WhatsappThe Jewish people continue to mourn the Temple destruction from thousands of years ago. The pain is still real and present.
Feeling the Temple Destruction
This song by Kippalive is a combination of Ed Sheeran’s “I See Fire” and the famous line from Psalms that begins with “Jerusalem, If I forget you.” And the Jews have most definitely not forgotten Jerusalem.
There is a famous story about Napoleon Bonaparte.
The following is from accidentaltalmudist.org:
Legend has it that the French emperor Napoleon Bonaparte once walked past a synagogue, heard crying within, and turned to his aide.
“Why are those Jews crying?”
“They’re mourning the destruction of their Temple.”
“A temple was destroyed in our grand French Republic? Why wasn’t I told?”
“Your Imperial Majesty, the Temple was destroyed almost 2,000 years ago.”
“And they’re still crying about it 2,000 years later?! A nation that mourns like that will surely return to its land and see their Temple rebuilt.”
The Jewish people are still crying for their Temple to be rebuilt. They are still connected; still hoping and praying that today will be the day.
Connecting to the Past
How does the Jewish nation still feel the past as part of the present and not just a piece of history? How are they still so connected? Well, Judaism has built within it the yearning for connection to G-d. Since the Temple was destroyed, the Jewish people have instituted that yearning into prayers, songs, Jewish texts, and anything else you can think of. The destruction never became something of the past. It was always something that we are hoping will be fixed today. Now. Aside from the days of mourning and fast days that have been part of the Jewish culture for centuries in order to remember and pray, everyday is filled with reminders. The daily prayers, the grace after meals, and more.
May the Temple be rebuilt speedily in our days!
