Page 2 - HaMizrachi #10 Yom Yerushalayim - Shavuot 5779
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ISRAEL AND US

                                                                                                               Rabbi David A. Israel

       www.mizrachi.org                          AjeSPrIRuAsTaIOlNeAmLt was early Friday morning in July       one person, and everyone is a limb of
      office@mizrachi.org                                                                                      this one great person, and everyone
      +972 (0)2 620 9000                            1983 when I made my first trip up                          needs his peer, everyone is influenced

             Chairman                           Ito Jerusalem. I was just a kid on
        Mr. Harvey Blitz                        a summer tour, but I’ll never forget by and influences one another, and
                                                that journey up Highway 1 through together as one they carry on the
         Chief Executive                        the hills of Judea. There was only eternal existence of the human
       Rabbi Doron Perez

     Educational Directors
     Rabbi Reuven Taragin
    Rabbanit Shani Taragin

                                                one entrance to the city. No Begin species.”1
                                                Highway. No tunnels. And just before
PUBLISHED BY THE MIZRACHI WORLD MOVEMENT        entering the city, real, living green                          On Shavuot, just a few days after
                                                hedges spelled ‫ ְּבר ּו ִכים ַה ָּב ִאים ִליר ּו ׁ ָש ַל ִים‬,  Jerusalem’s reunification in 1967,
                                                “Welcome to Jerusalem.”                                        the Kotel was opened for visitors:
                                                                                                               “Every section of the population
HaMizrachi seeks to   Editor-in-Chief           Looking back now, it’s hard to believe was represented. Kibbutz members
spread Torat Eretz    Daniel‫‏‬Verbov             that our bus actually stopped and and soldiers rubbing shoulders with
Yisrael throughout                              we got off. Our guide wanted us to Neturei Karta. Mothers came with
the world.            Assistant Editor          experience ‫ ֲע ִל ָּיה ָלֶר ֶגל‬, what it felt like children in prams, and old men
HaMizrachi also       Esther Shafier            for a pilgrim to ascend by foot to trudged steeply up to Mount Zion,
contains articles,                              Jerusalem. I was in awe.
opinion pieces and    Creative Director                                                                        supported by youngsters on either
advertisements        Jonny Lipczer
that represent the                              That night, Leil Shabbat, we entered                           side, to see the wall of the Temple
diversity of views    Graphic Designer          the Kotel Plaza. As I stood by the stones                      before the end of their days” (The
and interests in our  Hadas Peretz              below Har HaBayit (Temple Mount),                              Jerusalem Post).
communities. These
do not necessarily    Production and            I was in awe again. There, a thousand                          How incredible and miraculous it
reflect any official  Advertising Manager       or more Jews – secular Jews in blue                            must have been! Though certainly
position of Mizrachi  Meyer Sterman             jeans, Hassidic men of all stripes and                         not fully rebuilt, a united Jerusalem
or its branches.      production@mizrachi.org   shtreimels, soldiers with berets of all                        illustrated that ‫ְיר ּו ׁ ָש ִַלם ַה ְּבנ ּו ָיה ְּכ ִעיר ׁ ֶש ֻח ְּבָרה‬
                                                colors, yeshiva students in black hats                         ‫ ָּל ּה ְי ַח ּד ֹו‬, “Jerusalem rebuilt brings all
                      www.rza.org               and dark pants, and Dati Leumi Jews                            Jews together as friends!”
                      office@rza.org            in blue pants and white shirts – all
                      212-465-9234              welcomed Shabbat together. I felt a And perhaps that’s the connection
                                                                                                               between Yom Yerushalayim and
                      Presidium                 sense of unity in the diversity.
                      Dr. Ernest Agatstein
                      Rabbi Leonard Matanky     That was my Jerusalem experience.                              Shavuot. As Rav Shlomo Goren said,
                      Martin Oliner             At the time, I didn’t know of the                              ‫ ַה ּכ ֹו ַח ׁ ֶשל ַעם ִי ְ ׂשָר ֵאל ה ּוא ְּב ַא ְחד ּות‬, “The
                                                Midrash explaining that ‫ ְיר ּו ׁ ָש ַל ִים‬was                 power of the Jewish people is in unity”;
                      Executive Vice-President  a composite name: ‫( ִיְר ֶאה‬shows) from                        when we are (as Rashi describes us at
                      Rabbi David A. Israel     Avraham Avinu (who calls the place                             Har Sinai as we received the Torah)
                                                of Akeidat Yitzchak ‫ )ה’ ִיְר ֶאה‬and ‫שלם‬                       ‫ ְּכ ִאי ׁש ֶא ָחד ְּב ֵלב ֶא ָחד‬, “As one person with
HAMIZRACHI            CHICAGO                   (complete) from Shem (who refers to                            one heart,” we will always succeed.
PATRONS
                      www.rzc.us                Malchitzedek, King of ‫) ׁ ָש ֵלם‬. These If we don’t quite see that inspirational
Martin and Reva       office@rzc.us             two names encapsulated my own first image of Jerusalem today, let us at
Oliner                847-674-9733              memories of Jerusalem – ‫ ִיְר ֶאה‬, awe least be inspired to aspire.
                                                in approaching the place where G-d
Friends of Mr. Jack   President
Nagel z’’l            Dr. Oren Lakser           “shows Himself” to His people, and                             1 Parashat Vayeira.

Lynn and Joel Mael    Executive Director        ‫ ׁ ָש ֵלם‬or ‫ ׁ ְש ֵלמ ּות‬, completeness, unity.
& Family              Rabbi Jerold Isenberg
                                                The Meshech Chochmah describes                                 Rabbi David A. Israel is the Executive
Mr. and Mrs. David    LOS ANGELES               the ‫ ׁ ָש ֵלם‬component of Jerusalem’s                          Vice-President of Religious Zionists of
Rubin                                           name: “...the entire human species is                          America–Mizrachi
                      office@rzla.org
Rosalyn and           209-286-7141
Stephen M. Flatow
                      President
Aileen and Pace       Dr. Yakov Agatstein
Cooper

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