If you have been following the news over the last two weeks, you know that the government of Israel put up metal detectors – and has since taken them down – at the entrances to the Temple Mount for Arab worshippers to pass through. This is the location where our two Holy Temples stood–and we will be mourning them this coming Monday night and Tuesday.
The Arab world was up in arms over the installation of the metal detectors. We all know that it had nothing to do with the metal detectors themselves. They just didn’t want the “perception” that the Jews are controlling the site any more than they already are.
Why did this bother them so much?
Instead of trying to analyze the Arab mindset, let’s better spend a few moments looking at this week’s Torah portion to see what Moses teaches us about what kind of attitude we should have toward the Holy Land of Israel.
In Chapter 1, verse 8, the Torah says – paraphrased, based on Rashi’s commentary – “If you have faith in Me, you will see that I have already put the Land of Israel in your hands; all you have to do is come and take possession of the Land. If you come with complete faith, no one will contest it, and you will not need to go to war over it. In fact, weapons will prove unnecessary.”
Now, I am not an expert on Israeli security so I have no idea if it was a good idea to put up the metal detectors in the first place—or whether it matters that they took them down.
What I do know is that it is important for us to look at this verse and learn a lesson.
What the Torah is teaching us is that when we believe that the Land of Israel is G-d’s gift to the Jewish people, and that the Temple Mount is the place where our temples once stood, and that the Mount is truly holy to us, then our faith will be so strong that the Temple Mount will not be contested and we will not need arms to protect it.
However, the reality is that we live in times of “exile” and this Monday night and Tuesday we will fast and mourn the destruction of our temples. But at the same time, let us pray that we should merit to see the days when our Temple will be rebuilt in Jerusalem on the site of the original Temples, in an environment of peace and prosperity with the coming of Moshiach.