"O Israel, what does HaShem, your G-d, ask of you?"(Deuteronomy 10:12) Av 19, 5784/August 23, 2024 For anyone who claims that the Jews are a religion and not a nation, I have but one suggestion: Read this week's Torah parashah, Ekev. Moshe, who, if nothing else, was a straight talker, addresses his people, not as a gathering of individuals, nor even as an amalgamation of tribes or clans, but as a single, solitary nation, a nation poised on claiming its inheritance in the land G-d has promised her, entering into history and taking hold of the reins of her own destiny. Israel is a people who, as Moshe reiterates time and time again all throughout Ekev, if she stays true to G-d's word, holds fast to His Torah, and keeps His command, will be blessed with peace and prosperity, health and happiness and enjoy all the goodness that life has to offer. "For HaShem your G-d is bringing you to a good land, a land with brooks of water, fountains and depths, that emerge in valleys and mountains, a land of wheat and barley, vines and figs and pomegranates, a land of oil producing olives and honey, a land in which you will eat bread without scarcity, you will lack nothing in it, a land whose stones are iron, and out of whose mountains you will hew copper. And you will eat and be sated, and you shall bless HaShem, your G-d, for the good land He has given you." (Deuteronomy 8:7-10) It hardly gets clearer than that. Stick with HaShem, your G-d, Creator of the world and Redeemer from Egypt, and you will find yourselves in a place no less blessed and no less magical than Eden. Stay true to your G-d and this is what awaits you. But, Moshe continues, should you stray from HaShem, your G-d, should you be seduced by the false gods of your neighbors, or should you simply "say to yourself, 'My strength and the might of my hand that has accumulated this wealth for me,'" (ibid 8:17) your stay in this earthly paradise will be short lived, indeed. Moshe drives this message home, again and again, in no uncertain terms. Yet, as clear as this message is, and as easy, it would seem, to hear Moshe's warnings and to be one with HaShem and hold tight to His Torah, Moshe knows that Israel will stumble and fail, time and time again. And so it has been, all throughout Israel's long history. Israel has fallen prey, time after time, to the worldly seductions of the nations, to their gods and to their creeds, and mostly to the universal humanity wide delusion of believing that "I did this, I am in charge, me, myself and no other." It is this hubris which we have inherited from Adam, who, despite being fashioned by G-d's own hand and inspired with the breath of life from G-d's own breath, thought he could do it his way, defy G-d and hide from G-d, and somehow manage in the world alone. Be righteous, Moshe implores us, but don't think that your righteousness is the reason that "HaShem has brought me to possess this land." (ibid 9:4) Be righteous, but don't be deluded by your own righteousness. "Not because of your righteousness or because of the honesty of your heart, do you come to possess their land, but because of the wickedness of these nations, HaShem your G-d drives them out from before you, and in order to establish the matter that HaShem swore to your forefathers, Avraham, Yitzchak, and Yaakov." (ibid 9:4) It turns out that it's not so simple to constantly merit, day after day, the great privilege of being an independent people, a prosperous nation at peace, living in the land that G-d has blessed us with, "a land HaShem, your G-d, looks after; the eyes of HaShem your G-d are always upon it, from the beginning of the year to the end of the year." (ibid 11:12) On the one hand we have been handed all the necessary tools to make our own way in the world as a nation, but on the other hand we must never stray from G-d, our shepherd, nor from the covenant He bequeathed us with at Sinai. On the one hand it is by the sweat of our own brow that will we will prosper in the land, but on the other hand, all our efforts are for naught, without G-d. G-d sees it all. There is no hiding from "HaShem G-d in the midst of the trees of the garden." (Genesis 3:8) There is not much wiggle room and this begs the question which Moshe, himself, anticipated and posed: "And now, O Israel, what does HaShem, your G-d, ask of you? Only to fear HaShem, your G-d, to walk in all His ways and to love Him, and to worship HaShem, your G-d, with all your heart and with all your soul, to keep the commandments of HaShem and His statutes, which I command you this day, for your good. Behold, to HaShem, your G-d, belong the heavens and the heavens of the heavens, the earth, and all that is on it. Only your forefathers HaShem desired to love them, and He chose their seed after them you, out of all peoples, as it is this day." (Deuteronomy 10:12-15) Definitely a challenge, but definitely doable. Be a good person, be humble and care for those less fortunate than you. Love the stranger and never forget your own origins. Walk in the way of Torah, for "its ways are ways of pleasantness, and all its paths are peace." (Proverbs 3:17) Not merely as individuals, but as a nation, united and under "the eyes of HaShem your G-d" must Israel strive always to walk in HaShem's ways, today more so than ever. Only thusly can Israel guarantee her future and bring blessing into the world. |
The Temple Institute: Building the Holy Temple! The three weeks of mourning which stretch from the fast of the 17th of Tammuz to the fast of the 9th of Av may be a time for some people to look backward and dream about the Holy Temple that was. Not so for the people that make up the Temple Institute. The Temple Institute is forever looking forward and working tirelessly to educate Israel and the world about the importance of the Holy Temple in our future, while always training and preparing in every way possible for the rebuilding of the Holy Temple and the renewal of the Divine service, soon, and in our days! |
Tune in to this week's Temple Talk, as Yitzchak Reuven talks about the happiest day of Tu b'Av, about meriting the land HaShem Has blessed us with, and why we need to love G-d & love one another! Tu b'Av, known as one of the two happiest days in the year, is a blessing that arrives each year, one week after Tish'a b'Av, that absolute saddest day of the year. From Tu b'Av on, our days get brighter as we begin the steady approach to the Days of Awe and the festivals of Tishrei. Meanwhile, parashat Ekev celebrates the majestic beauty of the land of Israel! |
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! |
"You looking at me?" If you're asking G-d, the answer is "Yes." And no more so than in the land of Israel, of which we are told is "a land HaShem, your G-d, looks after; the eyes HaShem your G-d are always upon it, from the beginning of the year to the end of the year." (Deut. 11:12) Ekev (Deuteronomy 7:12 - 11:25)
Parashat Ekev is read on Shabbat:
Av 20, 5784/August 24, 2024 |
Haftarah For Shabbat Parashat Ekev Isaiah 49:14-51:3: "And Zion said, "HaShem has forsaken me, and HaShem has forgotten me." Shall a woman forget her sucking child, from having mercy on the child of her womb? These too shall forget, but I will not forget you. Behold on My hands have I engraved you; your walls are before Me always. Your sons have hastened; those who destroy you and those who lay you waste shall go forth from you..." |
The Antisemitic Opposition To Jews On The Temple Mount The United States should stop opposing Jewish prayer in order to appease the antisemitism of the Palestinian Authority and Jordan. By Farley Weiss. It is clear that opposition to the ability of Jews to peacefully pray on the holiest site in Judaism and the site of the first two Jewish Temples—namely, the Temple Mount—is prompted by the virulent antisemitism of the Palestinian Authority and the Kingdom of Jordan. Their opposition is based upon the antisemitic view that there is no Jewish connection to the site. |
A Day In The Holy Temple: The Chamber Of Vessels After selecting a lamb from the Chamber of Lambs, the kohanim entered into the Chamber of Vessels, where the all Temple vessels were stored (a doubt exists among the sages as to this exact location of this chamber). There, they remove all the 93 sacred vessels of silver and gold which they will require to conduct all aspects of the Divine service during the course of the day. |
Why Is Hishtachavia -Prostration - On The Temple Mount So Important? The following quote from the ancient Midrashic source, Bereshit (Genesis) Rabbah, 56:2, cites the crucial role played by the expression of devotion to HaShem, known in Hebrew as hishtachaviah השתחויה, (prostration), in Israel's most significant moments in her history, from the time of Avraham to the time of the Building of the Holy Temple and the future resurrection of the dead: |
This Week, Parashat Ekev This week we read parashat Ekev, (Deuteronomy 7:12 - 11:25), the third weekly reading from the book of Deuteronomy, in which Moshe continues to both review Israel's past forty years in the wilderness, and to prepare and encourage Israel as she readies herself to enter into Canaan, to conquer its cities and towns, to settle the land and to establish a Torah based society. |
A Day In The Holy Temple: The Chamber Of The Showbread This is where those who made the showbread kneaded and baked the dough. It was located in the southeast corner of the Place of the Fire. |
History: Free At Last To Bow Down On The Temple Mount! Another necessary yet unbelievable milestone has been crossed in the historical and prophecy fulfilling advance toward the rebuilding of the Holy Temple and the realization of "a house of prayer for all nations" atop the Temple Mount: The Israel police are no longer preventing or arresting Jews who prostrate themselves toward the place of the Holy Temple on the Temple Mount. |
A Day In The Holy Temple: The Chamber Of The Fire In the northwest corner. Here, the fire where the kohanim sat to warm themselves was constantly burning. |
A Day In The Holy Temple: The Chamber Of Seals Located in the northeast corner of the Place of the Fire, this was the office of Yochanan ben Pinchas, administrator of the seals. An individual who sought to bring a libation to the Temple would come here and pay for his libation, and receive a "seal" from Yochanan. This seal was a note which constituted proof of purchase; one would bring this note to Achya, administrator of the libations, and receive his needs. |
Biden Admin Demands Jews Stop Praying At Site Of Temple The Biden administration is committing to maintain an apartheid Islamic status quo that bans Jews from praying at their holiest state. And it doesn’t have the guts to say so clearly. By Daniel Greenfield. In all of the pretense that this war has something to do with “human rights” in Gaza and not an Islamic religious war against a non-Muslim minority group, there is an awkward fact that has to be talked around. |
Happy Tu b'Av - The 15th Of Av!
"Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel said: There were no days as joyous for the Jewish people as the fifteenth of Av and as Yom Kippur!" What is Tu b'Av, (literally, the 15th of Av), and why is it so joyous? |
Mikdash Monday - The 15th of Av Mishna Taanit 4:8: “Rabban Simeon ben Gamaliel says, "Never were more joyous festivals in Israel than the 15th of Ab and the day of atonement … and 'the day of the gladness of his heart,' was that when the building of the Temple was completed.” |
Tu b'Av Sameach - Happy Tu b'Av! Just seven days after Tish'a b'Av, (the 9th of Av), the saddest day on the Hebrew calendar we celebrate Tu b'Av, the 15th of Av), considered to be the happiest day (along with Yom Kippur)! Tu b'Av, which takes place during the traditional season of the grape harvest, is a day of love, both romantic and brotherly, and a day of unity and comfort in HaShem's embrace. |
There Is No ‘Status Quo’ On The Temple Mount Unlike many others who fear backlash from Muslim countries, Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, and many other Israeli Jews, believe the time has come to assert full sovereignty over the Temple Mount. By Israel Kasnett. Nearly three thousand Jews visited the Temple Mount last week on Tuesday, Tisha B’av, which commemorates the destruction of the two ancient Jewish Temples. |
A Day In The Holy Temple: The Chamber Of Lambs Once it has been established that the proper time has come for offering the Tamid daily offering, and the gates of the Sanctuary are open, the overseer instructs the kohanim who will be attending to the service: "Bring a lamb from the Chamber of Lambs!" |
Shavua Tov From The Temple Mount! 2958 Jews ascended the Temple Mount last Tuesday, Tish'a b'Av. Once on the Temple Mount the Jews prayed, sang, prostrated themselves on the ground, (fulfilling a positive commandment on the Temple Mount), sang the national anthem and waved Israeli flags. Shavua tov - have a good week! |
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. |
Blessings from the holy city of Jerusalem!
Yitzchak Reuven
The Temple Institute |
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