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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
(Shlomo), her descendant who would “There was no woman more beautiful than her!” popular Israeli teacher, speaker
one day build the Temple in Jerusalem. “And why was she buried on the way?” and writer

Dr. Avshalom Kor
ּ
ןֹויִצ

What’s
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-
H meaning is the foundation of רי ִב ְ דּ, the hub of national spiritual activity, gion of separation from the physical world.
a number of other words related to that and ר ָבּ ְ ד ִמ, which means desert? Yet involvement in that world can taint the
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
The word ןוֹיּ ִצ )Zion( refers to both Israel tion to this dichotomy: ח ַצ means clear. 3 – Zion, Dvir and Yerushalayim.
and Jerusalem. It appears 152 times in For example, a clear soup – no vegetables,
Tanach as a name for Jerusalem! And soup nuts, or chicken. And we describe 1 See Kings 1 8:6, for example.
another name for the Holy of Holies in the a desert, where nothing grows, as ַחי ִח ָצ – 2 See Isaiah 35:1.
Beit HaMikdash is רי ִב ְ דּ )Dvir(. 1 arid, barren. 3 See Song of Songs 5:10.

So if words with similar roots are con- Just as ח ַצ is connected to ַחי ִח ָצ ,רי ִב ְ דּ is
nected in meaning, how can ןוֹיּ ִצ be the connected to ר ָבּ ְ ד ִמ and ןוֹיּ ִצ to הָיּ ִצ. Just as Dr. Avshalom Kor is an Israeli
heart of the nation while הָיּ ִצ )another חצ is untainted, void of any impurities, so linguist and expert on Hebrew
word with the same root) means desolate, are רי ִב ְ דּ and ןוֹיּ ִצ. grammar and semantics
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Photos – Rabbanit Yemima: www.parasha.org, Dr. Kor: Roy Achiron