Don’t Take It For Granted

One of the great miracles of our times, was taking possession of the Old City of Jerusalem and the Temple Mount. Jews could pray freely at the Western Wall, the last remnants of the Second Temple.

A story was told about Rabbi Shlomo Goren, then Chief Rabbi of the IDF, upon caressing the holy stones of the Kotel for the first time. He said, “I hope they don’t take this for granted.

Rabbi Goren understood the magnitude of the miracle that was being experienced. Throughout the generations, Jews would have crawled across Europe for that one moment of touching the stones of the Western Wall.

There was a commandment in the Torah that every Jewish male needed to appear three times a year at the Beit Hamikdash. He was not to come empty handed and offered a special holiday sacrifice.

Unfortunately, the fears of Rav Goren have materialized. Today, the Kotel is available to all Jews all over the world. All one needs to do is hop on a plane and he is in Israel. But even Jews living in Israel take for granted what we have.

When one comes to the area of the Holy Temple, he is standing on the holiest place on earth. This is the gateway to Heaven. This is the site where Abraham nearly sacrificed his son, Isaac. This is where Yakov Avinu had his dream of the ladder. This is where the two Temples stood in all of their majesty.

This is the place where the Divine Presence resides. I often recommend to students seeking clarity, or those going through a difficult time, to visit the Western Wall in the evening when all is quiet.

They are to find a quiet spot and just sit and take in the holiness of the air. If they can speak to G-d and verbalize their problems, even better. But after thirty minutes of such contemplation, they will walk away feeling calmer and more positive. This therapy works because of the specialness of this location.

We must make a greater effort to appreciate this modern day miraculous gift. And we should make the effort to caress these sacred stones. We will even feel better as a reward for this effort.