I'm kind of like a "black hat" Jew on that one. Let's wait until it descends from the heavens. And let's wait until a voice from heaven says "start up the animal sacrifice."
Your тАЬnext year in JerusalemтАЭ riff is almost a word-for-word echo of what I say at the end of every Passover seder IтАЩve attended over the past 35 years: тАЬFor almost 2,000 years, our mantra of тАШnext yearтАЩ was nothing more than a wish because we didnтАЩt have the ability to return. But now we do, yet we still say тАШnext yearтАЩ as if something is still standing in our way. Why are we saying something we clearly do not believe?тАЭ
At this point, you would say: тАЬPack up and go!тАЭ But I experience this tension and ask myself: What exactly is going on? Why are roughly half of my Tribe in the land and half are still outside of it? WhatтАЩs G*d telling us right now?
You write: тАЬThe Jews at Mount Sinai heard the words of the Almighty directly. Bill Berg did not.тАЭ ThatтАЩs because the Jews at Mt Sinai had only three choices: Conquer the land OR go back to slavery in Egypt OR die in the desert. Bill Berg has another choice: He can litigate complex commercial real estate deals in Atlanta. You might think thatтАЩs the equivalent of Mitzrayim, but Bill doesnтАЩt and neither do I. (That said, rooting for the Braves does seem like a form of slavery to me тАФ all that tomahawking тАФ but I acknowledge this is a subjective judgment.)
You write about DefCon3 and how your initial reaction was to scream at diaspora Jews: Get out now! Then you calmed downтАж but then, you write, Oct 7 happened. And then the aftermath. WhatтАЩs the logical conclusion to this mess? That Jews in Israel remain vulnerable to the very danger that Israel was supposed to eliminate AND that diaspora Jews remain vulnerable to the very danger that Israel was supposed to eliminate. In the United States, ignorant college kids rally for Hamas and Jews get beaten up here and there; in Israel, 1200 Jews are slaughtered and everyone lives on edge, always ready to run to a bomb shelter or for the next war. Seems clear to me which situation is more dangerous.
All that said, IтАЩm not blind to the looming danger here. The situation could get bad, and fast.
You write: тАЬAre you yourself not thinking: "What will I do if it gets worse?" тАж WouldnтАЩt it be prudent to start thinking about a Plan B?тАЭ
My Plan B is Israel (I think). But to repeat what I said at the top: WhatтАЩs Plan A? WhatтАЩs the Story weтАЩre in the middle of right now? How has the Plot changed in the past 75 years, and how should we as Jews play our role in it?
I look to Moses: He remained outside the land, but fully realized that someone must conquer it. And thatтАЩs precisely where we are: YouтАЩre in the land, and I am not.
You challenge me: тАЬthe burden is upon you to posit an alternate story, as you yourself have been telling us.тАЭ
HereтАЩs my Story, radically abridged: the G*d of Israel, the G*d of History, needs a people to represent him in history. Enter Abraham and his extended family. (The monotheistic torch was available to whomever chose to pick it up and run with it, and Abe did.) тАж The G*d of Israel also needs some benchmark to prove that He is The One. If the people of Israel survive, then the G*d of Israel is still in the game and his Name is still in the mix; but if His people disappear, then His voice from Sinai will fade away along with any Earthly hope for redemption.
But He adds an extra historic benchmark that will make it obvious to the nations of the world that He is the one true G*d: The promised land. The moment when His people enter the land and settle there, His promise is fulfilled. When the Israeli flag goes up in 1948, G*d says: тАЬNice job, guys. Really well done. It was a long road back, and you went through hell to get here, but you did it. And the great thing is: Everyone else can see it happen. The establishment of the Third Jewish Commonwealth is a sign to all with eyes that can see and ears that can hear that Hope is not a mirage, that human history has a point and a purpose, and that one day the world will be One and My name will be One. Gotta admit, tho: This fact that IтАЩm still a Presence is driving people absolutely nuts! LOL.тАЭ
Shorter version: The proof that the G*d of Israel exists is that the people, the nation, and the land of Israel are still in the chat. We havenтАЩt gone away because we never abandoned G*dтАж and He never gave up on us.
That, I think, it why Christian Zionism is such a potent force. They see our Story as an affirmation of their Story. тАж. BTW: It was a Christian Zionist who made me a believing Jew. I tell the story here: https://outofbabel.substack.com/p/welcoming-the-stranger
When I asked you about the Third Temple, you wrote: I'm kind of like a "black hat" Jew on that one. Let's wait until it descends from the heavens. And let's wait until a voice from heaven says "start up the animal sacrifice.тАЭ
Applying your logic re: тАЬnext year in JerusalemтАЭ тАФ weтАЩve already heard a voice from heaven tell us тАЬto start up the animal sacrifice.тАЭ He said it once and doesnтАЩt care to repeat Himself. You, the Black Hatted one, refusing to break ground on the Third Temple makes you sound like the Orthodox Jews who rejected the Zionist project because they were waiting for a signal from G*d; only the Messiah could lead us home. SoтАж donтАЩt be like those anti-Zionist Jews; be like Jabotinsky & Ben Grunion and Build That Temple! :-)
I kid, of course. Such a project would require razing the Dome of the Rock and Al-Aqsa Mosque, which would aggravate the neighbors. All hell would break loose. And so you and I stand at the base of The Wall, staring up at the Golden Dome, wondering: What now?
WhatтАЩs yours? тАЬAll diaspora Jews return to ZionтАжтАЭ and then what?
HereтАЩs an idea: What if the Orthodox rabbinate in Israel declares that all of us diaspora Jews are heretics. They reclassify us as non-Jews. Membership in the Club is immediately cut in half. The best part: All the Jews have already come home! ThereтАЩs no one out here holding up The Show. The Ingathering is finally complete! Now what?
I donтАЩt believe that whatтАЩs really needed is that all the Jews return to Zion. I think most of the pieces are already in place for a big spiritual breakthrough without another 7 million Jews assembling in the Promised LandтАж and without building the Third Temple.
The way I read this Story, G*d is just sitting there, waiting for us to turn back to Him. WeтАЩll exhaust every possible alternative, of course, but weтАЩll get thereтАж eventually. I hope.
The beauty of this last comment of yours is that it allows me easily confer upon it the right of being the last say in the discussion. Meaning, I think that we could leave this to sit just as it is and both sides will have received a fair hearing. But noтАжweтАЩre not going to settle for that, are we? Let me think about what you have written here. IтАЩll get back to it as soon as I can.
No pressure and no rush. As I think you wrote to me some time ago: "One of us is right and one of us is wrong, and soon enough history will give us the answer."
If you are not familiar with the book TEMPLE by Robert Cornuke you may find it interesting. Long story short тАФ the Temple Mount may actually be the location of the Roman fortress of Antonia during the Roman occupation of Jerusalem. Not the location of the second temple. The information that has been compiled is compelling.
It may not be necessary to build on the Temple Mount to build the third temple where it belongs. There is a lot of excavation under way. The authorities are, I believe, keeping informed.
For me тАФ both fascinating and exciting.
The exchanges between you and Ehud are very enlightening. Thank you for making such personal communication available to us.
Thank you, TMC, for your messageтАж and for reading my chat with Ehud. I always learn something new from him. Re: the site of the Temple тАФ interesting but IтАЩm not sure it would change my reading of history. WeтАЩve had two different temples, and each one has been destroyed. ShouldnтАЩt we be getting the message by now?
So much to say in response, but first, a question: Should we rebuild the Third Temple where the Second Temple once stood?
I'm kind of like a "black hat" Jew on that one. Let's wait until it descends from the heavens. And let's wait until a voice from heaven says "start up the animal sacrifice."
Plan B?? IтАЩm still talking about Plan A! :-)
A few thoughtsтАж
Your тАЬnext year in JerusalemтАЭ riff is almost a word-for-word echo of what I say at the end of every Passover seder IтАЩve attended over the past 35 years: тАЬFor almost 2,000 years, our mantra of тАШnext yearтАЩ was nothing more than a wish because we didnтАЩt have the ability to return. But now we do, yet we still say тАШnext yearтАЩ as if something is still standing in our way. Why are we saying something we clearly do not believe?тАЭ
At this point, you would say: тАЬPack up and go!тАЭ But I experience this tension and ask myself: What exactly is going on? Why are roughly half of my Tribe in the land and half are still outside of it? WhatтАЩs G*d telling us right now?
You write: тАЬThe Jews at Mount Sinai heard the words of the Almighty directly. Bill Berg did not.тАЭ ThatтАЩs because the Jews at Mt Sinai had only three choices: Conquer the land OR go back to slavery in Egypt OR die in the desert. Bill Berg has another choice: He can litigate complex commercial real estate deals in Atlanta. You might think thatтАЩs the equivalent of Mitzrayim, but Bill doesnтАЩt and neither do I. (That said, rooting for the Braves does seem like a form of slavery to me тАФ all that tomahawking тАФ but I acknowledge this is a subjective judgment.)
You write about DefCon3 and how your initial reaction was to scream at diaspora Jews: Get out now! Then you calmed downтАж but then, you write, Oct 7 happened. And then the aftermath. WhatтАЩs the logical conclusion to this mess? That Jews in Israel remain vulnerable to the very danger that Israel was supposed to eliminate AND that diaspora Jews remain vulnerable to the very danger that Israel was supposed to eliminate. In the United States, ignorant college kids rally for Hamas and Jews get beaten up here and there; in Israel, 1200 Jews are slaughtered and everyone lives on edge, always ready to run to a bomb shelter or for the next war. Seems clear to me which situation is more dangerous.
All that said, IтАЩm not blind to the looming danger here. The situation could get bad, and fast.
You write: тАЬAre you yourself not thinking: "What will I do if it gets worse?" тАж WouldnтАЩt it be prudent to start thinking about a Plan B?тАЭ
My Plan B is Israel (I think). But to repeat what I said at the top: WhatтАЩs Plan A? WhatтАЩs the Story weтАЩre in the middle of right now? How has the Plot changed in the past 75 years, and how should we as Jews play our role in it?
I look to Moses: He remained outside the land, but fully realized that someone must conquer it. And thatтАЩs precisely where we are: YouтАЩre in the land, and I am not.
You challenge me: тАЬthe burden is upon you to posit an alternate story, as you yourself have been telling us.тАЭ
HereтАЩs my Story, radically abridged: the G*d of Israel, the G*d of History, needs a people to represent him in history. Enter Abraham and his extended family. (The monotheistic torch was available to whomever chose to pick it up and run with it, and Abe did.) тАж The G*d of Israel also needs some benchmark to prove that He is The One. If the people of Israel survive, then the G*d of Israel is still in the game and his Name is still in the mix; but if His people disappear, then His voice from Sinai will fade away along with any Earthly hope for redemption.
But He adds an extra historic benchmark that will make it obvious to the nations of the world that He is the one true G*d: The promised land. The moment when His people enter the land and settle there, His promise is fulfilled. When the Israeli flag goes up in 1948, G*d says: тАЬNice job, guys. Really well done. It was a long road back, and you went through hell to get here, but you did it. And the great thing is: Everyone else can see it happen. The establishment of the Third Jewish Commonwealth is a sign to all with eyes that can see and ears that can hear that Hope is not a mirage, that human history has a point and a purpose, and that one day the world will be One and My name will be One. Gotta admit, tho: This fact that IтАЩm still a Presence is driving people absolutely nuts! LOL.тАЭ
Shorter version: The proof that the G*d of Israel exists is that the people, the nation, and the land of Israel are still in the chat. We havenтАЩt gone away because we never abandoned G*dтАж and He never gave up on us.
That, I think, it why Christian Zionism is such a potent force. They see our Story as an affirmation of their Story. тАж. BTW: It was a Christian Zionist who made me a believing Jew. I tell the story here: https://outofbabel.substack.com/p/welcoming-the-stranger
When I asked you about the Third Temple, you wrote: I'm kind of like a "black hat" Jew on that one. Let's wait until it descends from the heavens. And let's wait until a voice from heaven says "start up the animal sacrifice.тАЭ
Applying your logic re: тАЬnext year in JerusalemтАЭ тАФ weтАЩve already heard a voice from heaven tell us тАЬto start up the animal sacrifice.тАЭ He said it once and doesnтАЩt care to repeat Himself. You, the Black Hatted one, refusing to break ground on the Third Temple makes you sound like the Orthodox Jews who rejected the Zionist project because they were waiting for a signal from G*d; only the Messiah could lead us home. SoтАж donтАЩt be like those anti-Zionist Jews; be like Jabotinsky & Ben Grunion and Build That Temple! :-)
I kid, of course. Such a project would require razing the Dome of the Rock and Al-Aqsa Mosque, which would aggravate the neighbors. All hell would break loose. And so you and I stand at the base of The Wall, staring up at the Golden Dome, wondering: What now?
And I voice from the heavens says: Go talk to your brother Ishmael. https://outofbabel.substack.com/p/freud-was-wrong
ThatтАЩs my Story.
WhatтАЩs yours? тАЬAll diaspora Jews return to ZionтАжтАЭ and then what?
HereтАЩs an idea: What if the Orthodox rabbinate in Israel declares that all of us diaspora Jews are heretics. They reclassify us as non-Jews. Membership in the Club is immediately cut in half. The best part: All the Jews have already come home! ThereтАЩs no one out here holding up The Show. The Ingathering is finally complete! Now what?
I donтАЩt believe that whatтАЩs really needed is that all the Jews return to Zion. I think most of the pieces are already in place for a big spiritual breakthrough without another 7 million Jews assembling in the Promised LandтАж and without building the Third Temple.
The way I read this Story, G*d is just sitting there, waiting for us to turn back to Him. WeтАЩll exhaust every possible alternative, of course, but weтАЩll get thereтАж eventually. I hope.
The beauty of this last comment of yours is that it allows me easily confer upon it the right of being the last say in the discussion. Meaning, I think that we could leave this to sit just as it is and both sides will have received a fair hearing. But noтАжweтАЩre not going to settle for that, are we? Let me think about what you have written here. IтАЩll get back to it as soon as I can.
No pressure and no rush. As I think you wrote to me some time ago: "One of us is right and one of us is wrong, and soon enough history will give us the answer."
If you are not familiar with the book TEMPLE by Robert Cornuke you may find it interesting. Long story short тАФ the Temple Mount may actually be the location of the Roman fortress of Antonia during the Roman occupation of Jerusalem. Not the location of the second temple. The information that has been compiled is compelling.
It may not be necessary to build on the Temple Mount to build the third temple where it belongs. There is a lot of excavation under way. The authorities are, I believe, keeping informed.
For me тАФ both fascinating and exciting.
The exchanges between you and Ehud are very enlightening. Thank you for making such personal communication available to us.
Thank you, TMC, for your messageтАж and for reading my chat with Ehud. I always learn something new from him. Re: the site of the Temple тАФ interesting but IтАЩm not sure it would change my reading of history. WeтАЩve had two different temples, and each one has been destroyed. ShouldnтАЩt we be getting the message by now?