The eve of Rosh Chodesh and once again we find ourselves faced with the regular ritual.
A group of lawbreakers, under the auspices of organizations with a clear agenda, are seeking to break through Jewish unity. Did the "Women of the Western Wall" (who gave them this honorable nickname?!) manage to smuggle a Torah scroll under the noses of the security guards, and once again "ascend to the Torah" in their "modest" clothing and in violation of the regulations of the holy place?.
These lawbreakers, whose actions are contrary to the law and court orders in various instances, do not give up. They continue to trample on the law with a rude foot. I am intentionally not addressing the halakhic aspect, but rather the moral and social aspect of their actions.
It is difficult for me to speak in condemnation of women, since all my activities and my entire being are for and on behalf of women.
But on the other hand, it's hard for me to remain silent in the face of this behavior that is all about defiance, division, and hatred. I have the feeling that there are those who rub their hands with pleasure whenever these criminal women make headlines.
My guess: This is not someone who is among the Torah and mitzvot-observant community.
The cynical use of the flag of equality and feminism manages to infuriate me.
When Anat Hoffman, the chairwoman of this monthly show, chooses to throw meat at religious services and once again uses the chewed-up mantras of equality, I cannot remain silent. Hoffman said that "the incitement of the Minister of Religious Affairs will not stop us. Just because David Azoulay is in doesn't mean we are leaving. For us, the struggle for equality at the Western Wall will only end when equality wins.".
What is she talking about? What equality, in the name of which women is she talking? Where are the hundreds of thousands if not millions of women groaning under male oppression at the Western Wall?
Every day, thousands of women from all walks of life, from all over the country, from all over the world, visit the Western Wall. They all try to obey the rules of the place. They all try to dress modestly. None of them thinks they are less "worth" than the men who pray on the other side of the barrier.
On the contrary, we know that women's prayers are quickly answered due to the fact that "their tears are abundant"... As far as I remember, it is not written anywhere that "it was through righteous men that our fathers were redeemed from Egypt.".
What's so difficult about coming and pouring out a spell in front of the last remaining remnant of our temple without causing provocation?
They - the outlaws - demand "social and legal recognition of the right of women to pray and read, to read the Torah aloud, with a tallit and tefillin at the Western Wall," and I wonder why they don't demand the same "rights" in synagogues across the country, and, by extension, in the houses of prayer of the Gentiles of the land.
A homeless couple?
Okay. That's it. I'm tired of talking about them.
Let's talk about this month we have entered. A month whose name speaks volumes. This is the month in which we can turn to our Father in Heaven and ask for comfort – Menachem-Ab...
This is the month in which we can convince our father to be comforted for the evil he did to his people. This is the month that, despite its sad beginning, is actually named after comfort. This is the month in which we are commanded to be content, to be content with sadness through joy. As the Lubavitcher Rebbe explains the teaching of our sages, whose memory is blessed, "When our father enters, we are content with joy.".
The Rebbe says that from the moment the month of Av begins, the mourning of the days among the Egyptians must be offset by joy. And joy is a result of studying Torah and fulfilling the mitzvot. This is why the Rebbe ordered to increase the number of times at the end of the nine days of the month. The mourning must be offset by the joy of a mitzvah.
We must ask God, the Blessed One, to turn our mourning into dance, to turn sadness into joy, and to send us our righteous Messiah, to build the Temple and establish His Shekinah within us. The month of "Av" is the A-B of the couplehood of the Knesset of Israel and God Almighty. And how can a couple manage without a home? Without a roof? How can we manage without the chosen home, the eternal home?
Righteous women
The name of the month is found in the word "Love," with each letter of its name being accompanied by the letter "A," which symbolizes the name of God. The love of God, the Holy One, for His Sons - the people of Israel, and the love of the children of Israel for each other, will bring the building of the Temple, which was destroyed through the sin of hatred - gratuitous hatred - to be rebuilt through the merit of love - gratuitous love.
Thanks to righteous women, our ancestors were redeemed from Egypt, and thanks to them they will be redeemed in the true and complete redemption that will not be followed by exile. Righteous women are tens of thousands and hundreds of thousands of Israeli women who crowd the Western Wall 365 days a year, without provocations, without false demands for equality, and carry a prayer for the coming of the Messiah and for unity among the people of Israel.
Righteous women are those who build their home, their family, as a dwelling place for the inspiration of the Shekhinah. Righteous women know that even when they go out to work, they have a goal – "And she shall rise up while it is still night, and give prey to her household and law to her maidens." They do not seek or demand honor. They know that true honor is at home – all the honor of a king’s daughter is within. They know that their true career is the joy of children – the joy of a mother of sons.
They can be sought-after lawyers. They can be senior executives. But deep down, they know what a real career is. These are righteous women who have sustained the Jewish people throughout the generations. And this is also implied in the names of this week's episodes – "Mettot" and "Masei.".
Mottot symbolizes strength, power, stability. Like a staff. Masei symbolizes impermanence, wandering. The instability. Seemingly a paradox. But really, complementary opposites. Like the exterior and interior that are expressed in the role of the Jewish woman.
Even when she "rises up in the night." Even when she goes out to work. After all, this is to give "prey to her house." To take care of the house from within. The stories of the staffs and the journey teach us a way in serving God. A Jew must be strong like a staff against all the temptations of the inclination and, on the other hand, be in the manner of a "journey," to advance and constantly rise from strength to strength in serving God.
• Part of the column is based on the talks of the Lubavitcher Rebbe. The author is the owner of "My Choice", an event host, lecturer and radio broadcaster [email protected]
Join the Haredim 10 Facebook page >>
Join the X page of Haredim 10 >>
Want more news, videos and stories? Join the Haredim 10 WhatsApp channel >>
