B"H
Thursday, Tammuz 24, 5780 / July 16, 2020
There are three weeks between the fast of the 17th of Tammuz and the fast of the 9th of Av. These are days of mourning in which we remember the destruction of Jerusalem and the Holy Temples. We are now one week into the Three Week period. During these three weeks we intensify in our prayers for the coming of Moshiach and the rebuilding of the Beth Hamikdash (Holy Temple). We study about the Temple and Moshiach and are more generous in giving charity and performing acts of kindness.
This is in keeping with the words of the prophets that the redemption of the Jewish people from exile, through Moshiach, will come about in the merit of the mitzvah of Tzedakah-charity.
* The Beth Hamikdash was built on the mountain where G-d told Abraham to bring his son Isaac as a sacrifice.
* During the holidays of Pesach, Shavuot, and Sukkot, Jews came from all over Israel to the Beth Hamikdash, filling it to capacity. Although they were crammed together standing, a miracle occurred when they had to bow during the prayer. Each person had ample room to bow and prostrate on the floor of the Temple!
* The Torah prohibits the use of metal tools to cut the stones of the Beth Hamikdash. When King Solomon built the Beth Hamikdash he used a special worm called Shamir to cut the rocks.
* The following miracles occurred in the Beth Hamikdash. Although sacrifices were being offered constantly, there was never a fly visible in the Temple where the meats were handled. Also, the meat of the sacrifices never became spoiled even on the hottest days.
* There was always a perfect vertical column of smoke from the altar which miraculously was not affected by the wind. Many more miracles occurred daily in the Beth Hamikdash.
Rabbi Yehoshua ben Chananya lived after the destruction of the Second Temple. At one point, the Roman Emperor gave Jews permission to rebuild the Beth Hamikdash. The people rejoiced, but their happiness was short lived. A short time later, the Emperor withdrew his offer under the influence of the Samaritans. The Jews were extremely disappointed. The Rabbis feared that the people would revolt against the Romans which would have been catastrophic. They called on Rabbi Yehoshua ben Chananya to speak to the people.
Rabbi Yehoshua told them the following parable: "A lion once got a bone stuck in his throat. He made an announcement that whoever would remove the bone would be handsomely rewarded. A stork came along, stuck its long beak into the lion’s mouth and extracted the bone. Upon claiming the promised reward, the lion said to the stork, "You have already received your reward! You're the only one that can now boast that you had your head in a lion's mouth and came out alive!"
"The same is with us," said Rabbi Yehoshua. "Under the circumstances we are like the stork in the lion's mouth. We should just be happy that we are alive."
I was thinking of this story as we are all struggling with the effects and restrictions of the pandemic. Being alive is something to be very grateful for.
HAVE A VERY GOOD, HAPPY, HEALTHY AND SUCCESSFUL DAY