Blog

By: Ben Kreshtool, Ritual Director 

I have had the good fortune to visit the State of Israel several times. One of those times, I drove to Jerusalem in the early morning just as the sun's illuminating rays began to paint the sky with beautiful shades of pink and purple. As dawn broke, I stood on a hill overlooking the Old City of Jerusalem. Seeing the Holy City bathed in the pastel colors of sunrise made it as if I was seeing Jerusalem for the first time. 

I recalled the closing lines of a beloved poem Tzion Ha-Lo Tishali (“Won't You Ask After, O Zion”), by master poet Yehuda Ha-Levi: “Happy is he who awaits, who arrives, and who sees the ascent of Your light when Your dawn breaks upon him, who sees the good of Your chosen, who exults in your joy as you return to the days of your youth!” 

Jerusalem holds a special place in my heart. It is the center of my world both spiritually and physically. There are many beautiful pieces relating to or depicting Jerusalem in Beth El's collection of ritual art. Yet none is more appropriate to talk about than a small sculpture sitting obscurely in a display case in our front lobby. The bronze plaque rests on a base of Jerusalem stone and features a scene from the Kotel, the Western Wall. Etched into the bronze are Hebrew letters reading Baruch Hashem (thank God).

Most notably, Salvador Dali designed this very sculpture in honor of Jerusalem's 3000th birthday. 

I often think of the Kotel as we approach Tisha B'Av, the day when Jews mourn the destruction of both Temples. People have many different reactions when they see the Western Wall for the first time. The first time I saw the Kotel, I was a young man who just recently had his Bar Mitzvah, and was visiting Israel with my family. When we arrived at the plaza, I could not help but run ahead to touch the wall with my own hands much like the people Dali depicted in this sculpture. The experience was electrifying; I felt connected to our ancestors and our past. Ever since that day, the feeling of grazing those stone is etched on my heart.

Now that I am older, the Kotel still holds magic for me, and yet I see it differently than from when I was a boy. Now, the wall represents the last tangible piece of history from a time when the Jewish people were united as one. While I mourn the loss of the Temple on Tisha B'Av - and I do so sincerely - I also mourn the loss of the unity of our people. The Jewish world is fractured as the Chief Rabbinate in Israel is doing more harm to Jewish unity than good. Jewish communities around the globe often forget that we read the same words of the same Torah. We recite the same prayers and hold the same things sacred, yet some communities do not recognize the Jewishness of others. 

Our Sages teach us that the Temple was destroyed because of Sinat Chinam, baseless hatred. The cracks in the ancient stones run deep, but the cracks in our communities can be mended with Ahavat Chinam, unconditional love. Only with unconditional love will we be able to usher in the Messianic era. Jerusalem is more than just a city. It is a city whose stones have been carved by centuries of tears. It is the place where the literal foundation stone of the world is located, and it is the place where Avraham showed the ultimate loyalty to God. Let us continue to pray for her and for the reunification of our people.

Tisha B'Av Services will be held in the Gorn Chapel on Saturday evening, July 21st at 8:15pm. We will read from the book of Eicha/Lamentations and hear kinnot, elegies traditionally recited on Tisha B'Av. We hope that you will join us for this moving service.