Page 29 - Hamizrachi #30 USA 2021 Yom Yerushalayim - Shavuot
P. 29

Rabbi Moshe Hauer
 The T RAH                                                      THE ORTHODOX UNION IS A MEMBER OF



                                                                   THE ORTHODOX ISRAEL COALITION


 of Yerushalayim






 Founded in 1898, the Orthodox
 Union (OU) serves as the voice
 of American Orthodox Jewry,   id Klal Yisrael embrace Torah or   fruits, celebrating the gift of Eretz Yisrael,   the Temple Mount. ך ְ ת ָ ל ֲ חַנ ר ַ ה ְּ ב ֹומ ֵ ע ָּ ט ִ ת ְ ו ֹומ ֵ א ִ ב ְּ ת
                      ָ
                          ָ
      ָ
 with over 400 congregations in   was it foisted upon us? Are we   the place of our destiny.  ךי ֶ דָי ּונְנֹו ּ כ 'ה  ׁש ָ ד ְּ ק ִ מ 'ה  ָּ ת ְ ל ַ ע ָּ פ ך ְּ ת ְ ב ׁ ִ ש ְ ל ןֹוכ ָ מ. If Har
 its synagogue network. As the   DG-d’s people because of our enthu-  This duality within Shavuot is specifi-  Sinai represents G-d’s word and Eretz
 umbrella organization for Amer-  siastic embrace of that mission, ע ָ מׁ ְ שִנ ְ ו הׂ ֶ ש ֲ עַנ,   cally manifest in the process we begin the   Yisrael represents our destiny, there is
 ican Orthodox Jewry, the OU   or because G-d held the mountain threat- 1  day after we celebrate leaving Egypt, the   one place that represents the blend of the
      two, and that is Yerushalayim and its Har
 is at the forefront of advocacy   eningly over our heads, תי ִ גי ִ ג ְּ כ ר ַ ה וי ָ ל ָ ע ה ָ פ ָּ כ?  mitzvah of Sefirat HaOmer. The Exodus   HaBayit. םִ ָ ל ׁ ָ שּורי ִ מ 'ה ר ַ ב ְ דּו ה ָ רֹות א ֵ צ ֵּ ת ןֹוּי ִּ צ ִ מ י ִּ כ,
 had been framed by G-d and by Moshe in
 Apparently, there is a dual nature to
 work on both state and feder-  our relationship with G-d and Torah, that   terms of two end goals, one of destiny and   the word of G-d comes forth from Yerusha-
 al levels, outreach to Jewish   includes both choice and destiny. Our   the other of mitzvah. On the one hand,   layim. This is the place that was always
 teens and young profession-  ה ָ רי ִ ח ְּ ב, our free choice, defines the extent   we were leaving Egypt to Eretz Yisrael, to   meant to serve as the center and source of
 als through NCSY, Israel Free   to which we embrace Torah in our lives,   the Land promised to our forebears,  the   Torah learning  and halachic rulings,  as
                                     9
                  8
 3
                                ְ
 Spirit Birthright, Yachad and   allowing mitzvah, Halacha, and Torah   Land flowing with milk and honey.  On the   well as the city that is ה ָ כּול ְ מ רי ִ ע ך ֶ ל ֶ מ  ׁש ּ ָ ד ְ ק ִ מ,
 4
 OU Press, among many other   ideals to guide our decisions and actions.   other, we were leaving Pharaoh’s bondage   the center and capital of the land of our
 divisions and programs.  Our destiny, on the other hand, does not   to instead serve G-d on Mount Sinai. 5  destiny.   RABBINICAL COUNCIL OF AMERICA
                                                                 הקירמאד םינברה תורדתסה
         It is this blend of Torah and destiny that
 require our consent and is defined by   Thus, the counting of the Omer, which   we bear in mind on Yom Yerushalayim, as
 ה ָ ח ָּג ְ ׁש ַ ה, by G-d’s choices guiding us towards   represents the eager anticipation of reach-  we commemorate the visible Divine hand
 our rightful place in the world and its his-  ing the goal of our liberation from Egypt,   of destiny that 54 years ago granted us the
 tory. Thus, from the outset we needed to   has two dimensions. Explicitly, we count   renewed gift of Yerushalayim. We recall the
 embrace the commandments of the Torah   from the offering of the barley on Pesach   joyful and torrential flow of Jews return-
 voluntarily, as this was representative of   to the offering of the wheat loaves, the י ֵּ ת ְ ׁש   ing to the Kotel on Shavuot 1967, and we
 the lifetime of choices we would exercise   ם ֶ ח ֶּ ל ַ ה, of Shavuot. These offerings symbolize   celebrate and embrace the renewed and   OUR PHYSICAL SAFETY
 our bond to the Promised Land and begin
 relative to their observance. Destiny how-  the season of offering Bikkurim.  Implicitly,   revitalized connection to our Torah and   Expanding security funding and provisions to
 6
 ever was foisted upon us. The Jews have an   however, we are counting towards Sinai. As   the approaching fulfilment of our destiny.  protect Jewish life at US synagogues, yeshiva day
 inescapable and critical role in the world.  the Midrash records, when we left Egypt,   schools and Jewish community centers.
 This duality between commandment   we immediately asked Moshe when we
 and destiny is found within the Torah itself,   would have the promised opportunity to   1   Shabbat 88a.  OUR JEWISH IDENTITY
 which – as Rashi notes in his opening com-  serve G-d on His mountain. When Moshe   2   Shemot 34:22; Bamidbar 28:26.  Combatting BDS (Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions)
         Shemot 6:2-8.
      3
 ment on the Torah – documents both G-d’s   responded that it would be after 50 days,   4   Shemot 3:8, 3:17.  and antisemitism with programs that empower our
 word and His deed. It includes the mitzvot,   every member of the Jewish people started   5   Shemot 3:12, 5:1.  students on college campuses across the US.
 beginning with ם ֶ כ ָ ל הֶּז ַ ה  ׁש ֶ דֹח ַ ה, while also   counting on their own towards that day.  It   6   Bikkurim 1:3.
 7
 recording the Divinely guided path of his-  is that yearning, that striving towards G-d,   7   Ran at conclusion of Pesachim; Sefer HaChinuch   OUR LAND
         no. 306.
 tory, ֹו ּ מ ַ ע ְ ל דיִּ ג ִ ה ויׂ ָ ש ֲ ע ַ מ  ַ ח ּ ֹכ, that culminates in   towards both the destiny He has charted   8   Bava Batra 21a.  Supporting continued growth of communities
 the ultimate gift of Eretz Yisrael.  for us and the word He would share with   9   Berachot 63a–b.  in Eretz Yisrael including the Golan Heights,
 And similarly, there are two aspects to   us, that we perpetuate through our own   Judea, Samaria and the Jordan Valley.
 the celebration of Shavuot. In our tefillot   counting of the Omer.
 we describe the day as ּונ ֵ ת ָ רֹו ּ ת ן ַּ ת ַ מ ן ַ מ ְז, the   It is no surprise therefore that when we   OUR PURPOSE
 time when the Torah was given to us, while   crossed the Red Sea and sang the song of   Fighting for funding to perpetuate Torah values that enables
 the Torah  refers to it as םי ִ רּו ּ כ ִּ ב ַ ה ם ֹוי, the   redemption, םָּי ַ ה ת ַ רי ִ ׁש, we sang specifically   Rabbi  Moshe  Hauer is Executive Vice   more of our children to study in gap year yeshiva/seminary
 2
 festival when we begin to offer the first   of our anticipated arrival at Har HaBayit,   President of the Orthodox Union.  programs and expands the global network of shlichim.




 28  |                                                                                                         |  29
   24   25   26   27   28   29   30   31   32   33   34