Page 49 - HaMizrachi Yom Yerushalayim - Shavuot 5782 USA

AN URGENT CALL FOR

OUR GENERATION:

Rabbi Tuly
Bringing Har Sinai to the Nations Weisz

s a Religious Zionist, I chosen people. They argued violently with more Jews learning Torah, than
always wondered why that their New Testament replaced our at any point in our history. But we
Hashem gave us the Torah ‘Old’ Testament and forced us to par- should also be enthused that there is
A at Har Sinai and not in Eretz ticipate in ‘debates’ during which they an even greater number of non-Jews,
Yisrael. Wouldn’t Har HaBayit be a more ‘proved’ that our Torah was full of lies. every day, virtually streaming towards
fitting location for revelation? Incredibly, the miraculous return of Jerusalem and seeking to learn the
The Midrash Rabbah focuses not on Am Yisrael to Eretz Yisrael over the last truths of Torah.
Mount Sinai but on the wilderness of 125 years has led many Christians Our people face many challenges. We
Sinai, arguing that we can only acquire to reconsider their theological intol- are surrounded by violent enemies
Torah when we make ourselves hefker, erance of the Jewish people. Slowly who seek to destroy us, and far too
wide open, like the wilderness. We but surely, millions of non-Jews have
must open our hearts and our minds begun to look favorably upon us, even many of our own people deny our Bib-
for the powerful truth of Torah to expressing interest in studying Torah lical claim to our homeland. In times
penetrate and have maximum impact from our perspective! like these, it is critically important for
(Bamidbar Rabbah 1:7). How should we respond to this strange our Religious Zionist community to
take a leading role in teaching Torat
Going further, the Mechilta D’Rebbe phenomenon? Our painful history Eretz Yisrael to the masses of gentiles
Yishmael offers an incredible insight demands that we tread carefully, and who are yearning for a connection
that is particularly relevant for our it would surely be understandable if to Torah and to G-d’s chosen people.
generation. Had the Torah been given we dismissed their newfound interest. Imagine the impact we could make
in the Land of Israel, which was However, long ago, our prophets prom- if each of our communities made the
promised exclusively to Am Yisrael, ised that this very unlikely scenario
we could claim that the Torah belongs would in fact occur: effort to teach our Christian friends
to us alone. The Torah was therefore In the days to come, the Mount of about the eternal bond between the
revealed in the wilderness, a public Hashem’s House shall stand firm land and people of Israel?
domain, to demonstrate that the mes- above the mountains and tower 3,000 years ago, Hashem gave the
sages of the Torah are meant for all of above the hills; and all the nations Torah to a small nation in the wil-
humanity. shall gaze on it with joy. And the derness. After so many centuries of
When we read Megillat Rut on Shavuot, many peoples shall go and say: faithfully guarding the Torah in the
we remember that sometimes people “Come, let us go up to the Mount of face of constant attacks, we have now
outside of our community can serve Hashem, to the House of the G-d of returned to our land and are ready at
as extraordinary examples of faith Jacob; that He may instruct us in His last to spread the light of Torah to the
in G-d and kindness to others. As the ways, and that we may walk in His entire world. What a blessing it is to
matriarch of David HaMelech and Melech paths.” For Torah shall come forth live at such a time!
HaMashiach, Rut reminds us that Jews from Zion, the word of Hashem from
have a responsibility to reach out to Jerusalem (Yishayahu 2:2–3).
people beyond our own community. Historically, the Torah was given in the
For most of our history, our theologi- wilderness, but Yishayahu propheti-
cal disputes with non-Jews were bitter cally maintained that Hashem’s word
and bloody. Christians believed in the will one day emanate from Israel to Rabbi Tuly Weisz is the founder of Israel365,
terribly antisemitic ‘Replacement the entire world. an organization which promotes the signifi-
Theology’, claiming that G-d rejected We are all proud that in Israel today cance of the Land of Israel through a variety
Israel and that they replaced us as the there are more yeshivot and kollelim, of innovative platforms.

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