Tisha B'av - a Personal Tragedy? - with Rabbi Shaya Levin 2018

foreign [Music] the day we commemorate the destruction of our Temple the saddest day of the year if any of us were given the opportunity to rebuild the Temple we would rush to do so tonight we will learn why the temple was destroyed and why we continue to suffer and what each of us can do starting today to bring the temple back what are we Mourning what's this all about I never saw the temple some of us may be thinking I never even visited Israel I don't know what I'm missing what am I Mourning as a matter of fact up until today I was having a great time at the zone we're playing baseball well I was hanging from the zip line we're having a great time with friends and all of a sudden tonight everything stopped and now we're sitting on the floor and we're supposed to be mourning something that I never saw if that's what you're thinking then we're thinking the same thing so what are we mourning tonight what is this destruction well my friends the destruction the exile when the Jewish people left Jerusalem after the destruction of the temple that Exile lasts until today in a form that perhaps is hidden we call it life's difficulties something just didn't want to well these levels sometimes things could be just a bit uncomfortable sometimes things can get really bad sometimes it gets to the level we call it a tragedy but that's part of Exile it doesn't have to be that way but this is the way it is for the past 2000 years this is the exile that God commanded us to serve him in joy and happiness throughout the year we perform the mitzvot we do the Commandments and withhold we're taught to do it with joy and happiness so we don't warn the rest of the year this one day of year our Rabbi set aside that this one day the day that the temples were destroyed this is the day that's designated that we mourn all of life's tragedies 422 BCE the first temple was destroyed and the Babylonians exiled us 355 BCE Haman and the Persians wanted to eradicate us 312 BCE the Greeks conquered us foreign CE the Romans destroyed the second temple leaving Israel in Ruins once again 1096 the Crusades wreaked havoc on Jewish communities across Europe 1492 the Spanish acquisition said our nation aflame 1648 once again Jews were massacred across Europe 1942 the Holocaust Hitler's Final Solution implemented until 1989 communism newly destroyed generations of Russian jewelry today Arab extremists want to wipe us off the face of the Earth alright guys I'm here along the Gaza border communities that have been devastated by these forest fires and field fires uh nature reserves you name it the devastation here is unbelievable you can't imagine how many acres of land has been destroyed by these kites now you might think what's the big deal it's just a kite yeah it's a kite with an explosive device or some flammable material that once it lands in on Israel's side it starts a fire either in an open field or in a nature reserve or like in this Forest where I'm at right now and the what are they trying to do they're trying to burn down our communities they're trying to kill the people living right here can you imagine guys can you imagine living here can you imagine all your livelihood your children your your your families being threatened by these fires because of kite being flown over into Israel it's not just the kite guys it's not just a bunch of peaceful protesters if you will on the other side these people are lethal their intentions are lethal they are trying to kill Jews living along the Gaza border on the other side of the security fence that's what they're doing when they're calling for the nakaba day when they're calling for uh uh these peaceful protests as the media tries to paint it out to be there's nothing peaceful about this it's utter destruction their goal was to kill me or my family or my friends the people living in Israel here in New York City we have seen a major spike in hate crimes over the past few months with much of it on Jewish people and according to the NYPD the number of anti-Semitic hate crimes arose by a shocking 94 compared to a year ago Jewish community centers and schools in 11 states have reported bomb threats according to the Anti-Defamation League the desecration of Jewish cemeteries have also been widely reported nationally a total of three cemeteries have now seen large numbers of overturned and broken headstones we're going to hear from a man who suffered tremendous personal tragedy in fact his tragedy as much as it was personal it was a tragedy that affected the entire Jewish Nation every single Jew that heard about this tragedy felt it and really mourned for this tragedy one casket carried out followed by another with thousands of mourners trailing with somber slow steps this heartbreaking scene in Far Rockaway at the Joint services for 21 year old Israel Levin of Brooklyn and 20 year old elishiva Kaplan a Far Rockaway the couple got engaged last week their deaths came Wednesday morning their car part of a five-vehicle pileup on the Nassau Expressway in Lawrence this tragedy specifically is not only for our family Catholic Family this is a tragedy for the whole Cloud Israel a story like this so happy highlights of their life the gods just shakes the world we are broken we are crushed and we are not strong I know how seriously you took it with Iron Man and you took your job soda you just took your responsibility so seriously you said our packages I'm gonna do the same for you in trouble I love you listen and pay attention to Howard Jewel sees life's tragedies life's difficulties as a message from God everything I'm going to say now ishel halavi Israel I nishmaski Hill Ephraim you should make for me and I will dwell amongst them another way of reading this pasta is that Hashem is not referring to the base hamidash of stone he's referring to every Jew and he's turning to us and instructing us you should make me a sanctuary in your heart and in your soul said that I could dwell amongst you my dear children my Jewish children how do we make a base amigdush for Hashem in our hearts and on the shamas we could learn from the unfortunate tragic deaths of my son Israel and askala elishava Basia what was unique about Israel his friends in Yeshiva made a book about him laid Israel he had a tremendously loving heart I called him affectionately after his death Israel the one who loves Claus Israel because he has such love for every individual all his friends even people he didn't know young old people who are grandmothers grandfathers they all wrote stories about how much they felt close to him and how inspired they were by him let me just read you one sample letter among the hundreds that we received from across the Jewish Globe after Israel passed away to the leavens my little brother goes to campagoda so he knows Israel we live in your neighborhood so he ended up davening in the same Shoal as Israel the Shabbos before pesach my brother came home after darwining and mentioned to me that he met Levin in shul the highlight of the Shabbos and he said that Israel had noticed him right when davening started so he smiled at him but they obviously weren't able to talk then however if the domining was over Israel came over to my brother shook his hand and spent some time talking to him saying hello and seeing how he was doing now my brother is 12 years old not one of you Straw's close friends he's just a random camper like 500 other boys and your son took the time to personally come over and say hello and I can't even begin to tell you how much it meant to my brother it made him feel like a million bucks it was such a simple interaction but it made such an impression on me and it really made me think about how I should treat kids who are younger than I am like I said I didn't know you stroll well but I have seen some of camper Goods videos and I can tell you that without a doubt I feel like he was the happiest person in Camp he made so many people happy constantly and I'm sure that just the thought of him will continue making people happy forever for 20 year old guy to be that kind of person is incredible and not very many people leave a legacy like that that's when God looks down and that's when God says Jewish people are living together with such love they respect one another they look out for one another God says now is the time now is when I want to show my love for the Jewish people I don't want to be hidden anymore in the way I'm hidden during Exile a rabbis teach us one of the reasons that the temple was destroyed was because of Senseless hate foreign when people don't get along with one another that causes destruction in this world if that's what caused the temple to be destroyed that would be an obvious place to start to rebuild the Temple getting along with one another is not always an easy task sure it's easy to talk about it but let's think for a moment in a very realistic way what are we gonna do when there's somebody that we just really don't like that could happen we are human beings better yet what are we going to do when somebody ruins us that could happen and we feel Justified how do we come to really feel to have to come back not only to act like it but feel they love for the other person we have to look at the person what they really are a person is not just a body this person is in the Shama a person every year there's abundance where hashem's children so if you look at the person what they really are the greatness through that we could really come to have the feeling of having if we really delve into it and think how important every Jewish person is sometimes it might not actual nice and sometimes might slip and do something say something you shouldn't have said or do something done but we should overlook those things by really about realizing who we're dealing with such great people every year this is so important because every man woman a child child is such a great barrier such a good creation about Hashem there's somebody really to have a force somebody very special for us to realize who they are but the text thinking and action and not just hearing words and shaking our heads we have to really take it seriously think about our relationships with everybody else [Music] and if you live your heart will just may Hear My Cry [Music] I stand here all along how long am I doing for all my children to come on a house of Marvel land of gold wants the Lord here by my side from far and what all came it's Beauty and it's from [Music] down [Music] and with it so much [Music] again together [Music] my daughters [Music] forever forever we must stand together forever a tremendous attribute he had was the way he doesn't his diving was something else the way people describe it and the interesting thing was during the nighttime activity he'd be on stage doing the acting fitting the role ten minutes later he's dominating Meyer serious talking to Hashem communicating with Hashem and I made a tremendous impression on all the boys that this is what we're really supposed to be like we're here to have fun in the summer as you in Ura also know you're there to have fun but it's also crucially important to know that I have an allegiance I want to attach myself to Hashem and I want to give Hashem nachas every time we take a moment and say a prayer if we say a prayer out of a cedar in Hebrew it's beautiful if we say a prayer in our own words that's also beautiful talking communicating with God performing God's mitzvah those are ways that we connect with God that's how we bring Jerusalem back twice a week we say a very special prayer and in that prayer we say we plead with God although we know you know that we're in Exile you know our life's challenges but please God take note of how we're suffering take note of the difficulties that the Jewish people have endured during the exile for almost two thousand years smaller challenges larger challenges difficulties tragedies sometimes tragedy is beyond belief please dear God bring it in to the exile d [Music] foreign [Music] foreign foreign [Music] I know [Music] if statistics are right the Jews constitute but one percent of the human race it suggests a nebulous dim puff of Stardust lost in the blaze of the Milky Way properly the Jew ought hardly to be heard of but he is heard of has always been heard of he is as prominent on the planet as any other people and his commercial importance is extravagantly out of proportion to the smallness of his bulk his contributions to the world's list of great names in literature science art music Finance medicine and abstruse learning are also way out of proportion to the weakness of his numbers [Music] he has made a marvelous fight in this world in all the ages and had done it with his hands tied behind him he could be vain of himself and be excused for it the Egyptian the Babylonian and the Persian Rose filled the planet with sound and Splendor then faded to dream stuff and passed away the Greek and the Roman followed and made a vast noise and they are gone other people have sprung up and held their torch high for a time but it burnt out and they sit in the Twilight now or have vanished the Jews saw them all beat them all and is now what he always was exhibiting no decadence no infirmities of age no weakening of his Parts no slowing of his energies no dulling of his alert and aggressive mind all things are mortal but the Jew all other forces pass but he remains what is the secret of his immortality [Music] you are the secret to our immortality every Jew carries on the legacy of thousands of years your dedication keeps us going your commitment is the key to our future Together We Are One Nation unified and eternal a chain missing even one link is nothing more than two parts all it needs is that one little link and they are bound together forever every step you take to connect to your heritage makes you a link in the chain you are the bridge between our past and our future over 2 000 years and the suffering continues time and again Nations have tried to destroy us they tried to obliterate us from the face of history and some still want to do the same what is the answer what are we to do [Music] you are the answer you are the secret to our immortality how could we bring Jerusalem back rebuilt it the way it was how can we bring the temple back by us making an effort to come closer to God now those are just words how do we come closer to God 's not a physical being we can't see God so how do we come closer to God the prescription is the Torah the Torah tells us step by step how we're supposed to behave what we're supposed to do 613 Commandments every mitzvah Every Good Deed a person does is a brick every brick is laid one on top of the other until the building is built all our mitzvot collectively every time a Jew does a Mitzvah no matter where he or she may be all those bricks all those mitzvot add up to the building of the Third Temple and that's when we will be redeemed that's when we will come back to Jerusalem and see it rebuilt with the Third Temple the third baytanic Dash