Our Aliyah Adventure: August 2011

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Meeting of the minds...

Iraqi Jews sitting outside the Iraqi synagogue in Jerusalem speaking Arabic! Amazing!
I try to imagine what they might have gone through to reach the holy land. Much easier today! You just have to want it and Hashem will pave the way!

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Wednesday, August 10, 2011

The land where even the fruits are Holier...

Tisha B'Av at the site of the temple...

I want to start off with saying how nice it is to live in a country where you can feel Tisha B'Av coming in all around. Stores in Jerusalem closed early and stayed closed till after the fast because as one merchant put it "who can think of bussiness when the source of our life is in ruins".
This year I was privilaged to spent Tisha B'Av in Jerusalem just steps from the destruction. It doesnt seem right anymore to mourn and comfort our mourning city from afar.
I was able to see first hand what we are still mourning over. In my last post I posted pictures of just a few reasons to mourn over our holy city. On my way to the Kotel (Western Wall) I walked through the arab market in the Old City. I was briefly pushed and chastised by two arab kids. The following thought raced through my mind; "Who do these ungreatful guests in my city think they they are?" Then it struck me. This is part of the mourning over our holy city. When the gemara talks about our sages crying over "Shualim Holchim Ba" "foxes roaming around" on our temple mount I now knew what they we taking about. Modern day foxes defiling my home.
I ate my final mourners meal at the western wall, the closest that most Jews will ever get to the site of temple. When it came time to pray and read the book of Eicha, commemorating the destruction, I walked with a small group of Jews, heavy guarded by the army, toward the gates of the temple mount with the intention to pray and read there. We stood there and sang "pitchu li sharey tzedek" "open up the gates of reichousness". We were then informed that we could not stay for fear of "inciting" the locals. Again I thought; "I have to walk through MY city being protected by heavily armed men and then I am told I can't stay because I am "inciting" foreighners?" This is Tisha B'Av. We ended up praying and reciting Eicha at the Kotel HaKatan, which is the extension of the western wall opposite the temple. Were were interupted multiple times my Muslim calls to prayer over the loud speakers.
I am looking forward to next year when, G-d willing, we will rejoice on our temple mount without fears or concerns for people who have no place there.