Chag Sameach - Happy Holiday!Nisan 20, 5784/April 28, 2024 Today is Five Days of the Omer The seventh day following Israel's midnight exodus from Egypt found the newborn nation stuck between a rock and a hard place, or more precisely, between a hotly pursuing Egyptian army behind them, and an impassable Sea of Reeds -Yam Suf - before them. It was faith in HaShem that gave the Hebrew slaves the courage to slaughter their Passover lambs, dab the blood of their offerings on their doorposts and perform the first Passover Seder in history, but now what? Has it all been for naught? Is this how it's going to end even before it has truly begun? Israel was frightened and confused, and in their confusion they became divided. Midrash tells us that four schools of thought quickly formed. One school said let's raise our hands and surrender and allow ourselves to be brought back to slavery. After all, enslavement is better than certain death. One school said let us raise arms and fight! Even though the odds are overwhelmingly against us, we will at least go down with dignity. Another school said let us run into the sea - better to take our own lives than to be slaughtered by the Egyptians. And a fourth school said let us pray to HaShem for salvation. One thing everyone agreed on was desperation, which could be heard in their cry to Moshe: "Is it because there are no graves in Egypt that you have taken us to die in the desert? What is this that you have done to us to take us out of Egypt?" (Exodus 14:11) No one expected to see tomorrow. Moshe responded, attempting to strengthen the people and give them hope: "Don't be afraid! Stand firm and see HaShem's salvation that He will wreak for you today, for the way you have seen the Egyptians is only today, but you shall no longer continue to see them for eternity. HaShem will fight for you, but you shall remain silent." (ibid 14:13-14) Everyone seemed to know what awaited them, but no one had a plan. And then HaShem spoke: "Why do you cry out to Me? Speak to the children of Israel and let them travel. And you raise your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea and split it, and the children of Israel shall come in the midst of the sea on dry land." (ibid 14:15-16) Again, according to Midrash, one man, Nachshon, from the tribe of Yehudah, heard and understood G-d's words. He alone plunged into the sea and when the waters reached his nostrils and his life seemed all but ended, it happened! The Sea of Reeds split and Israel marched to safety and freedom on dry land. The Egyptian army, pursuing in full force was drowned by the rush of the returning waters. What vital lessons did Israel learn that day? Never despair. Never lose faith in HaShem. Never stand still. Prayer is an essential channel through which we communicate with HaShem, but prayer can never replace action. As individuals and as a nation we must always be active, on the move, pressing on ahead. We are G-d's children, we are G-d's servants, but we are also G-d's partners. When Nachshon stepped into the sea he wasn't just calling upon his fellow Israelites to follow, he was also calling upon G-d to lead the way. When G-d witnesses our faith and our determination, He will divide waters, flatten mountains, divert rivers, in short do anything and everything necessary to guarantee that we will indeed see tomorrow and that tomorrow will be brighter and better than today. The Sea of Reeds was the first, but surely not the last great challenge faced by Israel. Today Israel faces challenges perhaps even greater than that faced by our forefathers at the Sea of Reeds. Today, not one nation but the entire world seems to be pursuing Israel, seeking her demise. Today the desire is not to enslave Israel but to annihilate her. Today it is not the sea that stands before Israel blocking the way forward, but a constant stream of diplomatic and military stumbling blocks being constantly thrown our way. But two things have only grown stronger since that fearful day at the Sea: Israel's faith in HaShem and our determination to act, to move forward, to leap into the sea, or the minefield, or tunnel-filled Gaza, or missile rich Hezbollah or the nuclear facilities of the evil Iranian puppet masters, in order to do what needs to be done and to know that HaShem, just as He divided the Sea of Reeds, will clear a path to our success and to our future. Now is the time for all Israel, and for all who love and support Israel and the G-d of Israel to stand with Israel and to keep your ears and eyes open to witness the signs and wonders that are accompanying Israel every step of the way as Israel moves forward to a better tomorrow for Israel and for all the world. Courage and conviction and faith in HaShem keep us moving on the path. We are taught in the Passover Haggadah to see ourselves, and not just our ancestors, as having been redeemed from Egypt, and it has never felt more real than today. "But the children of Israel went on dry land in the midst of the sea, and the water was to them like a wall from their right and from their left. On that day HaShem saved Israel from the hands of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dying on the seashore. And Israel saw the great hand, which HaShem had used upon the Egyptians, and the people feared HaShem, and they believed in HaShem and in Moshe, His servant." (ibid 14:29:31) Tonight, Chag Shevi'i shel Pesach - the Seventh Day of Passover - we will relive and celebrate that moment. And tomorrow we will rejoice on safe and certain shores, basking in the loving embrace of HaShem. Chag Sameach - Happy Holiday! . |
Passover in the Holy Temple! Discover how Passover was celebrated in the Holy Temple through the eyes of Shlomo ben Ezra, a young Galilean boy who accompanies his family on the pilgrimage to Jerusalem for the festival of Passover! Beautifully illustrated and chock full of information! |
The Heart of the Temple Institute! The Temple Institute is dedicated to doing everything in our power to help make HaShem's dream come true in our day. Join us as we work together to make for HaShem "a house of prayer for all nations!" Donate generously to the Temple Institute |
Tune in to (last) week's Temple Talk, as Yitzchak Reuven talks about Saturday night's Iranian missile attack & the outstretched arm of HaShem, and how in every generation... and the duties of a kohen! Early Sunday morning Israel repelled, with the help of HaShem an aerial bombardment by Iran consisting of more than 350 cruise missiles, ballistic missiles and suicide drones. What will Israel's response be? Parashat Metzora is one of the most difficult sections of Torah for us moderns to wrap our minds around, and Passover, the Festival of Freedom is just around the corner! |
Help To Build The Holy Temple In Our Time! Donate Generously To Help The Sacred Work Of The Temple Institute! Every contribution helps to rebuild the Holy Temple in our Time! |
Passover & Time Time. What is it? It is steady, but elusive; we know it's there but cannot see it or touch it. We know it's coming our way but it still manages to sneak up on us. Eating matzah on Passover, and the reason behind the tradition, confronts the mystery of time head on. On Shabbat Chol HaMoed Pesach we read the following:
Exodus 33:12 - 34:26; Numbers 28:19-25
Nisan 19, 5784/April 27, 2024 |
Haftarah For Shabbat Chol HaMoed Pesach Ezekiel 37:1-14: "The hand of HaShem came upon me, and carried me out in the spirit of HaShem, and set me down in the midst of the valley, and that was full of bones. And He made me pass by them round about, and lo! they were exceedingly many on the surface of the valley, and lo! they were exceedingly dry. Then He said to me; "Son of man, can these bones become alive?" And I answered, "O HaShem G-d, You alone know...'' |
Sefirat Ha'omer: Today Is Five Days Of The Omer Counting the Omer "Blessed are You, HaShem our G-d, King of the universe, Who sanctifies us with His commandments, and commanded us to count the Omer." 20_Nisan: Today is Five Days of the Omer. (Hod within Chesed_) |
Temple Institute Founder, Yisrael Ariel, On The Temple Mount! Rabbi Yisrael Ariel, the founder and head of the Temple Institute, ascended the Temple Mount today, where he recalled his participation as a paratrooper fifty seven years ago in the liberation of the Temple Mount and the miracles that occurred in those days. He went on to mention the Iranian missiles that just two weeks ago passed harmlessly over the Temple Mount, and the miracles that occurred that night. |
Moving: Levite Choir Sings For The Hostages' Release Temple Institute's Levite Choir performed for the thousands of visitors to Jerusalem's Old City. A concert by the Temple Institute's Levite Choir was held on Thursday in the Hurva Square in Jerusalem's Old City for the release of the hostages. |
Chol Hamo'ed Passover On The Temple Mount! Jewish Passover pilgrims have taken to the Mount this week: as of early afternoon today 2,125 Jews have celebrated the Festival of Freedom where it is most meant to be celebrated - on the Temple Mount, the place of the Holy Temple. Today alone, despite temperatures reaching 34 degrees Celsius (94 Fahrenheit) in Jerusalem, more than 1,000 Jews ascended the Temple Mount in purity. |
Birkat Kohanim -The Priestly Blessing
The annual public Birkat Kohanim - Priestly Blessing - took place today at the Western Wall Plaza, below the Temple Mount. The ancient priestly blessing is said every day in synagogues all throughout the year in Israel, and a modern tradition has developed wherein on the intermediate days of the Sukkot and Passover holidays the public is invited to attend the morning festival prayers at the Western Wall, where hundreds of kohanim, descendants of Aharon, Israel's first Kohen Gadol, (High Priest) bless the assembly. |
The Omer Offering (The Barley Harvest)
The Omer offering took place each year on the 16th of Nisan, that is, the day following the first day of Passover. The barley was harvested during the night of the 16th and offered up by the kohanim the following day. The Omer offering marks the first day of the forty nine days of Sefirat HaOmer (the counting of the Omer). "And HaShem spoke to Moshe, saying, Speak to the children of Israel and say to them: When you come to the land which I am giving you, and you reap its harvest, you shall bring to the kohen an omer of the beginning of your reaping. And he shall wave the omer before HaShem so that it will be acceptable for you..." |
"Morid Hatal - Who Causes The Dew To Come Down" On Passover morning, following the Seder night, preceding the Musaf (additional holiday offerings) prayer, special prayers are said in synagogue for the blessing of dew in the summer months. Throughout the winter we prayed for rain, but now the rainy season has ended in Israel and we continue to add the prayer for dew in the thrice daily Amidah prayer all throughout the summer months, ending only on the holiday of Shemini Atzeret, the eighth day festival which follows immediately after Sukkot, when we again begin to pray for rain. Thankfully, praise be to HaShem, Israel experienced abundant rains this winter. |
Mikdash Monday - Pesach (Part 4) "And Moses said to the people, 'Remember this day, on which you went free from Egypt, the house of bondage, how Hashem freed you from it with a mighty hand: no leavened bread shall be eaten.'" (Shemot 13:3) |
"The Angel Of Hashem... With A Drawn Sword In His Hand, Extended Over Jerusalem!" Last night Israel received a timely reminder from Iran, our generation's Amalek: In the book of I Chronicles we read of that fantastic occurrences that led to the building of the first Holy Temple by King Solomon. These were troubled times for Israel as HaShem was displeased with King David, but the troubled times ultimately led to the building of the Holy Temple, the House of the G-d of Israel. |
Shavua Tov & Chag Sameach From The Temple Mount! Tonight begins the seventh and final day of Passover, the day that Israel crossed the Sea of Reeds while the pursuing Egyptian army drowned in the returning waters. |
Build a House for HaShem! "Be strong and have courage! Build a House for HaShem!" In this scene from a film soon to become an integral part of the Temple Institute's Jerusalem based Visitors Center experience, the prophet Samuel charges King David with the task of building the Holy Temple! |
The Glory of this Last House Shall be Greater than the First! "The Glory of this Last House Shall be Greater than the First!" In this scene from a film soon to become an integral part of the Temple Institute's Jerusalem based Visitors Center experience, Zerubavel from the house of David and Kohen Gadol (High Priest) Yehoshua consult with the prophet Haggai who instructs them to waste no time in rebuilding the Holy Temple! |
Red Heifers Arrive In Israel! On Thursday, September 15, 2022, 5 PM, 5 perfect, unblemished red heifers arrived in Israel from the USA. A modest ceremony was held at the unloading bay of the cargo terminal at Ben Gurion airport, where the new arrivals were greeted and speeches were made by the incredible people who have put their hearts and souls and means into making this historic/prophetic day become a reality. |
Biblical Red Heifer Could Bring Million Visitors To Samaria The Ancient Shiloh heritage site will soon host a Red Heifer research center. Hundreds of visitors flocked to Shiloh in Samaria’s Binyamin region on Thursday to welcome a biblically pure red heifer. The 22-month-old cow, which was brought to Israel from the United States, found a new home at the Ancient Shiloh heritage site, where the biblical Tabernacle once stood. |
Chag Sameach from the holy city of Jerusalem!
Yitzchak Reuven
The Temple Institute |
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