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GENERAL INTEREST

Rabbi Yuval Cherlow

The

Greatest

Loss

any of us are familiar with harmony among the peoples who This painful transformation is the
the well-known prophecy visited Yerushalayim, we know that basis for the 10th of Tevet. The day
Mthat the Torah and the word just the opposite ensued. Under the it became clear the original proph-
of G-d will come from the holy city leadership of King Nebuchadnezzar, ecy had not come true and proof that
of Yerushalayim. This is of course a the Babylonian army arrived in the the Jewish people had lost their way.
remarkable vision unique to the spiri- city with the goal of conquering it and The very essence of Jewish existence,
tual and physical capital of Judaism. In removing it from Jewish control. They predicated upon ethics and morality,
discussing the prophecy, Rav Kook asks had little interest in learning the word was no longer what defined us.
us to pay attention not only to what it of Torah or G-d but were intent only
includes but also to what it lacks. on destruction and murder. It would take many more years for us
to have the chance to regain our iden-
Specifically, if we compare the proph- This is one of the main tragedies we tity and rebuild.
ecy to what we have come to expect mark on the fast of the 10th of Tevet,
from other religions, we see there is because it was the point when this So while we have been blessed to
no call to action that requires us to remarkable prophecy was proven rebuild and in many ways restore this
defend Yerushalayim or to enforce its false. critical aspect of our national identity,
holiness upon others. history demands that we remind our-
Why though? What did the Jewish selves of how we strayed in the past.
The dream we foresaw for Yerusha- people do to deserve their prophecy For while our history is defined by so
layim was that all peoples of faith of peace becoming one of hatred and many tragedies and destructions, the
would naturally recognize the city’s persecution? greatest loss we have ever been forced
sanctity and respect it as such. There to endure is the loss of the correct
would always be a global thirst for the As with so many times in Jewish spiritual path.
holiness and the messages to emerge history, the answer lies in what we
from the city. For generations, this as a people did with the gifts G-d
prophecy would hold true and the bestowed upon us. A city slated to be
hope was that the city would remain a one of justice, morality, charity and
place of peace attracting and welcom- respect, had strayed so far from those
ing others into its gates. And indeed, ideals.
over hundreds of years, Yerushalayim
welcomed peoples of many faiths and And once the city had abandoned its
backgrounds. identity as a city of justice, it was no Rabbi Yuval Cherlow is a Rosh Yeshiva
longer a place where the pain of the and a founding member of an organization
However, while the prophecy cer- impoverished was prioritized. Crime devoted to bridging the religious-secular
tainly intended a vision of peace and and evil prevailed. divide in Israel.

54 | The Jewish way is to rescue hope from tragedy.
RABBI SACKS