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TORAT MIZRACHI VOLUME 3 • ISSUE 3 מנחם אב תש"ף TORAT ERETZ YISRAEL • PUBLISHED IN JERUSALEM • DISTRIBUTED AROUND THE WORLD JULY 2020 ISRAEL EDITION WITH GRATEFUL THANKS TO THE FOUNDING SPONSORS OF HAMIZRACHI – THE LAMM FAMILY OF MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA Chief Rabbi David Lau TISHA B’AV EDITION on the differences SPECIAL KINOT PREPARATION GUIDE PAGE 14 between the two TISHA B’AV CROSSWORD FOR KIDS PAGE 47 Temples THE STORY OF A LIFE-TRANSFORMING MOMENT PAGE 44 PAGE 16 Rabbanit Shani Taragin makes the connection between tears and teshuva PAGE 7 Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks offers seven principles for Jewish peoplehood PAGE 18 Rabbanit Yemima Mizrachi presents a lyrical plea for remembering PAGE 22 Rabbi Dov Lipman explains how we can understand suffering PAGE 42 ִאם ֶאׁ ְש ָּכ ֵח ְך ְי ּרוׁ ָש ַל ִים Sivan Rahav Meir and Yedidya Meir with three ways to EMERGENCY CAMPAIGN make the Temple for our Yeshivot & Seminaries relevant to you PAGE 10 PAGE 25 ,our beloved grandparents, of blessed memory לעילוי נשמות This edition is dedicated ז“ל and Louis & Minnie Gecelter ז“ל Shimon & Annette Perez who together blazed the trail of Aliyah and love of Israel for our family Avi, Doron and Ilan Perez and Ariela Shpigel TORAT MIZRACHI AM, ERETZ, TORAH RELIGIOUS ZIONIST LEADERS www.mizrachi.org INSIDE 26 Rabbi Ben-Zion Meir Hai Uziel [email protected] +972 (0)2 620 9000 PLACES IN ISRAEL Jerusalem: Past and Future CHAIRMAN 27 Rivi Frankel Mr. Harvey Blitz RAV KOOK'S TEACHINGS CHIEF EXECUTIVE Teachers Armed with Spiritual Might 28 Rabbi Chanan Morrison Rabbi Doron Perez ISRAEL INSIGHT EDUCATIONAL DIRECTORS Media Bias Against Israel Rabbi Reuven Taragin 30 Daniel S. Mariaschin TORAT MIZRACHI Rabbanit Shani Taragin Sinat Chinam: WHAT'S IN A WORD From Dispute to Demonization Tzom and Ta’anit 3 Rabbi Doron Perez 31 David Curwin The Need for a Mikdash 4 Rabbi Binyamin Blau TISHA B’AV READING Mourning in a Rebuilt Jerusalem Channeling Loneliness 32 Rabbi Shimshon HaKohen Nadel 6 Rabbi Reuven Taragin PUBLISHED BY THE MIZRACHI WORLD MOVEMENT The Most Important Relationship Tears and Teshuva EDITORIAL TEAM 33 Rabbi Andrew Shaw Rabbanit Shani Taragin Daniel Verbov 7 Esther Shafier Commemorating Destruction The Relevance of Tisha B’Av Rabbi Yosef Zvi Rimon 34 Rabbi Berel Wein CREATIVE DIRECTOR 8 and Rabbanit Sharon Rimon Jonny Lipczer Making the Temple Relevant The Secret of Consistency DESIGN SUPPORT Sivan Rahav Meir and 35 Rabbi Shalom Rosner Hadas Peretz 10 Yedidya Meir Encountering Eicha PRODUCTION AND ADVERTISING MANAGER SPECIAL FEATURE 36 Rabbi Stewart Weiss Meyer Sterman 14 Kinot Preperation Guide [email protected] What is Tisha B’Av? HaMizrachi seeks to spread Torat Eretz Yisrael throughout 37 Rabbi Ari Posner the world. HaMizrachi also contains articles, opinion pieces GLOBAL RELIGIOUS LEADERS and advertisements that represent the diversity of views and Two Temples, Two Goals SPECIAL FEATURE interests in our communities. These do not necessarily reflect Chief Rabbi David Lau Crying and Yearning any official position of Mizrachi or its branches. 16 38 If you don't want to keep HaMizrachi, you can double-wrap it The Beit HaMikdash as the before disposal, or place it directly into sheimos. Center of Limmud HaTorah 17 Rabbi Hershel Schachter GENERAL INTEREST PARENTING Seven Principles for Maintaining The Importance of Perspective Taking Jewish Peoplehood 40 Dr. David Pelcovitz 18 Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks RELATIONSHIPS Respect First, Love Second The Power of Hope 41 Rabbi Ben Tzion Shafier HaMizrachi 20 Chief Rabbi Dr. Warren Goldstein Dedication Understanding Suffering Opportunities 42 Rabbi Dov Lipman WOMEN’S VOICES The Preacher who Taught Me Don’t Forget that You Forgot! If you would like to dedicate an How to Mourn for the Temple 22 Rabbanit Yemima Mizrachi 44 issue of HaMizrachi in memory of Judy Waldman a loved one or in celebration of a Coming Closer Torah as the Totality of G-d’s Will simcha, please send an email to 23 Mrs. Shira Smiles 46 Rabbi Zev Leff [email protected] Our Eternal Survival Tisha B’Av Crossword 24 Mrs. Michal Horowitz 47 2 | Cover photo: Sharon Gabay TORAT MIZRACHI Rabbi Doron Perez SinatFROM DISPUTE Chinam TO DEMONIZATION ow is it possible to be gen- Thus the hatred and infighting in discourse often descends into sharp uinely kind to someone and Jerusalem were so disastrous on the divisiveness, delegitimization and to hate them at the same eve of destruction that Josephus demonization. time? describes the society as “a great H 3 body torn in pieces.” The Torah hints to the cure of this Remarkably, this is what the Talmud destructive phenomenon when it seems to say regarding the spiritual How do disagreements deteriorate tells us that Aharon the High Priest cause of the destruction of the into such deep hatred? passed away on Rosh Chodesh Av, Second Temple: the first day of the month of Av.4 In the War Scroll, found near the At the onset of what would become “During the Second Temple period, Dead Sea in the caves of Qumran, the most tragic time in Jewish the people occupied themselves with we can perhaps detect an answer. history – the first nine days of the The text – probably written by the Torah, Mitzvot and lovingkindness. month of Av culminating in Tisha Essenes – describes its followers Why was the Temple destroyed? B’Av – we are charged to recall as “the sons of light” and all others Because they acted with Sinat Aharon’s life and legacy. More than 1 (including fellow Jews) as “the sons Chinam – senseless hatred.” anyone else in our history, he was of darkness.” How is this possible? the national peacemaker, always This changes the rules of discourse. doing everything he could to create The Netziv suggests an answer: peace and harmony between fellow The people being hated were not We are no longer debating views Jews, despite salient differences and the same ones being showered with or ideas. We are delegitimizing the painful personal disputes.5 lovingkindness: “As a result of the other as a person. It is no longer senseless hatred in their hearts that about perspectives but about the At this time of year when we reflect one harbored for the other, they person – vicious ad hominem on what the Sages tell us is the suspected all those who did not attacks. It’s no longer about right spiritual cause of the destruction of follow their path as a G-d-fearing and wrong, but about you and me. the Temple – senseless hatred – we Jew of being a Sadducee and a All who think and act like me are should evoke Aharon’s memory and heretic.” 2 ‘good’ and bring spiritual light and aim to strive for its cure. morality to the world and all who If you were part of my community disagree are ‘bad’ and immoral, of believers and followed my invoking spiritual darkness. When customs you were accepted, but if I am absolutely right and you are not, you were rejected. absolutely wrong; when the other is totally disqualified and seen as part Sectarianism reigned supreme prior of ‘the dark side,’ we are treading to the destruction. There were dangerously close to the abyss of 1 Yoma 9b. many distinct sects – Pharisees, senseless hatred. 2 Rabbi Naftali Tzvi Yehuda Berlin, HaEmek Sadducees, Essenes, Zealots and Davar, introduction to the book of Sicarii – and more factions within How blessed we are to have a Genesis. these sects. If you were part of my renewed Jewish society in Israel. 3 The Jewish War, Book 5:1. faction, specific ideological group We face many challenges here 4 Interestingly, this is the only Yahrzeit date mentioned explicitly in the Torah - that and community, you were worthy and around the world as to how Aharon died on the first day of the 5th of endless kindness. But if you were best chart the way forward. These month (Bamidbar 33:38). Remarkably, this part of another sect whose values issues are often extremely divisive appears in Parashat Masei which is read every year around Rosh Chodesh Av. and beliefs threatened mine, you because they touch the very 5 Avot DeRabbi Natan 12. were scorned and hated. There was essence of Jewish life and destiny. no middle road. Only black and This is particularly true during white. Either you’re ideologically the prolonged election period Rabbi Doron Perez is Chief Executive of with me or against me. in Israel. Respectful democratic the Mizrachi World Movement | 3 TORAT MIZRACHI Rabbi Binyamin Blau THE NEED FOR A Mikdash hy does the Churban Torah study. Which one is correct our Creator and as such, its loss was HaBayit play such a and how can the latter offense be devastating. That is why the people central role in Judaism? the cause of the Mikdash being reacted with a profound sense WIf one examines the words of the destroyed? of despondency; they accurately Rambam when he explains the recognized that this bond was underlying reason for engaging in The Rambam, in his commentary not easily duplicated and that fasts, one is immediately struck on the Mishna (on Masechet Rosh their connection to G-d had been by how critical the loss of the Beit Hashanah), makes a bold statement severed. HaMikdash is to all our ta’aniot. regarding the observance of Tisha While Yom Kippur and Ta’anit B’Av during the time of the second When the second Beit HaMikdash Esther are obviously in their own Beit HaMikdash. He asserts that was built, there was some categories, all the other fasts even though they were performing consolation but the gaps in the are linked to this event.
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