrived and understood and were prepared to start a new life on that the Yerushalayim of the Jewish dream kibbutz. could not be reached. Yes it is true that a As a responsible young couple we had few persons with US passports were able dutifully arranged to be met at Lod (Ben to cross the gate but this was not a real Gurion) and were guaranteed transporta- solution. The other possibility was to go to tion to our new home. the Abu Tor neighborhood and stand in a However on the way to the promised certain place and look up and you will see land (on the plane) Miriam said that since the Dome of the Rock on the Temple mount. I had never been in before (Miriam You then would imagine the Kotel below. had studied in Machon Greenberg on a Of course you didn’t see it at all but it was a YU program) we should make great place to imagine. our first stop. I said, ‘How can we do that? The first two years in Yerushalayim Where will we go and where will we stay? were depressing. The economic situation She responded “It is all arranged!” And it was getting worse day by day and there was. was little hope that the Israeli experiment I mention this story to explain that a would be successful. A popular joke told in good plan does not always indicate how the airport; “would the last one out please things will actually turn out. That in short turn out the lights”. was how I arrived in Yerushalayim. I say this because the Yerushalayim The Yerushalayim I came to was very of the dream was unavailable. As part of different from what I had imagined. In fact a cruel joke we were denied access to the it wasn’t Yerushalayim at all. There was the place that made Yerushalayim the holiest Yerushalayim of Shemone Esrei and the of cities. Beyond that the country seemed Yerushalayim of my parents and grandpar- to be in economic distress and our Arab ents dream. That Yerushalayim was on the neighbors were rattling swords at every other side of a fence or the other side of a opportunity The situation was terrible. gate. In a matter of fact the fence and the Then the Six Day War. Many have

56 TORAH TIDBITS / BEHAR BECHUKOTAI 5781 remarked about the unique aspects of the war and thankful we must be for the reordering of Yerushalayim. From a city divided to a city which contained kedushah. Accessible to all. There is no doubt that all of Yerushalayim’s problems have not been solved. We hear about these problems every day in the news: but there is a sub- liminal peace that was not available when I came on aliya. The Kotel has become a place where prayer of every kind can be made. It is the place that represents the ongoing Jewish attempt to clarify our rela- tionship with Hakodosh Baruch Hu. The original name of the city is shalem, its king at the time of Avraham was Malki Zedek. After a difficult battle, Avraham was able to secure the release of Lot. He is approached by Malki Zedek with a gift of bread and wine. The lesson is hard to miss. SHORT TERM RENTALS Sometimes a war which in every case leads to tragedy can produce the elements neces- LONG TERM RENTALS sary for peace. MANAGEMENT Happy Yom Yerushalayim SALES

Rabbi Chaim Brovender is the president of ATID (www.atid.org) - CONTACT The Academy for Torah Initiatives and US TODAY! Directions in Jewish Education, and of www.WebYeshiva. org - a fully interactive online yeshiva. He was the founding Rosh Yeshiva Akiva Bookman of Yeshivat HaMivtar and Michlelet [email protected] Bruria, and has been a pioneer in 443.498.8209 Torah education for over 40 years in www.rentalsofdistinction.com Israel. A graduate of Yeshiva College and RIETS, he has a PhD from the 15+ years experience Mobile-friendly website Hebrew University. Easy secure online payments

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