Tuesday, November 12, 2013

Bloodlines and battle lines

Today my yeshiva program had a field trip to the Cave of our Patriarchs in Hebron.  Hebron, happens to be heavily Arab and in the West Bank.  However, Hebron has always been one of Judaism's holiest cities, this is the city David called home, and this is where Adam and Eve, Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebecca, and Jacob and Leah are buried.  Also, according to legend is Eisav's head.  For thousands of years Jews called Hebron home, and prayed by their Forefathers.  Even when it became a mosque (the Muslims have a history of converting other religions holy establishments into mosques after they are conqured, they still do it today...) and the Jews where allowed to only go up to seven steps towards the building they still prayed there, pouring out the hearts and beseeching the One above for His mercy.  Jews had a continual presence in Hebron up until about 1929 when the famous massacre occurred.  After that, and especially after Hebron fell into Jordanian hands after 1948, Jews did not live in Hebron or get to pray by their Fathers until after 1967, where Jews could finally go into the building, and pray like humans.  Surrounding this little part of Hebron is a security fence guarded by the army of Israel, as the Arabs would happily kill us Jews for even daring to look at their precious mosque.  Inside, there is calm, peace, and tranquility.  One gets a sense of awe being in such a holy and special place, and realizes that they really are the child of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.  We really did descend from these holy men, we really do share the same bloodline.  Furthermore, when you think about it, that means that God must love me as much as He loves them, for we are all Jews, and whether one does what God asks or not, He still loves us, wants us to return to Him, and be holy, like our holy Parents.  One more thing to take from all this, God told Abraham his children would be like the stars in the sky, which means you and I are both stars in God's sky.  Time to act like it.

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