Friday, October 03, 2003
Sparks From Israel
Rashi and Rambam
There is a dispute between Rashi and Rambam on the creation of the third temple. According to Rashi, it will fall from the sky intact. According to Rambam it will be built in a natural manner. Those who hold by Rashi feel comfortable to spend their days immersed in the Gemora in the Galut waiting for the day that they will be miraculously transported to Jerusalem with the third temple. Some, on the other hand, reconcile these two views as reflexive of our teshuva. If we merit it, the temple will fall from heaven, and if we don’t, it will come through toil and pain and by natural means. To me it seems quite clear that both opinions work together at the same time.
When you look around at modern Israel it’s really hard to imagine that only 50 years ago there were desserts, where today are beautiful towns and cities with fountains and playgrounds full of children playing. But this 3rd temple principle is the basis of modern day Israel. So much has happened in so short a time, it is as if it fell from the sky. And it continues to fall reflexive of our actions below.
Israel grows at such a rapid pace, from the ashes to blossoms, from one concept to another, rediscovering itself like a child learning new words each day. The irony is that those who sit in purity, waiting for miracles won’t see them by waiting in the isolated shopping malls of the exile. But those who participate in the natural building of the nation, (which leads to the building of the temple), will be privileged to see it fall from above, every day.
This concept is not new. In the days of the Beis Hamigdash one would bring his sacrifice and slaughter it and place it upon the fire. Only then, would a heavenly fire come down from above and consume it. But without making that sacrifice, there is no fire from above. Even a maidservant here, who plants a seed, cannot help but notice the abundance that it produces, or notice the pace of how things change here in the land of the living G-d. These concepts are not abstract philosophical ideas, but practical results that one sees in the modern history of this nation, as well as the divine providence that guides him each day in this land. From the inside looking out, it seems obvious to me that each moment in this land is built in both a natural and miraculous fashion.
Rashi and Rambam
There is a dispute between Rashi and Rambam on the creation of the third temple. According to Rashi, it will fall from the sky intact. According to Rambam it will be built in a natural manner. Those who hold by Rashi feel comfortable to spend their days immersed in the Gemora in the Galut waiting for the day that they will be miraculously transported to Jerusalem with the third temple. Some, on the other hand, reconcile these two views as reflexive of our teshuva. If we merit it, the temple will fall from heaven, and if we don’t, it will come through toil and pain and by natural means. To me it seems quite clear that both opinions work together at the same time.
When you look around at modern Israel it’s really hard to imagine that only 50 years ago there were desserts, where today are beautiful towns and cities with fountains and playgrounds full of children playing. But this 3rd temple principle is the basis of modern day Israel. So much has happened in so short a time, it is as if it fell from the sky. And it continues to fall reflexive of our actions below.
Israel grows at such a rapid pace, from the ashes to blossoms, from one concept to another, rediscovering itself like a child learning new words each day. The irony is that those who sit in purity, waiting for miracles won’t see them by waiting in the isolated shopping malls of the exile. But those who participate in the natural building of the nation, (which leads to the building of the temple), will be privileged to see it fall from above, every day.
This concept is not new. In the days of the Beis Hamigdash one would bring his sacrifice and slaughter it and place it upon the fire. Only then, would a heavenly fire come down from above and consume it. But without making that sacrifice, there is no fire from above. Even a maidservant here, who plants a seed, cannot help but notice the abundance that it produces, or notice the pace of how things change here in the land of the living G-d. These concepts are not abstract philosophical ideas, but practical results that one sees in the modern history of this nation, as well as the divine providence that guides him each day in this land. From the inside looking out, it seems obvious to me that each moment in this land is built in both a natural and miraculous fashion.
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