HAZON TISHA B'AV 5777
OF THE WOLF AND THE LAMB
July 27, 2017
4 Av 5777
The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, the Leopard Lie down with the kid … And the lion, like the ox, shall eat straw. [Isaiah 11: 6] (This prophecy is commonly known as the lion and the lamb.)
The Haftara (prophetic selection) for this Shabbat prior to Tisha b'Av is the first chapter of Isaiah in which the prophet castigates the leaders of Jerusalem and their many followers whose practices were an abomination to God. Thus he bemoans that the once faithful city known for its righteousness and justice has lost its way. (1:21) God's anger at this prostitution of the Temple worship, the prophet thunders, will inevitably lead to disaster. This selection is thus a fitting prelude to the fast of Tisha b'Av, the day set aside to mourn the destruction of both the First and Second Temples.
Elsewhere Isaiah assures his people of the redemption that awaits them at the "end of days". Peace and tranquility will be the norm, and in the famous prophecy, cited above, he foresees a transformed natural world exemplified by the lamb lying down with the wolf. Maimonides contended that this description of an aberration of nature was but a metaphor to describe the future changed relationship between the Jewish people and the nations of the world. This greatest of teachers lived in the 12th century Muslim dominated world and Islam's triumphalism was a heavy burden for Jews.
This apt description of the Jewish condition in his day was historically replicated during in the many societies where Jews were a targeted minority. The opening reading on Tisha b'Av is Eicha (Lamentations), the biblical text that describes the suffering endured during and following the destruction of the first Temple. The day's subsequent liturgy is a collection of kinot or elegies, many of which bemoan tragic events in Jewish history during the centuries following the Temples' destruction and the dispersion of Jews into many lands.
The creation of the State of Israel was hailed as the fulfillment of the Zionist dream and of the beginning of a process that would stabilize the relationship of Jews in the Gentile world and specifically in that of Islam. Israel's unbelievably unbelievable victory of the 1948 War of Independence, were followed by its startling triumph of the Six Day War and the successful outcome of the 1973 Yom Kippur War. Thus Israel's ascendancy and independence were embraced as the fulfillment of the vision of the lamb peacefully lying with the wolf.
Yet even in this heralded best of circumstances, the lamb cannot rest secure in its seeming domination of the wolf. The struggle with the Muslim world is ongoing. Its successful propaganda campaigns maintain constant pressure to delegitimize Israel and also to deny our historic presence in Eretz Yisrael.
The Temple Mount overlooks the Western Wall. While the latter has long been a sacred Jewish space, the Mount upon which the temples stood, is even more sanctified. Islam also hallows the Mount that it calls Haram al Sharif (the Nobles sanctuary}, and its Al Aska Mosque is especially revered. Although Israel has established sovereignty over a united Jerusalem, the Temple Mount remains under Muslim control, and every Friday throngs of Muslims make the ascent to pray In Al Aksa.
The recent brutal cold blooded murder of two Israeli police officers by three terrorists horrified Israelis In rapid response the government decided to place metal detectors to monitor entry into the Mount. This decision was immediately and forcefully challenged by the Muslim leadership who condemned it as a ploy to infringe upon Muslim sovereignty over the Mount, The government, confronted as it was with violent public demonstrations and intense international pressure agreed to replace the detectors with less intrusive security devices.
The Palestinian Muslim leadership rejected this compromise, assailing it as just another Israeli maneuver not only to deny Islam's historical presence in Jerusalem, but also to further its plan to Judaize Jerusalem. This ongoing Muslim offensive has been aided by UNESCO and other UN entities that support Palestinian initiatives to register historic Jewish sites as Palestinian. The success of these ongoing challenges to our historical ties with Eretz Yisrael, together with many attempts to delegitimize Israel, sadly testify that despite Israel's remarkable development, the lamb is not lying comfortably at the wolf's side.
The mission before us as a people is to provide the necessary support to assure Israel's ongoing well being and survival. We dare not lose the faith implied in three simple words: Am Yisrael Chai, the Jewish People lives on.
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From Jerusalem, my best wishes for a Shabbat Shalom u'Mevorach – a Shabbat of peace and of blessing.
Rabbi Arnold M. Goodman
MATTOT-MASEI 5777
THE PAINTED PONIES GO UP AND DOWN
July 20, 2017
26 Tammuz 5777
These are the journeys of the Israelites who started out from Egypt … Into the charge of Moses and Aaron… Their journeys by starting points were as follows (Numbers 33:1, 2).
The Torah portion this week lists the 42 sites where our ancestors camped during the 40 year trek through the desert. The Midrash interprets this as God's summary of the desert experience and likens it to a father reviewing a trip taken with his son and recollecting events they experienced at each site.
So is it with us. Our lives are a journey that begins at our birth and unfolds during the ensuing years and decades. We are not only on the move from place to place, there are also the transitions from stage of life to stage of life. During the early days of our journey we are accompanied by parents and other family members. If we are fortunate we are joined by a spouse and then hopefully by children and grandchildren. We are also accompanied by friends, colleagues and coworkers. Life's journey may be recorded in photos and other the other memorabilia that preserve memories of days gone by.
Common to all our lives are the inevitable twists, turns and detours that take us on new and often uncharted paths. These ebbs and flows obviously impact upon our lives and the goals we have set before us. This was the experience of our ancestors during their forty years trek in the desert. Their journey was not a straight course, beginning in Egypt and ending in the Promised Land. There were sites remembered for their high moments. At Sinai there was the majestic experience of divine revelation. There was the memory of the erection and dedication of the Mishkan and the exhilaration of sensing God's presence in their human made sanctuary.
There were also the recollections of moral and spiritual failure, beginning with the worship of the Golden Calf. There were the endless complaints about the boring daily menu of manna and the ever-present shortage of water. The rebellion of Korach left a huge imprint on the community's collective memory as did God's edict that because of their lack of faith that He would lead them to Canaan, the generation that came out of Egypt would perish the desert.
In our personal lives our relationships with the people we love have their ups and downs. Inevitable disappointments and lingering anger compromise household peace and family tranquility. Fortunately, however, there are also the sweet moments of reconciliation and renewed love. Yes family life, and most of life, like the carousel's painted ponies, go up and down.
John Lennon reflected that so very often, even our most carefully devised plans go awry, impacting our hopes for success and fulfillment. "Life," he noted, "is what gets in the way after we have made other plans." The challenge then is to have the will and to summon the courage to formulate new plans that may very well come to be.
This hope is beautifully reflected in Reinhold Niebuhr's prayer, "Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change what I can, and the wisdom to know the difference". For all of us the painted ponies will go up and down, and the ultimate blessing is in overcoming the detours and to stay the course we have chosen for ourselves.
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From Jerusalem, my best wishes for a Shabbat Shalom u'Mevorach – a Shabbat of peace and of blessing.
Rabbi Arnold M. Goodman
