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Rabbi Oury Cherki at the acceptance of the 12th Torah Creativity Award |
Destroyed and Built Temple
Shalom and thanks to all who earned thanks, which is everyone.
I was asked to give a lesson, frankly I'm pretty boring in style, maybe I say interesting things but I didn't merit to have pathos.
And I only want to explain this about the Temple, a question raised by the Maharal of Prague - if the Temple is important how can it be destroyed? And if it can be destroyed, maybe it's not that important?
Here is a problem, the Sovereign of the world demands of us to build the Temple, wants to dwell in the Temple, and allow its destruction? The Maharal gives an apparantly formal answer, saying look, the Temple was built so we live from the power of the Temple that was, and it to be built, so we also live from the power of the fact that it is to be built. Like a person jumping from mountain top to another, receives energy to jump from the first mountain, having a destination, the second mountain top.
Them the Maharal says, the times of the destruction of the Temple are temporary, in reality the Temple always exists, because the world can't exist without it. With that, the Temple stands in contradiction to the nature of the world.
Here I want to explain, we all the commentary of Rabbi Yehudah Leon Ashcenazi, on the essence of human history. What is the eexence of human history - we're in the 7th day.
How do I know? With the end of each days of the creation, it is said 'let there be evening, let there be morning day one, second day, third, fourth, fifth day, the sixth day'...and then "The heaven and the earth were finished, and all their array. On the seventh day God finished the work that had been undertaken: [God] ceased on the seventh day from doing any of the work. And God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy—having ceased on it from all the work of creation that God had done"...
if so at the ending of each day, it is said 'and let there be eveneing, and let there be morning, the seventh day'..if so at the ending of the seventh day it was said 'and let there be eveneing, and let there be morning the 7th day' - when part or maybe all of the audience knows, that this vesrse doesn't exist.
It's a verse I've made up, and it really doesn't exist, instead there's invitation to Kiddush wine.
The question is why this verse wasn't said? Rabbi Yehuda Ashcenazi says, very simple, the seventh day hasn't ended, were're still in the senventh day. Meaning, human history is the seventh day of the Creator. It means that throughout the history, the Holy Be Blessed rests doesn't interve, doesn't act, it's what is said there, He rests. So who's working? The human is working.
The human is in the six days of creation, and the Holy Be Blessed is in Shabat.Then what are we? We're God's Shabat gentile, we work for him.What is the mission of the sevent day? Very simple, "and sanctified it", as it is written "holy shall you be".
So in the future it will be said "and they shall be holy, and God saw it was good. And let there be evening, and let there be morning the seventh day". And the starts the eights day.
What will be in the eigth day? God will again intervene, but it's not so simple. Because we know from Torah, portion 'Shmini' ('eighth') in the book of Vayikra, that the eight day has begun, it is writte "and let there be on the eighth day". If so the eight day of his...of the creation indeed has begun, but the seventh day has yet ended, there's some sort of dissonace. On one side the human is in the seventh day, but in the Temple, the verse "and let there be on the eight day" was said about the consecration of the altar - there the eight day has already begun. If you want to know how theworld looks in the eight day, you simply need to enter the Temple, you exit the Temple and return to the seventh day.
It makes the Temple a unique place, kind of embassy of the eighth day in the seventh day. So it's a foreign body, and when you try to implant a foreign body into an organism, what happens it is ejected. There's no wonder that sometime the Temple is destroyed, because it really doesn't fit the world.
So why doesn't God wait? Tell us when the seventh day ends, build me a Temple, and then it exists eternally? Why the need for all the pain? Building the Temple, the altar destoryed, the first Temple destoryed, the second Temple destoryed, why not wait?
The answer is simle - to get used to it, we're getting used to the world of the eights day. Therefore, sometimes it satands, sometimes it's destroyed, it keeps a sort of balance, very unpleasant balance because the destuctions are horrible. But it means we're getting closer and used to the world of the eights day.
How long shall the future Temple stand, the third Temple?
Simple - forever. We expect a situation of reconciliation between the world and the Temple. A world without the contradiction between the high order and the low order, what the Maharal calls, between the nature and the separate, the natural and individual order is uniting.
Amazingly however, we've found among the Tosfot of the sages in England, on the Sanhedrin tractate. Not widely known book, I think it was published by Rabbi Avraham Sofer, who published the Meiri, from the handwritings in Vatican. There, at the end of the tractate, the Tosfot authors asay that the third Temple will exist for 830 years.
When I saw this my eyes darkened. What does it mean? Another destruction?! What are 830 years, can't You do something eternal?
But the meaning, as I understand,first of all 830 where does this number come from?
Audience: 420 and 410
R. Cherki: Yes, 410 and 420, meaning all the degrees of the first Temple that stood for 410 years, and the degrees of the second Temple that stood for 420 years, thus 830. What does it mean? It means what Rabbi Kook says in the "To The Progress Of Ideas In Israel", that the degree of the first Temple was collective sanctity, the degree of the second Temple, the individual's sanctity, thus there's lacking in each Temple. The Temle of collective sanctity is lacking from the Temple of the individual sactity and vice versa. These shortcomings destroyed the Temples, when You unite the collective with the individual degrees You have an eternal Temple - according to the known mathematical principle of 1+2=3.
So what happens at the end of 830 years? The Temple goes conquering the world. Instead of the Temple being in one place, and the world on another plain of existance, the Temple and the world unite, like an oil stain. As it is written it the book of Zecharyah, "every metal pot in Jerusalem and in Judah shall be holy to GOD" , "like the basins before the altar". Meaning the section that was previously shrinked to the Temple Mount, goes and expand to allover Jerusalem, then every pot as a basin before altar. What about the sanctity of Jerusalem, expands allover the land of Israel, to reach the gates of Damascus, letters of 'Mikdash". What about the sanctitiy of the land of Israel? Allover the entire world.
There will be reconciliation of sanctity and the world, so much that Zecharyah eventually says, "In that day, even the bells on the horses shall be inscribed “Holy to GOD". What are the bells on the horses, according to the commentators it's a jewel put at the forhead of the horses, these are the horse bells. What shall be in their foreheads? It's not Calligula's horse becoming a senator, on the bells it will be written "Holy to GOD", meaning what we're used to see on the forehead of Aharon the priest, where it's written "Holy to GOD", it will be on the bells of a horse, and expanding.
Meaning the contrasdiction between holiness and the mundane, the animalistic crudeness, all this goes and disappears gradually. There're will be reconciliation. Rabbi Kook brings this verse, referring to the sanctification of literature. When the author AZ"R, Alexander Ziskin Rabinovich wrote an article in the Nir newspaper, who's editor was Rabbi Kook, and the article shocked him.
He said the following: "I expect the new Hebrew literature to deal only with matters of sanctity and eternity. That's it, all the rest secular mundane matters, for which he has gentile literature, no need for secular matters in the library hall of Hebrew literature. It doesn't fit, it can be found in the other literature.
Rabbi Kook answers - "it was difficult for me to believe, such lifeless words to come out the mouth of such an enlightened and life knowing person as You. But I've found the reason for this erasure, the fragmented impurity of the exile still convulsing in Your soul".
We don't know whether AZ"R went to bury himself or not,
Audience: No didn't bury himself.
R. Cherki: No he didn't? Here Rabbi Yohanan Frid knows, didn't bury himself! But it means the expectation is for, and in the end Rabbi Kook says, "moreover literature is collective need, and collective need is at the degree of Torah study, and aobut this was said "on that day on the bells of horses inscribed "Holly to GOD"". The expectation, for sanctity to win the world over, as he writes in 'Orot HaKodesh'.
Need to be mentioned, when Rabbi Kook established the Chief Rabbinate, he gatherd the electoral body, it consisted of observant and secular. And Rabbi Kook said very uncareful words, he said "for us everything is holliness". The secular rose saying, how can this be. "do You want to force us into religion?", and the next day Rabbi Kook explained what he meant - he says - "hollines is all that rises in all the revelations of life"...
They didn't understand, beleive me, but their soul understood, which was the principle.
Now - everything I am, we're saying looks a bit like a hallucination.
What, You expect the Sovereign of the world to meet the human? Look at the human, look at the Israeli society. Can You talk there about the Temple?
But let's try to understand, in the Yalkut Shim'ony on the book of Tehilim, there's a Midrash a little hard to understand. The Midrash when I tell it You what is written in it, it rises about 15 serious theological questions, and we will not answer them.
The Midrash says thus, "before the creation of the world", [already the 1st question, how can there be before the creation, there's no time, so how come before?], "The Holy Be Blessed built a hut at the Temple Mount [there're already questions, correct], "and used to enter and pray saying 'May there be will before Me' [because to whom to pray?], 'may there be will before Me, that mu children build for Me a house at this place', here ends the Midrash.
Whatever it says, one clear thing rises from this story, God is interested in the Temple. What does He want? He wants to meet the creation, and for that He created the world, to have a conversation, to have with someone for a conversation, and He probably advances it in hidden ways.
How is it done? Through the argument in the Israeli society. How does He do it?
It is clearly written, our forefather Ya'acov was sitting in his sackloth and fast, was crying thinking Yosef died. Reuven was busy with his sackloth and fast, to atone for the story of Bilhah. Yosef was in jail in Egypt, and Yehudah went to look for a woman, everyone dealng with their own matters. And what was God doing? Going forth creating the light of Messiah.
Meaning, everone is busy, God is also busy with His matters, creating the llight of Messiah
Incorrect - God doesn't do something else, He creates the light of Messiah, for the cry of Ya'acov, and the cry of Reuven, and the trouble of Yosef and the trouble of Yehudah.
From this misunderstanding forth builds something new, God uses the misunderstanding between everyone, eveyone is busy in his matters, convinced he's right. From this is built the synthesis.
So what, there's (only) one who understands?
Yes, it's written about our forefather Ya'acov, "and shall refuse to console, and say "no I shall not go down to my son grieving to Sheol, and his father cried over him" - who is the father of Ya'acov? Yes, Rashi says yes it's Yitzhak, he was alive and he was crying too - about what? He cried about the fact that Ya'acov was crying, because Yitzhak knew Yosef was alive! Thus he has no reason to cry, but he cries because Ya'acov cries, it pains him.
But it says that in every generation, in every crisis situation, at least one person or a small group, having such clear mind to understand that these processes, are synthesis between opposing forces, - and from that the Temple is built.
As written, in protion 'Vayakhel', in order to build the Temple, there's is need for a representative for the most excelent among the tribes, Bezalel ben Oury ben Hour to the tribe of Yehudah, and also a representative of the least of the tribes, Aholiav be Ahisamach to the tribe of Dan - without this there's no Temple.
So bless God there're those who volunteer to be from the tribe of Yehudah, those who volunteer from the tribe of Dan, and sometimes also stop volunteering...and from this division of roles, God goes forth in reconciling with His world and builds the Temple.
Thank You very much.
Destroyed and Built Temple
Shalom and thanks to all who earned thanks, which is everyone.
I was asked to give a lesson, frankly I'm pretty boring in style, maybe I say interesting things but I didn't merit to have pathos.
And I only want to explain this about the Temple, a question raised by the Maharal of Prague - if the Temple is important how can it be destroyed? And if it can be destroyed, maybe it's not that important?
Here is a problem, the Sovereign of the world demands of us to build the Temple, wants to dwell in the Temple, and allow its destruction? The Maharal gives an apparantly formal answer, saying look, the Temple was built so we live from the power of the Temple that was, and it to be built, so we also live from the power of the fact that it is to be built. Like a person jumping from mountain top to another, receives energy to jump from the first mountain, having a destination, the second mountain top.
Them the Maharal says, the times of the destruction of the Temple are temporary, in reality the Temple always exists, because the world can't exist without it. With that, the Temple stands in contradiction to the nature of the world.
Here I want to explain, we all the commentary of Rabbi Yehudah Leon Ashcenazi, on the essence of human history. What is the eexence of human history - we're in the 7th day.
How do I know? With the end of each days of the creation, it is said 'let there be evening, let there be morning day one, second day, third, fourth, fifth day, the sixth day'...and then "The heaven and the earth were finished, and all their array. On the seventh day God finished the work that had been undertaken: [God] ceased on the seventh day from doing any of the work. And God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy—having ceased on it from all the work of creation that God had done"...
if so at the ending of each day, it is said 'and let there be eveneing, and let there be morning, the seventh day'..if so at the ending of the seventh day it was said 'and let there be eveneing, and let there be morning the 7th day' - when part or maybe all of the audience knows, that this vesrse doesn't exist.
It's a verse I've made up, and it really doesn't exist, instead there's invitation to Kiddush wine.
The question is why this verse wasn't said? Rabbi Yehuda Ashcenazi says, very simple, the seventh day hasn't ended, were're still in the senventh day. Meaning, human history is the seventh day of the Creator. It means that throughout the history, the Holy Be Blessed rests doesn't interve, doesn't act, it's what is said there, He rests. So who's working? The human is working.
The human is in the six days of creation, and the Holy Be Blessed is in Shabat.Then what are we? We're God's Shabat gentile, we work for him.What is the mission of the sevent day? Very simple, "and sanctified it", as it is written "holy shall you be".
So in the future it will be said "and they shall be holy, and God saw it was good. And let there be evening, and let there be morning the seventh day". And the starts the eights day.
What will be in the eigth day? God will again intervene, but it's not so simple. Because we know from Torah, portion 'Shmini' ('eighth') in the book of Vayikra, that the eight day has begun, it is writte "and let there be on the eighth day". If so the eight day of his...of the creation indeed has begun, but the seventh day has yet ended, there's some sort of dissonace. On one side the human is in the seventh day, but in the Temple, the verse "and let there be on the eight day" was said about the consecration of the altar - there the eight day has already begun. If you want to know how theworld looks in the eight day, you simply need to enter the Temple, you exit the Temple and return to the seventh day.
It makes the Temple a unique place, kind of embassy of the eighth day in the seventh day. So it's a foreign body, and when you try to implant a foreign body into an organism, what happens it is ejected. There's no wonder that sometime the Temple is destroyed, because it really doesn't fit the world.
So why doesn't God wait? Tell us when the seventh day ends, build me a Temple, and then it exists eternally? Why the need for all the pain? Building the Temple, the altar destoryed, the first Temple destoryed, the second Temple destoryed, why not wait?
The answer is simle - to get used to it, we're getting used to the world of the eights day. Therefore, sometimes it satands, sometimes it's destroyed, it keeps a sort of balance, very unpleasant balance because the destuctions are horrible. But it means we're getting closer and used to the world of the eights day.
How long shall the future Temple stand, the third Temple?
Simple - forever. We expect a situation of reconciliation between the world and the Temple. A world without the contradiction between the high order and the low order, what the Maharal calls, between the nature and the separate, the natural and individual order is uniting.
Amazingly however, we've found among the Tosfot of the sages in England, on the Sanhedrin tractate. Not widely known book, I think it was published by Rabbi Avraham Sofer, who published the Meiri, from the handwritings in Vatican. There, at the end of the tractate, the Tosfot authors asay that the third Temple will exist for 830 years.
When I saw this my eyes darkened. What does it mean? Another destruction?! What are 830 years, can't You do something eternal?
But the meaning, as I understand,first of all 830 where does this number come from?
Audience: 420 and 410
R. Cherki: Yes, 410 and 420, meaning all the degrees of the first Temple that stood for 410 years, and the degrees of the second Temple that stood for 420 years, thus 830. What does it mean? It means what Rabbi Kook says in the "To The Progress Of Ideas In Israel", that the degree of the first Temple was collective sanctity, the degree of the second Temple, the individual's sanctity, thus there's lacking in each Temple. The Temle of collective sanctity is lacking from the Temple of the individual sactity and vice versa. These shortcomings destroyed the Temples, when You unite the collective with the individual degrees You have an eternal Temple - according to the known mathematical principle of 1+2=3.
So what happens at the end of 830 years? The Temple goes conquering the world. Instead of the Temple being in one place, and the world on another plain of existance, the Temple and the world unite, like an oil stain. As it is written it the book of Zecharyah, "every metal pot in Jerusalem and in Judah shall be holy to GOD" , "like the basins before the altar". Meaning the section that was previously shrinked to the Temple Mount, goes and expand to allover Jerusalem, then every pot as a basin before altar. What about the sanctity of Jerusalem, expands allover the land of Israel, to reach the gates of Damascus, letters of 'Mikdash". What about the sanctitiy of the land of Israel? Allover the entire world.
There will be reconciliation of sanctity and the world, so much that Zecharyah eventually says, "In that day, even the bells on the horses shall be inscribed “Holy to GOD". What are the bells on the horses, according to the commentators it's a jewel put at the forhead of the horses, these are the horse bells. What shall be in their foreheads? It's not Calligula's horse becoming a senator, on the bells it will be written "Holy to GOD", meaning what we're used to see on the forehead of Aharon the priest, where it's written "Holy to GOD", it will be on the bells of a horse, and expanding.
Meaning the contrasdiction between holiness and the mundane, the animalistic crudeness, all this goes and disappears gradually. There're will be reconciliation. Rabbi Kook brings this verse, referring to the sanctification of literature. When the author AZ"R, Alexander Ziskin Rabinovich wrote an article in the Nir newspaper, who's editor was Rabbi Kook, and the article shocked him.
He said the following: "I expect the new Hebrew literature to deal only with matters of sanctity and eternity. That's it, all the rest secular mundane matters, for which he has gentile literature, no need for secular matters in the library hall of Hebrew literature. It doesn't fit, it can be found in the other literature.
Rabbi Kook answers - "it was difficult for me to believe, such lifeless words to come out the mouth of such an enlightened and life knowing person as You. But I've found the reason for this erasure, the fragmented impurity of the exile still convulsing in Your soul".
We don't know whether AZ"R went to bury himself or not,
Audience: No didn't bury himself.
R. Cherki: No he didn't? Here Rabbi Yohanan Frid knows, didn't bury himself! But it means the expectation is for, and in the end Rabbi Kook says, "moreover literature is collective need, and collective need is at the degree of Torah study, and aobut this was said "on that day on the bells of horses inscribed "Holly to GOD"". The expectation, for sanctity to win the world over, as he writes in 'Orot HaKodesh'.
Need to be mentioned, when Rabbi Kook established the Chief Rabbinate, he gatherd the electoral body, it consisted of observant and secular. And Rabbi Kook said very uncareful words, he said "for us everything is holliness". The secular rose saying, how can this be. "do You want to force us into religion?", and the next day Rabbi Kook explained what he meant - he says - "hollines is all that rises in all the revelations of life"...
They didn't understand, beleive me, but their soul understood, which was the principle.
Now - everything I am, we're saying looks a bit like a hallucination.
What, You expect the Sovereign of the world to meet the human? Look at the human, look at the Israeli society. Can You talk there about the Temple?
But let's try to understand, in the Yalkut Shim'ony on the book of Tehilim, there's a Midrash a little hard to understand. The Midrash when I tell it You what is written in it, it rises about 15 serious theological questions, and we will not answer them.
The Midrash says thus, "before the creation of the world", [already the 1st question, how can there be before the creation, there's no time, so how come before?], "The Holy Be Blessed built a hut at the Temple Mount [there're already questions, correct], "and used to enter and pray saying 'May there be will before Me' [because to whom to pray?], 'may there be will before Me, that mu children build for Me a house at this place', here ends the Midrash.
Whatever it says, one clear thing rises from this story, God is interested in the Temple. What does He want? He wants to meet the creation, and for that He created the world, to have a conversation, to have with someone for a conversation, and He probably advances it in hidden ways.
How is it done? Through the argument in the Israeli society. How does He do it?
It is clearly written, our forefather Ya'acov was sitting in his sackloth and fast, was crying thinking Yosef died. Reuven was busy with his sackloth and fast, to atone for the story of Bilhah. Yosef was in jail in Egypt, and Yehudah went to look for a woman, everyone dealng with their own matters. And what was God doing? Going forth creating the light of Messiah.
Meaning, everone is busy, God is also busy with His matters, creating the llight of Messiah
Incorrect - God doesn't do something else, He creates the light of Messiah, for the cry of Ya'acov, and the cry of Reuven, and the trouble of Yosef and the trouble of Yehudah.
From this misunderstanding forth builds something new, God uses the misunderstanding between everyone, eveyone is busy in his matters, convinced he's right. From this is built the synthesis.
So what, there's (only) one who understands?
Yes, it's written about our forefather Ya'acov, "and shall refuse to console, and say "no I shall not go down to my son grieving to Sheol, and his father cried over him" - who is the father of Ya'acov? Yes, Rashi says yes it's Yitzhak, he was alive and he was crying too - about what? He cried about the fact that Ya'acov was crying, because Yitzhak knew Yosef was alive! Thus he has no reason to cry, but he cries because Ya'acov cries, it pains him.
But it says that in every generation, in every crisis situation, at least one person or a small group, having such clear mind to understand that these processes, are synthesis between opposing forces, - and from that the Temple is built.
As written, in protion 'Vayakhel', in order to build the Temple, there's is need for a representative for the most excelent among the tribes, Bezalel ben Oury ben Hour to the tribe of Yehudah, and also a representative of the least of the tribes, Aholiav be Ahisamach to the tribe of Dan - without this there's no Temple.
So bless God there're those who volunteer to be from the tribe of Yehudah, those who volunteer from the tribe of Dan, and sometimes also stop volunteering...and from this division of roles, God goes forth in reconciling with His world and builds the Temple.
Thank You very much.
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in a pathetic sort of way “ Christians” remain true to their “ religion?” Is that why “ Christians “ have preached Hate and Intolerance for over 2,000,000 Doesn’t your “ religion “ preach “ forgiveness?” Is that why “ Christian “ politicians believe in abortion; even LATE 
term abortion? THAT is just 4 Starters 
