בס"ד
לשכנו תדרשו
Seeking the Holy Presence in Our Holy Land
"ועשו לי מקדש ושכנתי בתוכם"
"And I, with Your great mercy, shall enter Your Sanctuary, I shall prostrate myself before Your holy Abode, with Your awe". According to the Zohar, one is to say this verse upon entering the synagogue, "the miniature Sanctuary", with the intent to confer with and "ask permission from" our Patriarchs before entering this holy place. By saying "and I, with Your great mercy, shall enter Your House" one confers with Avraham whose primary attribute was mercy and kindness. By saying, "I shall prostrate myself before Your holy Abode", one confers with Yitzhak who was 'sanctified' in his submission to be offered as a sacrifice. By saying "with Your awe" one confers with Yakov who said "how awesome is this place". We find that this type of 'receiving permission' from the Patriarchs is not only found in the 'mini Sanctuary', but also in the main Sanctuary of all Israel, the Bais HaMikdash. Although Solomon built the First Bait HaMikdash, it is his father David who ultimately paved the main path to its construction, to such an extent that our Sages teach us that the gates of the Bais HaMikdash would not open till Solomon said: "for the sake of David Your servant do not forsake Your anointed". From where did David receive such spiritual power to succeed in heralding such an important mission? On a simple level, we can see that the development of Jerusalem, as in making it his capital city, buying the Temple Mount, and more, all clearly paved the way for the building of the Bait HaMikdash in Jerusalem in his son's time. However, what is less known is what spiritually brought about David's success in Jerusalem. On this cause the Zohar clearly determines: it is David's kingship in Hebron, his "bonding with the Patriarchs", that paved the way for his success in Jerusalem. This concept is ever-more relevant today, as we hope and pray for the rebuilding of the Bais HaMikdash, to indeed fulfill the commandment in our title quote, to build the Temple and have HaShem's Presence rest among us. "Because of the Fathers You shall save the sons" – In Hebron lie the keys to Jerusalem and the Bais HaMikdash. In Hebron lie the keys to Redemption.
Real Stories from the Holy Land #: "We were looking for an apartment before our wedding, and we didn't find anything for a long time. Meanwhile, someone offered to leave his caravan, which was in danger of collapsing, so we could repair it and then move into it. However, they could only move out two weeks after our wedding. Suddenly, a week before the wedding, we were told that the previous residents had just moved out, and that we could move in. Within two days we finished the repairs with 2000 NIS and then moved our belongings in before the wedding. Because of the repairs we made, we were given free rent for three years."
Sources: Zohar 1, 11a, Tehilim 132, 10, Sanhedrin 107b, Zohar I, 99a
