Picture everything Jewish – its festivals, learning, celebrations, and life’s myriad events – occurring at a single place. Wherever Jews lived in the world, they would focus their attention to this one singular location. Thousands of years later we still turn eastward when we daven, as a reminder of the holiness that inhered in the space and still radiates from there. In their own time, Jews from Babylonia, Egypt, the Far East would travel for weeks, three times each year, to participate in a spectacle and glory of the holiest place on earth. This place was the focal point for prayers, the locus of all that was sacrosanct. Jews could not conceive of their faith without the Beit haMikdash (Temple).
There was only one Jewish house of worship, the Temple; there were no synagogues. World Jewry depended upon that Temple as its lifeline to G-d. All worship took place there. Communal and religious leaders gathered there to witness the Glory. The Kohen Gadol, the High Priest, was the most powerful and influential person as he was in charge of the sacred place and service.
When the Beit haMikdash was destroyed Judaism found it self-staring blankly into an abysmal future. One writer vividly described a scene after the Destruction:
Fathers drew the children close to them, and in trembling voices, described how the High Priest
There was only one Jewish house of worship, the Temple; there were no synagogues. World Jewry depended upon that Temple as its lifeline to G-d. All worship took place there. Communal and religious leaders gathered there to witness the Glory. The Kohen Gadol, the High Priest, was the most powerful and influential person as he was in charge of the sacred place and service.
When the Beit haMikdash was destroyed Judaism found it self-staring blankly into an abysmal future. One writer vividly described a scene after the Destruction:
Fathers drew the children close to them, and in trembling voices, described how the High Priest
would seemingly float down to bless the people of Israel within those sacred walls. A little boy went down, picked up a small stone from among the ruins, and clutched it tightly to his heart. A young man, the tears streaming down his face, raised his eyes to heaven and moved his lips without uttering a sound.
Despair. Groups and individuals helplessly roamed, dazed by how quickly their religious life was crushed beneath the foot of the invaders.
One man emerged undeterred from the still smoldering rubble, Rabbi Yohanan ben Zakkai. Instead of succumbing to depression, he taught, “My children, do not let this evil overwhelm you for we have something even greater than the Beit HaMikdash. We have G-d’s Word!” He established Beit Midrashot, Houses of Learning, and Synagogues to pray. It took a man of Rabbi Yohanan’s stature to help the people find the ground and reason to live again he went everywhere speaking words of consolation and Torah. Rabbi Yohanan ben Zakkai soothed the people and soothingly spoke to them, picking up the pieces of peoples shattered faith and bringing them back to the well of their faith and their beginning.
Rabbi Yohanan’s secret was knowing the preciousness of our greatest possession, Torah.
We access the most powerful force in the universe every time
Despair. Groups and individuals helplessly roamed, dazed by how quickly their religious life was crushed beneath the foot of the invaders.
One man emerged undeterred from the still smoldering rubble, Rabbi Yohanan ben Zakkai. Instead of succumbing to depression, he taught, “My children, do not let this evil overwhelm you for we have something even greater than the Beit HaMikdash. We have G-d’s Word!” He established Beit Midrashot, Houses of Learning, and Synagogues to pray. It took a man of Rabbi Yohanan’s stature to help the people find the ground and reason to live again he went everywhere speaking words of consolation and Torah. Rabbi Yohanan ben Zakkai soothed the people and soothingly spoke to them, picking up the pieces of peoples shattered faith and bringing them back to the well of their faith and their beginning.
Rabbi Yohanan’s secret was knowing the preciousness of our greatest possession, Torah.
We access the most powerful force in the universe every time
we read from the holy Torah. At Beth Shalom Synagogue we have the mitzvah of restoring and revitalizing two sacred Texts, which, until now, have been unusable.
613 Mitzvot color our lives and give us direction. Participating in the writing of a Torah is the last one of them, number 613. As recorded in the Book, “And now, write for yourselves this song, and teach it to the Children of Israel.” This is the commandment to every Jew to contribute - at least once in their lifetime - to the writing of a Torah scroll.
For most of us, this is our unique opportunity to fulfill this Mitzvah.
613 Mitzvot color our lives and give us direction. Participating in the writing of a Torah is the last one of them, number 613. As recorded in the Book, “And now, write for yourselves this song, and teach it to the Children of Israel.” This is the commandment to every Jew to contribute - at least once in their lifetime - to the writing of a Torah scroll.
For most of us, this is our unique opportunity to fulfill this Mitzvah.
