Page 11 - HaMizrachi # 21 Tisha B'Av 2020 USA

MIZRACHI SHLICHIM TORAT MIZRACHI

begins to emerge. We are not per- money. At this time of year, we we gave over our possessions to the
fect. Even the Torah, which is the yearn for the most when it comes to desert bandits. During Operation
essence of perfection, ends with joy, inner peace, spirituality, Torah Moses, my family and I continued
congratulations for breaking the and sanctity.” on foot, despite our hunger and
tablets upon which it was written. thirst, happy in the knowledge that
And had they not been broken, the The following is one of the after so many generations we had
magnificent Oral Torah would never most meaningful messages we the merit to stand at the gates of the
have come to be. Only after we are 3have received via WhatsApp, Holy Temple, G-d’s chosen site.
reminded of and see the importance and we would like to share it with
of what is broken can we experience you: We reached Jerusalem.
a new beginning once again.” “This is Michal Avera-Samuel, age 2,000 years after the event, we

Seeing the pain and looking it 42. I am the Executive Director of found out the Temple had been
in the eyes – this is what needs Fidel, the Association for the Edu- destroyed. To this day, I am unable
2to be done now, even though cation and Social Integration of to fill the huge emptiness in my life.
it is much easier to repress it. The Ethiopian Jews in Israel. Until I was I remember when my father saw
following, written by Rabbi Erez nine years old, I lived in a world in Jews driving their cars in Jerusalem
Moshe Doron, sums up the whole which the Temple was standing. on Shabbat. I could actually ‘hear’
story: Like my parents and all my teach- his desolation.

“Usually, we seek distraction, con- ers, I grew up with the belief that The years have passed, I have grown
solation. But on Tisha B’Av we are following the destruction of the older and I understood that I had
called upon to notice the sorrow, First Temple, the Second Temple actually gained from the experience.
the imperfect reality. was still standing in Jerusalem. We I was privileged to grow up with a
believed that the city was made Temple that was standing. When
Not to escape from it, not to do of gold, in the literal sense of the I formed my personality, I had the
everything in our power just not meaning. I heard stories of the honor of having the goal of being
to hurt, as in the pleasure-seek- priests practicing their duties in the worthy of the Temple. My parents
ing culture of the West. Yes, there Temple, my bedtime stories were lived to a ripe old age and their
is bad in the world, there is bit- about the holiness of Jerusalem and aim in life was to be pure enough
terness. And we do not only seek I prayed to have the merit to return for Jerusalem. It was I, as opposed
consolation, temporary relief, but to Jerusalem, the spiritual center of to generations of Jews since the
rather a full redemption, corrected, the world. destruction of the Temple, who
a perfect reality. This is the time of merited growing up differently.
year in which we are called upon to Belief in Jerusalem was the key
fight for the world, to fight for the component of our education in I and those who were brought up
situation of Am Yisrael, which is Ethiopia, for both children and like me can honestly feel the pain
supposed to be totally different. It adults. of the destruction. We fully under-
is not for naught that in the Jewish stand how the loss of the Temple
sources it is said that when one goes The absolute truth was passed affects our lives.”
up to the Heavenly Court, one is down from generation to gener-
asked: ‘Were you expecting salva- ation that we were obliged to be
tion?’ That is, did you really want a pure in heart and practice so that
change? Did you believe it was pos- we would one day be worthy of
sible to correct reality? Did you try coming to the Temple. This gave us
to improve things? Were you hurt- the strength to survive the treach-
ing because of the situation? erous trek through the desert.
We dreamed of Jerusalem as we Sivan Rahav Meir and Yedidya Meir are
We tend to yearn for the most only buried our family and friends who popular Israeli media personalities and
when it comes to property and did not survive the journey and as World Mizrachi’s shlichim to North America

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