Back in the day before internet, social media, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Whatsapp; long before the smartphone, the cellphone, the cordless phone, the dial phone; thousands of years before television, radio, newsreels, telegraphs, the pony express or the printing press, when G-d wanted to deliver a message to the world He would write it boldly in the heavens, shake the foundations of the earth, and cause the oceans to rise or fall, according to His will. Actually, G-d continues to communicate with His creation in the very same way today. Only today, who's listening?
When G-d heard the cry of the Israelites in Egypt and determined to free His people, He chose Moshe as His earthly messenger, and, many ages before the concept of a "spoiler," told Moshe, "And you shall say to him, 'HaShem G-d of the Hebrews sent me to you, saying, "Send forth My people, so that they may serve Me in the desert," but behold, until now, you have not hearkened. So said HaShem, "With this you will know that I am HaShem. Behold, I will smite with the staff that is in my hand upon the water that is in the Nile, and it will turn to blood." (Exodus 7:16-17)
Moshe was charged with delivering to the relevant party, G-d's commandment and G-d's warning of the consequences lest His commandment be denied, but the real, the undeniably real message was in what followed: the turning of the Nile to blood, the plague of the frogs, the wild beasts, and so on, was G-d's direct message to Pharaoh: the world as you think you know it, runs according to My will. My will now is for My first-born Israel to worship Me. If you, Pharaoh, think to deny My will then you and all your people and all the world will witness the step-by-step deconstruction of the world as you have come to know it, by decree of My will. My way or the highway, G-d answers to no one, certainly not those who (like Pharaoh) refuse to recognize G-d or accept His will.
Of course it wasn't a fair fight, and what G-d could have caused to happen in a minute, if that had been His will, He stretched out over ten plagues, the splitting of the Sea of Reeds and the destruction of the entire army of Egypt, for the purpose of making His will and His Name known to all the inhabitants of the world.
Pharaoh's world was entrenched in a vast and sophisticated system of gods and mythology, that, as intellectually and technologically advanced as it was, was based entirely on falsehood. Penetrating this fantasy-scape and collapsing the house of cards upon which it stood was not easy. After all, G-d granted man free will. But this is exactly what G-d did, and when Israel left Egypt it was with Pharaoh's blessing, and with the good wishes and generosity of the entire Egyptian nation. From hard-hearted obstinacy to open-hearted benevolence (if only for one single, critical moment), G-d's will for Israel was embraced by the entire world.
Our sages say that the ten plagues began on the first of the month of Shevat and, of course, reached a crescendo on the fifteenth day of Nisan (Passover), taking all of ten weeks to completely upend, overturn and devastate the existing order in the world. And this, of course, was in a time when man's attention was much more focused on the natural world around him, G-d's personal palette, His chosen medium through which to communicate with man. Still, it took ten weeks and ten plagues to get the message across that this is G-d's world and that it exists by G-d's will alone.
Today, modern man in modern society is infinitely further removed from G-d's world than even those societies most steeped in idolatry in Pharaoh's day. Today every individual has the ability to immerse themselves in their own personal virtual world, to be their own Pharaoh, star of their own self-created mythology and idolatry, and never emerge from it. People can say and do what they want in worlds that don't exist, yet still be able to wreak devastation upon others who do exist in the real world. In today's world one has the freedom to click on the Tweet about the gown worn at the Oscars and ignore the preceding Tweet about genocide and slavery being perpetrated in a place far off and far less glamorous.
Can G-d communicate with man anymore? Is anyone listening? How can G-d make Himself heard? G-d does not own a Twitter account or a Facebook account. He doesn't take selfies, tag friends or cyber-bully. But G-d still owns His world and G-d is still messaging mankind every day via His tried and true methods of upending and overturning our political and societal realities, of causing the seas to rise and the earth to shatter and the heavens to spit forth fire. G-d moves vast populations across the borders of the nations and G-d has placed the struggle between good and evil front and center in man's world today.
When G-d chose to liberate Israel from Egypt with an outstretched arm, with signs and with wonders, He had his work cut out for Him, but there was never a question that His will would be achieved. It is clear that in the past century G-d has chosen once again to liberate Israel from the nations, to return His first-born to the land of Israel, to Jerusalem, to the Temple Mount and the rebuilding of the Holy Temple, where His presence dwells, and there is no question that G-d's will will be attained. Whether it will take ten weeks or tens of decades is up to man. G-d is knocking at our doors, rattling our walls, shaking our worlds, remaking our societies and rewriting realty all for the purpose of waking man up from his long, self-induced slumber. And not just for Israel's sake, but for all humanity. Today's world contains many millions of Pharaoh's denying G-d's existence, but still they are no match for G-d. "With this you will know that I am HaShem." May G-d's voice be heard by all!
Tune into this week's Temple Talk, as Rabbi Chaim RIchman and Yitzchak Reuven talk about the Ten Plagues and the 50 Million Women March,which they dub 'a common chaos,' the month of Shevat, a time for justice & redemption, and discuss parashat Va’era: getting a grip on exile, redemption and President Trump!
This week's Torah reading is parashat Va'era, which hosts the first seven of the ten plagues, effectively beginning the process that will lead to Israel's redemption from Egypt. G-d's unleashing of the plagues lead to great chaos in Egypt, which somehow reminds Yitzchak Reuven and Rabbi Chaim Richman of the current chaos sweeping the USA. Although there is no Nile in the USA, many Americans continue to be 'in denial' regarding the legitimacy of President Trump. Any connection there? Tune into a fascinating, timely edition of Temple Talk, as our hosts explore the significance of G-d's actions in Egypt, the current situation in the USA as well as in Israel, and share important insights into the aspect of justice and redemption inherent in the upcoming month of Shevat, which will be ushered in with Rosh Chodesh, the New Moon, this coming Shabbat... the very same day in which the plagues began in ancient Egypt.
The ten plagues that made G-d's name known in all the world happened many years ago in the land of Egypt. The process they began of bringing the knowledge of G-d's presence and power to all humankind for all generations continues till today. They resound and reverberate every time a Pharaoh arises and says "I do not know Hashem." Click here to view Rabbi Richman's teaching on parashat Va'era, (Exodus 6:2-9:35).
Commemorating Jerusalem’s Jubilee Year: Celebrating 50 Years Of Liberation And Reunification With A Biblical Verse A Day!: This year marks the fiftieth anniversary of the liberation and reunification of Jerusalem in the 1967 Six Day War. In honor of this Jubilee Anniversary, each day the Temple Institute will post one of the 627 Biblical verses which mention the city of Jerusalem, along with a new photo of modern Jerusalem. Click here to learn more and start your collection of beautiful verses and photos all about Jerusalem!
BONJOUR! Introducing The Temple Institute's New French Facebook Page!Nous sommes heureux de vous annoncer que le Machone HaMikdache vient d'entreprendre l'ouverture d'une nouvelle page Facebook en français!
The Temple Institute is excited to announce the opening of our new Facebook page in French. Please visit the new page and give it a LIKE to help it grow! Click here to visit and LIKE our new page.
Celebrating Jerusalem’s Jubilee Year: Verse 4: Jerusalem In The Bible!: "And they did so, and they brought forth those five kings to him from the cave; the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, and the king of Eglon." (Joshua 10:23) Click here to see a beautiful full-sized photo.
Fast Train Coming Soon To The Holy Temple! Israel's Minister of Transportation, Israel Katz, has just announced the beginning of a new national infrastructure project which will extend the new Tel Aviv-Jerualem fast train all the way to the foot of the Temple Mount. In announcing the project, Minister Katz said that "Jews and tourists from all over the world will be connected directly to the beating heart of the Jewish people." Click here to learn more and see photos.
Celebrating Jerusalem’s Jubilee Year: Verse 3: Jerusalem In The Bible!: "And the five kings of the Amorites, the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, the king of Eglon, gathered together and went up, they and all their camps, and encamped on Gibeon, and made war against it." (Joshua 10:5) Click here to see a beautiful full-sized photo.
New! The Light From Zion: Rabbi Chaim Richman, International Director of the Temple Institute, recently participated in the writing and publication of a brand-new book entitled 'The Light from Zion,' a collection of essays of Torah wisdom by 12 prominent Israeli rabbis. This book was written especially to share Torah insights with the non-Jewish world! Click here to see a short video and information about ordering a copy.
Celebrating Jerusalem’s Jubilee Year: Verse 2: Jerusalem In The Bible!: "And Adonizedek, king of Jerusalem, sent to Hoham, king of Hebron, and to Piram, king of
Jarmuth, and Japhia, king of Lachish, and to Debir, king of Eglon, saying, 'Come up to me and help me, and we will smite Gibeon, for it has made peace with Joshua and with the children of Israel.'" (Joshua 10:3-4) Click here to see a beautiful full-sized photo.
From Exodus To The Temple Mount: From this week's Torah reading, Va'era: "So said HaShem G-d of Israel, 'Send out My people, and let them make offerings to Me in the desert.'" (Exodus 5:1) G-d is still commanding and we are still demanding: "Let My people go, so that they may serve Me." Click here for photos and more quotes from this week's Torah reading.
Celebrating Jerusalem’s Jubilee Year: Verse 1: Jerusalem In The Bible!: “And it came to pass, when Adonizedek, king of Jerusalem, heard that Joshua had taken Ai, and had completely destroyed it; as he had done to Jericho and her king, so had he done to Ai and her king; and that the inhabitants of Gibeon had made peace with Israel, and were among them.” (Joshua 10:1) Click here to see a beautiful full-sized photo.
The Temple Institute: An Inspiration To Young Americans! 3 young tourists from Boston were visiting Jerusalem's Old City Jewish Quarter when they spotted the Temple Institute and decided to pay it a visit. They entered curious and came out inspired! Click here to view a short video.
2 Jews Removed By Police From Temple Mount: One For Picking Up A Stone: One For Alleged Praying: In the past day, two Jewish worshipers on the Temple Mount were removed by police. One young man was removed and brought to police headquarters after he picked up a stone from the ground on the Temple Mount. The police did not suspect that the person was going to do anything untoward with the stone, only that he intended to walk off the Temple Mount while still holding the stone. There is not a law against picking up or holding a stone while on the Temple Mount. Click here to learn more and see photos.
Islam's False History Of Jerusalem & The Temple Mount: Historically and theologically, Jerusalem and the Temple Mount have zero significance for Islam. Muslim rulers and demagogues have only taken up the banner of Jerusalem when it serves their imperialistic ambitions. David Bukay, a Professor of Middle East Studies at the University of Haifa has written an in-depth article tracing Islam's historical apathy toward Jerusalem and the Temple Mount. Except, of course, when they can leverage a fabricated allegiance to the city for political purposes. Click here to read part 4.
Shavua Tov From The Temple Mount: Starting the week off on the right foot: on the Temple Mount! Click here to see photos.
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!
Interested in Ascending the Temple Mount? Contact us via our website, email us at infotempleinstitute@gmail.com or via our Facebook page. For more information on ascending the Temple Mount in purity, please click here.
Blessings from the holy city of Jerusalem,
Yitzchak Reuven
The Temple Institute
THE TEMPLE INSTITUTE
PO Box 31876
Jerusalem, Israel 97500
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