I am thoroughly thankful and humbled by the Jerusalem outside my window
Far away, in Midwestern United States, the Three Weeks always felt somewhat theoretical, an uncomfortable but far removed, reminder of history. In Yerushalayim Ihr Hakodesh, it’s real — a vibrant, live, challenging experience. The Old City, the Kosel, and Har Habayis are part of our daily scenery, yet I feel as though I see them through a hazy, suffocating cloud. Perhaps it’s only the atmospheric conditions of the summer heat wave, but I wait for the wind to blow away the fog so the clear blue techeiles of G-d’s sky shines through once again.
During a difficult period here in Eretz Yisrael a granddaughter asked me, “Bubby, why does everyone hate us so much?” What could I say? That we carry the light of Torah which the world fights with darkness? That the Dark tries to extinguish the Light? Somehow, it seemed like too great a burden for a six-year-old to bear. I looked for a way to explain the unexplainable and said something about the Jews bringing Hashem’s Word to the world and the nations not wanting to listen. Like wayward children who don’t appreciate being disciplined by their parents. She nodded wisely. She could empathize with that.
The windows and doors in my daughter’s house are covered with artistic renditions of the Beis Hamikdash and the walls around the city of Jerusalem, executed by five-year-old hands and the more experienced and agile fingers of a nine-year-old brother. Incorporating the many midrashim these kids have learned, their artistry brings Yerushalayim (albeit sometimes slightly askew) to life.
It’s not all about destruction. One cannot help but see a city come alive, growing, glowing, full of her sons and daughters and the sounds of Torah flowing out of yeshivos, schools, and shuls after a long and indescribable exile. Where do we go from here? How do we get there? There are times when I’d like to compose a Master Plan — a sort of new Jewish Monopoly game where we could “advance straight to Go” and collect the Grand Prize in one shot —Mashiach and the Beis Hamikdash all rebuilt and ready to go.
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