Modern Masters: Yerushalayim - City of Dreams | Rabbi Sam Shor | May 14 2026

It's watching the beer. As we're discussing today is Erev Yom Yerushalayim, which means that this evening is Yom Yerushalayim. And just before we introduce our topic for for today, I just want to mention that we should have in mind, please, that our learning today should be as a zechut for the ilui nishmat of my beloved aunt, my tante Helene Chaya Yehudit bat Moshe ben Ester Gittel, who passed away this past week at the age of 81. One of my my father's younger sister. And so we wish her son, and we wish our entire family, extended family, nechama on her passing. Okay. So, as we said, this evening >> [clears throat] >> and tomorrow is Yom Yerushalayim, which commemorates the 59th anniversary of those awesome events of the Six-Day War and the Yerushalayim, the reunification of Yerushalayim Ir Hakodesh. So, this morning I thought we could reflect for, you know, the our few minutes together this morning to reflect back on that transformative moment in Jewish history, the return of the which, of course, the return of the heart of Am Yisrael to Jewish hands, the spiritual epicenter of the entire world, Yerushalayim Ir Hakodesh. So, before we get to the text that I kind of organized on the sheets in front of you, I want to share two stories, two personal reflections of two great luminaries of the Jewish people who were very much involved in these events of the Six-Day War. And I want to begin first with the personal reflections of Rabbi Tzvi Yehuda Kook, the son of Rabbi Avraham Yitzchak Kook, the great Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshivat Merkaz Harav Kook. And these are his his reflections on the on that moment, on those moments when he heard the infamous announcement of Lieutenant Colonel Motta Gur, the the the the head of the brigades that captured the Old City, announcing Har Habayit Beyadenu, Har Habayit Beyadenu. So, this is this is what R'Tzie Yehuda's reflections on that awesome day, that awesome afternoon. He's kind of with Oteh Yom Revi'i. We remember that beautiful Wednesday afternoon. Eichah shav Yisrael? How could it be? How could we not remember it? Eichah shav Yisrael Oteh Yom Revi'i? We can it's impossible and we can never forget that Wednesday afternoon, okay? And by the way, if you think about that the significance of that that that moment, it's not only those who lived through it, even for me who was born years after Eicha Yerushalayim, that this moment of of of the the unification, the reunification of Yerushalayim is something that's so much a part of who we are as Am Yisrael, so ingrained in every single one of us, even those of us who were not zocheh to live through those moments ourselves, to witness those moments ourselves. So so R'Tzie Yehuda continues, we can't forget, it's impossible to not to remember that that Wednesday afternoon. Bo Elai Shaliach b'shem Harav Goren. There Rav Goren, the Chief Rabbi, by the way, he was the Chief Rabbi when when R'Tzie Yehuda is recalling this. In the days of of the war of of the Six-Day War, he was not yet the Chief Rabbi of the State of Israel. Rav Goren was the Chief Rabbi of Tzahal, the armed forces. And he says, "A a messenger from Rav Goren came to came to my house to tell us the news." Lishmi'at habsurah k'muvan hitragshut me'uhedet. When he shared with me the news, shared with us the news, of course we were very excited. Yinashaknu, we embraced and kissed. Hipalnu Minchah b'halel uv'rikudim. We davened Minchah, we sang hallel, we danced. Acharkach higi'ah ha'da'al telefonit me'Rav Goren. After that after we davened a few moments later, a little while later, Rav Goren called called R'Tzie Yehuda. And now listen to this interesting nugget of Jewish history. Etzlenu babayit ein telefon. We didn't have a telephone in our house and as you shake it he didn't become a knob because he wasn't bothered by phone calls. But often anyone who knew they wanted to reach me, they would leave messages for me with my neighbors. Goren wanted to to pass the message to Yehuda that he Goren was getting close and that right now they're passing the the old Rockefeller Museum which at the time was outside, you know, the boundaries of of New Jerusalem. They were it was a New Jerusalem. It was outside the boundaries of of old Jerusalem. Okay. And so he said he wanted them to know that he wanted them to know that they were coming towards the Kotel. Okay. And to invite and request that I, meaning come to come together with him. So he sent a meaning of Goren arranged they sent a driver to pick up to pick up and when the the driver came to me I asked him if them how are we going to go into the into the old city? All all the gates are open before us. They VOT the Jeep shelter van. He brought me there in an army Jeep. The sun of the sun we traveled and we traveled and we traveled. Again, the the the roads and highways were not even though it was only a short distance from Kera Moshe where was living to the old city, it felt like a very long journey. Okay. Shout to you too. I asked him, "Where have you brought me?" He tell him who I'm only he suddenly said, "I'm not new by her bites. We're here in the her bites." Level 80, I was startled. I even moved with Abba Nanchalam. I saw it, I looked and we were literally facing the mosque in front of us. The path in that time was through the Lion's Gate. So there was no if we can't since we came into the Lion's Gate, at that time there was no other way for us to get down to the Kotel but the other than what? Traversing over Har Habayit, okay? Therefore it took me during the through this path. We saw there legions of our young our young men are meaning our our soldiers. We're surrounded by our soldiers on all sides. And suddenly I heard a familiar voice calling out to me. Harav Tzvi Yehuda. Okay? Calling out Harav Tzvi Yehuda. Who was it? It was the great educator and and and religious Zionist leader Hanan Porat who was a student of Tzvi Yehuda. So at that moment, good morning, good morning, good morning. So at that moment when here's the story she at that moment when Tzvi Yehuda had had arrived via his army escort to the Eretz Yisrael, he was greeted by one of his more famous students, Rabbi Hanan Porat. Okay? There were many other Torah scholars. There was a great I would say great group of of soldiers. And also not just soldiers but Torah scholars. He got into the Kotel. We came to the Kotel together. Rikadnu, we danced. Samachnu, we rejoiced. Hirgashnu, we were we're overcome with emotion. Hit'habaknu, embraced. He embraced me. We embraced and kissed our soldiers. There's no I don't have to go in to describe the genius and the righteousness and the holiness of our chief rabbi, meaning Rav Goren, okay? Now he says At that time he was saying he was still alive. Who led the way of our soldiers. He charged the front line of our soldiers leading the way to as we conquered the the the and the Kotel with two Rav Goren led the way with two weapons, okay? And he said, "Do you know what his two weapons were?" Okay, a small Torah and a small shofar. A small Torah and a small shofar. And here's the famous picture. Yeah, I can pass this around if you want to see it. The famous picture of Rav Goren standing with his small Torah and sounding the shofar as they arrived at the Kotel for the first time after 19 years of no Jews being allowed to enter the Kotel. Okay. So, that's our first story. My first story of the introduction. The second These two stories are not on your sheets. The second story is a story that's included in the book The Prime Ministers, which is a beautiful book about Okay, a beautiful book about the different prime ministers of the state of Israel written by Ambassador Abner who was a advisor and ambassador in the administration of six different prime ministers of Israel. And of course the bulk of the Anyone who's read this incredible book knows that the bulk of the book focuses on the one that I've never considered to be the greatest of those prime ministers, and that was the late Menachem Begin, Zichrono Livracha. And I And he describes Begin's career beginning first in his time and the the decades that he spent in the as the leader of the opposition, then beginning with the awesome moments leading up to the Six-Day War, where Menachem Begin came came into a unity government, okay? Led Led by Levi Eshkol. And Menachem Begin, even though he spent literally decades as the leader of the opposition, came into that unity government as a minister without portfolio, humbled humbled himself to to be able to be take on to be called a minister even even though he had no specific portfolio. It's Menachem Begin who pushes forward the opportunity, sees the opportunity for us to take the Yahrtzeit cup. Of course, in the days leading up to the Six-Day War, this is to contextualize miracles. In the days leading up to the Six-Day War, the the fear the There was tremendous fear. They were preparing literally preparing all the public parks to be new cemeteries. They really thought tens of thousands of of of soldiers would be lost, of civilians would be lost. And in just a matter of a few short hours and days, it became very clear that we were experiencing a miraculous military victory. And then after that famous Kalkali that we talked about in the introduction, of the announcement of Har Habayit Adonai Har Habayit Adonai, Menachem Begin, the Again, Yehuda Avner describes Menachem Begin's first visit that afternoon running to the Kotel. And this is And this is Again, we're just going to read a few lines from his beautiful Again, it's it's it's a It's Yehuda Avner writes incredibly beautifully, eloquently. So, just a few lines from his his recollection of of this moment when Menachem Begin comes to the Kotel. Step by step, Menachem Begin walked down the passageway leading to the wall, which he had not seen since 1948. His bespectacled patrician features alive with a look of eagerness mixed with the reverence of one repossessing a long-lost, much-cherished thing. As Begin touched the wall, utter silence reigned. When he laid his head upon one of its weathered stones, he spread out his arms in embrace and then solemnly drew from his pocket a sheet of paper on which he had written a tfilah. He had composed it himself for this very moment. A supplication suffused with scriptural and liturgical allusions to the Jewish people's rendezvous with their most sanctified of places, places from which they had been exiled for centuries, places which were what they were because of what had happened in them once upon a time, places which made Jerusalem and Israel what they were, places that made the Jewish people who we are as Jews. "O God of our fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob," he recited, "Lord of hosts, be thou our help. Our enemies encompassed us, they encompassed us and arose to destroy us as a people, yet their counsel came to naught and their evil was not accomplished. For there has risen in our homeland a new generation, a generation of liberators, a generation of warriors and heroes. And when they went forth to engage the enemy, there burst forth from their hearts the call which echoes down the generations, the call from the father of the prophets, the redeemer of Israel from the bondage of Egypt. Arise up, O Lord, and let your enemies be scattered and let those that hate you be put to flight. And we scattered and defeated them, and flee they did. The routed enemy has not yet laid down his arms. The army of Israel continues to pursue and smite them. Lord God of Israel, watch over our forces who with their arms are go forging the covenant you made with your chosen people. May they return in peace, children to their parents, fathers to their children, and husbands to their wives, for we are but the surviving remnant of a people harried and persecuted whose blood has been shed like water from generation to generation. Today we stand before the Western Wall, relic of the house of our of our glory in Jerusalem the redeemed. The city that is now all united together and from the depths of our hearts there arises the prayer that the temple may be rebuilt speedily in our days. So, first of all, I mean, it is the beautiful that he composes that we have a a a politician, a leader of Rosh Hashanah of the state of Israel, who not only sees the photo opportunity but composes a personal tefillah, okay, of of of hakarat hatov, of Thanksgiving, for that awesome moment which is incredible and especially because it ends with this idea that, okay, this is not the end all. Okay? This is only the beginning. Okay? Menachem Begin, what other what other Israeli politician in our history talks about not only the return to the ancient Jerusalem but the rebuilding of the Beit Hamikdash as the as the ultimate vision. So, it's with these two stories, the beautiful story about Rabbi Zvi Yehuda, and this beautiful story about Menachem Begin coming to the coming to the Kotel for the first time and his beautiful tefillah. Now we're going to dive right in and take a deeper look, a a a more in-depth look at this the significance of that that awesome moment in time, that island in time, of the those days of June of when the miracles of Eikhah Yerushalayim unfolded before our very eyes and we're going to actually now learn another kind of personal personal recollection and a beautiful beautiful story. Was this give the story first and then the recollection. Okay, so we've learned in this course of modern masters many many times from the works of the Lubavitch Shalom, the Nisevo Shalom, the the Slonimer Rebbe, right? Everyone has heard me talk about the Slonimer Rebbe, Rebbe Nachman Shalom Berzovsky. Last week we learned from his son he and his son together. So the Slonimer Rebbe was became the Rebbe in 1981. He was the son-in-law the the Nisevo Shalom became the Rebbe of Slonim in 1981. He was the son-in-law of the previous Rebbe, the Birkas Avraham of Slonim. And from in 1967, the Nisevo Shalom was not yet the Rebbe, but rather he was the Rosh Yeshiva of the of the Slonimer institutions in Mea Shearim. And in this this text that we're going to learn from together now, text number one, is a short snippet or a few short snippets from a longer sicha that the Slonimer Rebbe gave at moments after they heard that announcement Harav Bayis B'Daynu Harav Bayis B'Daynu when they were still sitting in the Yeshiva, had not yet returned to the main Beis Medrash, they were still sitting together in the bomb shelter in the basement underneath the Yeshiva, okay? And these beautiful words These beautiful words are the tran- from a transcript I don't know if he the Rebbe said these words in Hebrew or English, but the transcript I'm sorry or Hebrew or Yiddish, sorry, but the transcript has been transcribed in Hebrew. So we're just going to learn a few a few beautiful beautiful lines from this very powerful sicha uh from June 1967 of the Nisevo Shalom. Now look where where this is text number one. Okay, we have to acknowledge, okay, the miracles that Hashem has bestowed upon us in these days. This thing we okay, incredible revelation of Hashem's presence, miraculous revelation that the for the Jewish people. Things that we haven't seen for tens of generations. And we it's prohibited for us what? Not to acknowledge the kindness that Hashem has bestowed upon us at this moment. That even those who are distant from faith, meaning people that don't have a lot of emunah, people that wouldn't call themselves from. And anyone who has what? A brain in their skull, he said literally, okay? That there's no natural way to describe and to and to understand the miraculous events that Hashem is wondrous events that Hashem has orchestrated. No other army has witnessed, okay, and achieved these accomplishments like with the great powers would collapse before them in just a matter of hours. Okay, happy are we in our portion. At this great moment. That Hashem has revealed himself once again to us in a way that no other generation has experienced and he's through those miracles he's returned to us the place of our base hamikdash. Makom shalo zaza shchinah misham. The place that our chazal teach us that Hashem's presence never ceased to dwell. Osher anuga chiga dol sheyudi margish b'olamo, hu b'sha'ah shemargish b'kiras Elokuso yevarech. Okay, the greatest fulfillment and joy that a Jew can feel in this lifetime is when they feel close to Hashem. Ani kirvas Elokim lito, when I feel close to God, that's that's when I That's when I feel goodness. V'amakom hashugav yoser al zeh hu b'kosel b'kosel hama'aravi. And the place where we can feel that closeness in the most powerful way, palpable way, is at the Kosel hama'aravi. Hanessa hashni the second miracle we experienced. Okay, by the way, in the context of the sicha, the first miracle he he describes is the establishment of the state of Israel 19 years before. Okay, so the son of the Rebbe describes that miraculous the first stage of the miraculous salvation was the establishment of the state of Israel. Hanessa hashni the second miracle bigul avosenu b'rachamim Yisrael af al pi she'einam godlim k'dai, the revelation of Hashem's love for the Jewish people even though we're not really worthy and deserving of it, shehuchzar lanu l'reshuso shurei beis mikdashenu kosel hama'aravi, that he returned to us to our hands, our control, the remnant of our of our holy temple, the Kosel hama'aravi. She'amru chazal, as our sages taught us, kim'olam lo zaza shchinah misham, that the shchinah, Hashem's presence, never left that place, shenemar, as the pasuk says, v'hinei omed achar koslenu, that Hashem's presence is standing what? Is Is there waiting for us on the other side of our wall, the Kosel. Now he continues. Acharei yud tes shanah shekvar hitrachaknu mimakom hakadosh hazeh, after 19 years when we were not allowed to come close to this place, we've also learned that we come out to the same Marat you you shall be covered on the camera we've also experienced the miracle in the same time period of what? Not only getting back to hotel but getting back Hebron and Marat and getting camera back. Okay, the commercial you touch the three those three holy places were for 19 years not a single Jewish Footstep was able to go. What a painful experience it was that we we as the descendants of our obviously must were not allowed to go to those holy places to visit. And now they are they are once again in our control. We stand in bewilderment and shock. Okay. For the great wondrous things that has revealed for us. The quote from how well okay and how can we properly thank you for these great gifts. So Yeah. A blessed memory and that moment of during 1967 tells us so powerfully that we have to acknowledge and always hold on to that moment. Okay. It's very interesting. There's another I'll share another great story before we continue on our on our our sheets is another incredible story that came during those days out of those days of June 1967. This comes from the memoirs of Motta Gur. Motta Gur was the Lieutenant Colonel Motta Gur was the commanding officer of the brigades that recaptured the the Iraq of course it's Motta Gur's voice that we hear in that famous recording, Har Habayit Bi Yadenu Har Habayit Bi Yadenu. And um Mata Goresh shared in his memoir of those of those days, Mata Goresh shares this story. So, he makes the announcement Har Habayit Bi Yadenu Har Habayit Bi Yadenu, and there's a group plugat, a brig- a small brigade of soldiers that had just entered the Old City around They came in through Sha'ar Tzion, okay? The Zion Gate. And they hear this announcement Har Habayit Bi Yadenu Har Habayit Bi Yadenu. And this is a group of soldiers, by the way, and we'll understand why this is an important detail in a moment, who would call themselves chiloni, secular. Even though I Anyone who's ever spent 5 minutes with Sam Shore knows that I hate that word because I feel that every Jew is holy, especially our our chayalim, they're kedoshim, they're not chiloni, they're not secular, but but they would identify for their own their own identification as being chiloni, and we're going to come back to the why that's an important detail in just a few moments. And they hear this They hear this announcement They come in through Sha'ar Tzion. They hear the announcement Har Habayit Bi Yadenu Har Habayit Bi Yadenu. They just come come into the Old City, and one of the chayalim said, "We have to go to the Kotel Hamaravi. We have to make our way to the Kotel." If you think about this, okay? These young boys were 18, 19, 20, 21 years old. And for 19 years, no Jew was ever allowed to set foot in the Old City, which means that none of these chayalim had probably ever And if they had, they came as an infant, okay? And certainly didn't know didn't know remember anything about the details how to get there. And not to mention that for those of us that I again, as someone who guides groups to the Old City on a regular basis, okay? A few times a year, I know that people who even people that have visited the Old City frequently often get lost in the in the alleyways and the and the you know, kind of darkened, you know, cobblestone alleyways, and get get turned around. They don't, right? Often. It's uh But in those days, again, for 19 years, the Jordanians basically destroyed most of the landmark buildings and they had left left the the neighborhood in rubble, okay? And as a garbage dump, basically. And then couple that with the fact that it's these narrow alleyways and difficult places to navigate to begin with. And on top of that, the narrow alley narrow alleyways that we navigate today are already rebuilt and and and cleaned out and and and, you know, broadened, okay? Yes, I know. Right, there's signs and people have directions of the way to go. So, in those days, again, certainly that moment, they had never been there. And on top of that, it was already confusing even before even if you had ever been there. And then couple that with several days of intense urban warfare in those narrow passageways, okay? So, you probably have blown-up vehicles and blown-up buildings and maybe even bodies laying in the streets. And this group of of Chialim that would call themselves secular decided that they're at that moment they hear the Yatzit, Har Bayit Bayit Bayit, they're so moved that they have to go to the Kotel Maaravi. And they don't know where they're going. But they start kind of winding their ways through those passageways, those alleyways, to try to look for the Kotel Maaravi. And then suddenly, they see before them an angelic vision. They see this regal-looking elderly Jew in a long black coat with a white beard dancing in this literally dancing ahead of them, running, skipping, dancing ahead of them, singing the songs of Hallel, okay? The songs of Tehillim. And one of these Chialim turns to the group and says, "Misa, who is this angelic figure that just suddenly appeared before us?" And one of his friends, one of his Chaverim, turns and answers, "Ze Mashiach. It has to be that this is Mashiach." Now, we'll come to the punchline in terms of who that was in a moment and you'll understand the significance in just a moment, but I just want to contextualize this this important idea. And that is this is a group of Chayalim that would identify themselves as being Chiloni. And at that moment when they heard this miraculous announcement Har Bayit Bayit they were so moved. Their neshama came to life. They were so moved by that moment that what? That A, number one, they had to run to the Kotel Maaravi and B, then when they saw a rabbinic-looking figure suddenly appear before them, they assumed that that rabbinic- rabbinic-looking figure was Mashiach Tzidkeinu. So, okay. Obviously, 59 years later, we're still waiting for Mashiach. So, who was that rabbinic figure? Was none other than the great tzaddik of Yerushalayim, Rav Aryeh Levin, zichro tzaddik l'ivracha. Rav Aryeh Levin, who had spent decades, of course, >> [clears throat] >> teaching Torah all over Yerushalayim. He heard that Kol Koreh and he did not wait for He did not wait for the all-clear that it was everything safe. He immediately ran to the to the to to go down to the Kotel Maaravi. There famous pictures of We spoke about Rav Tzvi Yehuda and and Rav Goren going to the Kotel. Okay. There were other great rabbinic luminaries that made it there. There was the Nazir, who was another great talmid of Rav Kook, and Rav Aryeh Levin also made it there. And there famous pictures of that first mincha and group gathering at the Kotel Maaravi after 19 years. And among those who were in the picture are none other than Rav Aryeh Levin and the pluga of, quote, secular Chayalim who followed Rav Aryeh all the way to the Kotel Maaravi. So, what do you do with that story? Okay. 59 years later, we're still waiting for Mashiach. Okay? But what do you do with that story? The They were These Chayalim were so impacted by the miracles that they were experiencing that were unfolding before their very eyes that they believed Mashiach was here. They And these were not These were not, you know, it's it's like the Seder night Rabbi says, anyone with a brain in their skull had to had to acknowledge that they were seeing something miraculous. These were highly They would not call themselves, you know, datiim. They would call themselves clear on me. But it was so obvious in the midst of that miracle that they witnessed something supernatural, miraculous. So, what do we do with that? 59 years later, we're still waiting for Mashiach. What do we do with this idea? So, we're going to now reflect for a moment, okay, on another seminal event in Jewish history. And that, of course, is the event that we recall every single day. And that, of course, is the great miracle of Kriat Yam Suf, of the splitting of the sea. Now, most of us know that the the our chazal in the Gemara in Sota tells us that when the Jewish people came to Yam Suf, the the sea was not splitting before them. It split before them immediately, that rather Nachshon ben Aminadav, okay, walked into the sea up to his nose, and finally the sea split, and then then subsequently each of the nasiim, each of the leaders of each of the shvatim, did the same, and the sea split in 12 paths, and there were 12 paths of earth within the sea, and each of the 12 tribes traversed traversed the the Yam. That's how most of us we think about Kriat Yam Suf, we think about that imagery that's laid out by our chazal. But the Noam Elimelech actually has a very very different perspective. The Noam Elimelech reflects on the fact that there's a pasuk that is repeated twice, okay? And there's an idea that's repeated twice within the psukim of of Kriat Yam Suf that we we call every single day. And that is the pasuk u'venei Yisrael halchu ba'yabasha b'toch ha'yam. And that is that the Jewish people walked on dry land within the sea. So, if it was repeated twice, there must be very There must be a very significant message that we're meant to glean from it. So, not just the idea that we just shared from the Gamara in Sotah of of of of the sea sea splitting to 12 pathways. So, the Even Ezra, just before we get to the Nesivos Shalom, so the Even Ezra, text number three on our sheets, says, "Vayotzei Moshe es Bnei Yisrael m'Yam Suf el Midbar Shur." Why was this idea repeated two times? Listen to how the Even Ezra explains it. Shasa Hashem pele b'tokh pele. To teach us that at that moment when the sea split, Hashem was there there was a a wonder, a miracle within a miracle. There were there was a duality to the miracle, if you will. What What was the miracle within the miracle? Ki zeh u'zeh avada b'sha'ah achas. Because at the same exact time, it wasn't like the imagery of the movies, okay, that Klal Yisrael was in the sea and then got on the other end of the sea and then and then the the waters came in on the Egyptians. No, at the exact same time, okay? This is the phenomenon, the miracle. The exact same time, the Jews were were on dry land and the Egyptians were drowning. V'zeh acharonim zeh rishonim echad. And they were right near each other in the same sea. Ki Yisrael hayu rabim, there were many many Jews, 600,000 of us. V'yeish rabim mehem she'kvar avru b'Yad Paroh Mitzrayim. V'yeish mehem she'hayu az ovrim. There were some that had already reached the other side, but again, hundreds of thousands of people that were still in the water at the same time that the Mitzrim were drowning. So, the Even Ezra says, there is a uh the pasuk is repeated twice to teach us what? That there's a dual miracle. And his way of understanding the dual miracle is that what? That the Jews were were surviving in the sea at the same moment that what? The Egyptians were dro drowning in the sea. But the Noam Elimelech is quoted by the Nesivos Shalom. again we heard from the Nesi'a Shalom earlier. So Nesi'a Shalom quotes the Nesi'a Shalom. This is text number four, okay? We can understand this idea even more, okay, this idea of of the dual miracle based on an idea from the Nesi'a Elimelech on the possible that the Jewish people walked on dry land within the sea. There unique in every generation that see the proverbial hand of God in everything that exists, with every step that they take, with everything they experience in life, they feel Hashem's presence. Okay, may in the heavens and beyond the heavens and everything, okay, may everything here on earth. And everything in existence they intuit and see and experience, okay, the one who is in who who created everything and continues to renew every single day the process of creation. These unique that have that capacity. They have they see always. They have the capacity to experience Hashem's miraculous presence every single moment in the same way that the Jewish people did at that awesome moment when the sea split. Because the idea of the sea splitting of the possible that the Jewish people walked on dry land within the sea. Listen now the Nesi'a explains our possible. That the experience of being in that miracle of the sea splitting, okay, left such an imprint of and and transformed them so much in their amuna, okay, left that lasting imprint upon them so that what, okay, I knew Sorry, okay. So so much so that once they had already traversed the sea and were once again on dry land, how cool can I talk they continued to walk as if what they were still in the sea, as if the miracle was still going on, was still unfolding before them. The miracle stayed with them, okay, after the experience of those miraculous events, the Jewish people were so transformed that the miracle stayed with us. That's why we recall it every single every single morning we recall those sukim to remind us, okay, that this is a seminal moment in Jewish history that needs to live on within every single one of us, even those of us who were not alive in this world, okay, to experience it ourselves. It's just something that needs to stay with us always. I knew she got me a bus, that is that even once they were already on dry land, right with them all I mean they continued to see the master and creator of all worlds and you know I'll tell you the miracle and his greatness and his wonders commotion me me talk this one a nation in the same way that they did in the midst when they were in the midst of the sea during the unfolding of that miracle of the splitting of the sea. Can we create the answer me shower and nice guy calmly a bus shower sugar me a bus shower right with me that is that from the time of Korea Yamsuf the revelation stayed with them even though they ever were once again on dry my okay, they were continue to see and experience Hashem's presence in a way that was never before experienced. The miracle changed them and stayed with them. The Zu Haitama D'raga Shel K'rei Yam Suf. This is the great level and awesomeness of the miracle of K'rei Yam Suf. Shegambe Yam HaShara U'Ela Kutz U'Nikvavem U'Navi Yam HaShara K'mo B'toch HaYam that even once they had already crossed through the sea and were once again on dry dry land, what? The miracle stayed with them. Okay? It's very interesting if you think about this, the idea of a lasting imprint or a transformative moment. Okay? Now let's reflect back on the story about those those soldiers following Rav Aryeh Levin all the way to the Kotel Maaravi. Okay? In the midst of that miracle, these soldiers who were themselves were not necessarily, you know, people that had considered to have them for themselves to have very much emunah. They would call themselves chilonim. In the midst of that miracle, they were so transformed by that miracle that they believed Mashiach was coming. And that miracle has to live on with us as well. Okay? We That miracle has to stay with us. So, question we have to ask is, okay, so 59 years later, we're still waiting for Mashiach. So, how do we begin to understand that? So, Rav Kook, zatzal, of course, didn't live to see the his dream of the establishment of the state of Israel, let alone, okay, the miracles of the Six-Day War. Rav Kook gives us a little bit of context in text number five. Rav Kook says, "Ha'geulah min She'at Hi'vui Holechet." The geulah is ongoing and it's a process. "Geulat Mitzrayim U'Geulat Atida Shleima." The redemption from Egypt and the future redemption of, meaning Mashiach, right? "Hi Pe'ulah Achat She'eina Poseket." It's one act that hasn't been interrupted. It's a process that has not been interrupted. "Poel B'Yad Chazaka U'V'Azroa Netuya." It's the action of Hashem's strong hand outstretched hand strong hand and outstretched arm. I shall love me trying those first extended in the shrine people and continues to to really to cause and and be active through all scenarios and circumstances. Okay, we are moving every step along the way. There are hills and valleys but every step along the way says we cook moves us closer to that shame. Okay, so with that is there with that is our contest I want to close okay with maybe one last text two last text text number six. The famous Gamara Okay, we all know that I will say that we call the the say that when the mean get together in the Barack and they're all having a seder together and they're in the Barack and even though each of the are rabbis in their own communities have their own families. They're all gathered together in the Barack which was the home this the hometown of Rabbi Akiva. The question that's always asked is why are all these luminaries and lay low seder the night of of redemption. Why are they not you know with their own students with their own families and their own communities teaching their time medium and their families. Why are they gathered together that came in the Barack by Rabbi Akiva. The answer that I always share the answer that I think is the answer that I always share on the night of seder is this Gamara. The last few lines of the Gamara Gamara Marcus and my code and these are the words of the Gamara. Shuba you only you shall I am another time the Rabbi Akiva and some of those same stages went up to you shall I again this is during the time all this is happening where we kill his lifetime of course at the time of Horman by Shady okay. Here we are when they get to Mount Scopus and out at the destruction, okay? Cairo big day, they rip their clothes, they look out at the destruction of Jerusalem, and they rip their clothes in in mourning. Came out of the Har HaBayit, and when they come to the Har HaBayit, rosh yeshiva of the Kotel HaKadosh, they see a fox running in the place where the Holy of Holies stood. He threw them out, and Rabbi Akiva laughed. They began to cry, and Rabbi Akiva begins to laugh. I'm really low, they said to Rabbi Akiva, "We may not laugh." "Why are you laughing, Rabbi Akiva?" I'm all lame, like any any good rabbi, how does he answer their question? With a question of his own. I'm all lame, "We may not laugh." "Why are you crying?" So, I'm I'm really low, they said to him, "I'm actually cut to bow, but I crave you not." The impure one who comes close to this should be put to death. Death. But I shall surely go. Well, now that foxes are running wild there, and you don't cry?" I'm all lame, so Rabbi Akiva answers them, "I mean it's like that's exactly why I am laughing." She never and he cites a possuk from the navi. But either the aid of the money or you are going to cry and you're going to cry. And they'll come before me as reliable witnesses, the navi K Uriah Cohen and the navi Zechariah. Now, we're going to get a parenthetical note in this story. The main idea is Zechariah. Well, Uriah was killed in the time of the second temple. What possible connection could the possuk be be suggesting there is to be drawn between Uriah Cohen and Zechariah navi? Because Uriah lived during the time of Bayit Rishon and Zechariah lived during the time of Bayit Sheni. Well, cut the new show Zechariah and the new show Uriah. So, the Gemara continues to explain it must mean that what? That the later prophecy of Zechariah is dependent upon what? The fulfillment of the earlier prophecy of Uria. Okay? So, but Uria regarding Uria it said, "Jerusalem shall become a field and Jerusalem shall become a shrine in the wilderness." Okay? Because of your iniquities, Zion shall be leveled like a plain and Jerusalem shall become a shrine in the wilderness. Okay? That one day men and women will grow old again in the streets of Jerusalem and the streets of the city will be filled with children playing in the streets. That's the end of the parenthetical note. Rabbi Akiva says, "Until I saw the fulfillment of the earlier prophecy of Uria, of the utter destruction of Jerusalem, okay? Again, they were being oppressed by the Romans, but until he saw the actual utter destruction with his own eyes, he was afraid that the more contemporary prophecy of Zechariah that one day the Jewish people will come back and the streets will be filled with children playing and men and women will grow old in the streets again. It was I was afraid that our contemporary prophet Zechariah, his words wouldn't come true. But now, the Gemara concludes, okay? Okay? But now that I've seen with my own eyes the fulfillment of Uria's prophecy, the utter destruction, I know that Zechariah's prophecy will also one day come true. And with this, the other rabbis turned to him and said, "Rabbi Akiva, you have comforted us. Rabbi Akiva, you have comforted us." To return to my introduction to this Gemara, the reason why those sages gathered together at the Seder in Bnei Brak where Rabbi Akiva is the host, Rabbi Akiva is the Mar D'Asra, is because in that Seder during the time of the Roman oppression, how do you gather to celebrate Geulah? How do you understand the idea of celebrating redemption when you're being oppressed and experience destruction all around you? So, there's one visionary okay, in every generation who's able to contextualize and put the the events that are unfolding within the bigger context of Jewish history and in their generation we we just took the text before we learned this Gamara, we learned from Rav Kook who was one such visionary of seeing the bigger picture, of seeing the redemption of the Jewish people as an unfolding ongoing process that began when we left Egypt and continues throughout all eventualities as we said. And during the times the time of the second temple, who was the visionary who was able to contextualize and give and and put those destruction that they were witnessing within the larger context of the unfolding of Jewish history, was Rabbi Akiva who was able to bring and give them perspective and and strengthen them. We're going to learn now just to bring this all together one one last one last teaching from Rabbi Aviner, of course, is one of the great one of the great lights of the Jewish world, one of the religious Zionist world. There was a video going around last week where Aviner is 83 years old of Rav Aviner going around in his army uniform visiting Halim in Lebanon. Okay, not just you know, on bases here in Israel visiting Halim in Lebanon to give them strength and and be our soldiers. So, Rav Aviner in his beautiful safer on the Yomim Tovim says these words. Okay, Yom Yerushalayim is not just another day to to an isolated, okay, a lone event from salva you know of salvation from death to life and who you say yeah Iraq Kabir but rather today to recall with great strength should be still live in my house of mayor of China Shagwati style the door of becoming to fruition okay of hundreds of tens of hundreds of years of the redemption of the Jewish people unfolding in our generation Mahalakshmi of Yamashiro the session It's a process that continues and will move forward with God's help to shame Shaddai young Navino Barrett style just as to this day we married to to build here in style no see if we know the guy out so to will continue to build and be redeemed and we go like a schmuck the whole of the top lead and through the physical redemption that we're experiencing each and every day we will come to our ultimate person purpose Lugula Harukani to the spiritual redemption from a ship to K 2 that we all long for my friends as we prepare for the incredible day of young Michelle and what's we call these miraculous events again this is only a listen with me I I was not talking to be alive during those days but it's such a transformative event for the Jewish people as we learn from so many beautiful sources together this morning that's an event that changed who we are and it's continue to change who we are and impact who we are and as well as she may we be so to be strengthened to see each of those hills and valleys along the way as being a step bringing us closer to the Google play more than here be a man who a man young Michelle and some air