Tisha B'Av Special Live Zoom: The Land of Israel Fellowship

Shalom my friends. Shalom. If you can hear me, give me a thumbs up as usual. Okay. It's good to see all of you. Um, shalom. Shalom. And, uh, shalom to all those joining us for the very first time from all around the world. Uh, this is our fellowship. Welcome to our family. Uh, what a moment for your first fellowship. But I can tell you speaking for the entire team here in the land of Israel out here in the hills of Judea uh hosting this fellowship today was not an easy decision. The 9th of Dav is the darkest day on our calendar. A day of heartbreak, fasting, lamentation, a day of so deeply personal that every year sometimes we hesitate to even open our mouths. And you add that to the heat of the summer. This is one of the hottest days of the year. The fast from both food and water for 25 hours, the exhaustion. It would have been understandable to just keep this private. But we couldn't. We wouldn't. The decision was unanimous because somewhere deep in our hearts we felt though we couldn't even necessarily articulate it at the time or at least I couldn't that this year this day is different and in this fellowship I want to share why I believe that's the that's the case and why I felt this way but before I do I want to introduce uh my beloved friend Steve Warp who uh I think is part of the answer to that question. Um, Steve founded a beautiful organization called Blessed by Israel to support the farmers and pioneers of the Holy Land. And for a number of years now, he's actually been running programming for the nations to be part of the 9th of A. And he's joining us with his whole group today, which by the way, I encourage you all to join him after hours end. So, uh, thank you, Steve, and welcome. You know, I used to believe that um that Steve was bringing people who love Israel to sit in and sort of witness what we as the nations of Israel are experiencing, to see our mourning. I mean, they love us. And I thought they just wanted to be close. Um but now I'm starting to understand even more why I believe that those of you who here who are here from the nations are not just watching. You're not guests in this story. This day, this prophecy is about you, too. No less than it's about us. And the fact that we are gathering together in what may be the largest fellowship we've ever had. And it's happening on the 9th of A is not a coincidence. It's destiny. It's part of the redemption that is unfolding before our eyes and even through our very lives. This is part I believe I believe this is part of the great awakening the stirring of Israel and of the world leading us towards the building of the beta mikdash the ultimate house of prayer for humanity the house of prayer as Isaiah said for the nations of the world. So to all of you around the world to Steve welcome welcome and thank you for being here. Now I just want to give you a little bit of background just about me. You see, I grew up in Houston, Texas, as I always say, because of the destruction of the temple and the exile of the Jewish people around the world. And every year growing up there, I would sit cross-legged on the synagogue floor and chant the durges of Aha and Kenote, the lamentations, just mourning tragedies that that honestly they just felt so distant that they were they were almost abstract. Yeah, maybe you'd hear like a whimper in the room or a trembling voice, but for me, and I suspect for most, it felt forced. We were safe there. You know, we were comfortable. Our Jewish lives were intact. We had kosher restaurants, day schools, synagogues, Holocaust memorials, you know, never again. That felt secure. The Holocaust, right? The most recent 9th of A level catastrophe seemed firmly placed in the past. There was a movie about it. Schindler's List. It was sacrosanked. Nobody was chasing down Jews in the street. Things just felt okay and normal. But that world is gone. That world is gone. You know, those of you who know me know that I am obsessed with my children and that my favorite hour of the day is bedtime, 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. And my two oldest, Dvash and Sheila, who are five and three, share a room. And I tell them stories every single night. two stories, two riddles, and then two questions for each of them. And that is our little ritual. And I love it more than they do. And over the last nine days, I tell them stories about the beta mikdash, about the temple, about why we mourn, why we fast, why we are waiting for its rebuilding. And I try to weave them into beautiful stories that bring it all to life for them. And it is alive for them. It is alive for them. Little Shilo doesn't build anything whether from magnet tiles at home or sand on the beach. He doesn't really build anything other than the beta mikdash. That's all he wants to build other than the temple. What are you doing today? I'll ask Shilo. Building the beta mikdash. He'll often answer. Just yesterday we stopped in the car. Dvash was in the back to pick up a hitchhiker who it turns out was going in the other direction and didn't need a ride from us. And Dvash said asked me, she said, "Does that still count as a brick in the beta mikdash?" She was referring of course to the teaching that every act of love and kindness is another brick in the building of the temple. We are constantly talking about our mission to bring God's presence in the world to build his home in our midst to bless all of humanity. And then just two nights ago as I was I was lying on the floor next to them with my with my fingers touching little Sheilo's pudgy little hand and he was twiddling my fing. It was just just so beautiful. And I was just finishing the story that I called the wonders of the bay tamikdash. That's what I called it. And right then the sirens wailed. And it's just heartbreaking. Sheilo clapped his little hands over his ears. And he closed his eyes, shaking his head, trying to shut the world out. And Dvash, her eyes widened in fear as she clutched her baby brother, not letting him out of her embrace. I grabbed them each under my arms and whisked them into the safe room. of course reflecting upon how far it feels at times between the moment that we're in and the moment that we're praying for, the moment that feels like it's any moment now, but it seems so close and yet so far away. But the fact is that this is their childhood. This is their reality. Just this morning, I sat in synagogue uh on the floor in Judea in the nearby village of Iban and I looked around and all I saw was brokenness and grief. Not about what happened in the distant past, but what's happening right now. There's there is no one who is untouched. There is no one who isn't suffering. He lost his brother-in-law and he lost his cousin and his best friend died in his arms three months ago and he's suffering from debilitating PTSD. You know, three of our holiest soldiers, elite warriors, protectors of the land have taken their own lives in the past 10 days. We just lost Roee Waserstein yesterday. Just look at his face. Just look at his face. You can see the goodness in him. You can see the light, the compassion. You know, over 300 days in reserve duty. 300 days of evacuating wounded, retrieving the fallen, gathering body parts so families could bury their loved one with dignity. You know, he fought not only in the battles of the war, but in the battles of the soul. Don't. And please, I I know that nobody's judging, but it's just, you know, suicide is one of those things you you cannot judge. Please don't don't. Some of the bravest, purest souls I've ever known have been crushed beneath the weight of trauma in that way. Particularly these holy beings of light. They're like angels in human form. They're not supposed to be exposed to this horrific evil darkness. And so the trauma of October 7th is not behind us. We are still in it every day. Just last night, as the 9th of A descended upon us, Israel endured yet another collective wound. Kamas with calculated cruelty chose this holy day of mourning to release a video of our beloved Aviatar Davidid for whom we've been praying and yearning. The video shows him skeletal, emaciated, traumatized, digging his own grave. Here's the video. My crim shore. This is the reality we are living. We are all in that cave in that tunnel with him. We are all there with him. There's a part of each and every one of us and many many of you I'm sure every day our sons are dying in Gaza. Every morning we brace ourselves for the radio when you turn on who is it today whose family will be shattered who's the next son or daughter of Israel that we will bury in the ground. The world and the world the world looks at Israel and they see perhaps they see a nation in endless conflict and debate. But what they cannot see, what we what even we barely really understand is how profoundly connected we are to one another. Our souls are bound. And Kamas knows this. They understand it more clearly than we do because they're the exact opposite. When the IDF drops leaflets to warn civilians to save lives, Hamas sends children into the line of fire, maximizing their deaths for the cameras, knowing the world will rush to condemn us. They weaponize our compassion because it's our greatest strength. And yes, it does make us vulnerable, but it's who we are. There's nothing we can do about it. We are, as the sages say, Rahmanim ben raman compassionate, the children of compassionate. And when even one of our brothers or sisters is wasting away in torturous starvation, a part of each and every one of us is there with them. Whether or not we allow ourselves to feel it, whether or not we succeed in numbing it with distraction, the truth is that our souls are bound together. A thread runs through us all. And when that thread is pulled, we all bleed. Why do you think they trade one hostage for a thousand of their terrorists? Because they understand what it is to us. Every day our sons are dying in Gaza. We wake up each morning and flinch. Who's it going to be? You know, the truth is I I considered showing you all a montage, a brief, even mild montage, just a glimpse of the horrors of October 7th, but I I decided against it because to even watch a moment of that evil, it it brand it's it scars your soul. >> It can it can never be unseen. >> I I watched them. I watched these videos and I felt like I needed to watch them as a soldier. I felt I needed to I needed to know firsthand the depravity of what we're fighting to never forget what happens when those demonic hands seize what is most pure. Our children, our sons, our daughters, all that is fragile and all that is holy and all that is sweet. And they've made it clear that their mission is to extinguish every last light. to extinguish every light in the darkest way imaginable. And we don't have the luxury here of embracing comforting lies. We we can't cling to the illusion that only some of them hate us. That the horrors of that day were just a tiny minority. Ask any hostage who's come home. It was not a minority. It was everybody or just about. Let's put it this way. I believe that Abraham would would have had le more trouble finding 10 righteous in Gaza than he had in Sodom and Gomorrah. And if this isn't PC, I'm sorry. I'm just telling the truth. Over 70% of the rapes, the murders, the beheading of babies were carried out not just by Hamas fighters, but by so-called innocent civilians who stream across the border with glee. That's the truth that we're living and that's the evil we face. Just listen to this woman from Gaza. She said it best. Okay. And why am I sharing this with you right now? The 9th of A because as we remain entrenched in this devastating, traumatizing and utterly exhausting, existential war for our very survival. I myself have been in the army since January with a week off during which I was trapped in America away from my family catching a sailboat back to the Holy Land. You know, while while we are all in this existential war for our survival, how is the world responding? How are the nations, some of them that we really once counted as friends, countries that we really believed were our allies, how are they responding? While they're seizing this moment of our brokenness to cloak their hatred in a mask of moral outrage, they feain compassion for Gaza while demonizing Israel, calling us evil, calling us the aggressor. They are they're calling us evil. And these monsters in Gaza, they're calling them righteous as the prophet Isaiah said would be. Woe to those who call evil good and good evil. Who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter. Just as the prophets foretold, the nations are uniting against Jerusalem in the final days. The prophet Zechariah chapter 12, behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup a cup of staggering to all the surrounding peoples. On that day, I will make Jerusalem a heavy stone for all peoples. All who lift it will surely hurt themselves, and all the nations of the earth will gather against it. How is that even possible in biblical times? Well, we see it happening now. It's happening before our eyes. It's culminating before our eyes. They can smell our exhaustion, our grief, our vulnerability. And like vultures, they're circling overhead. They swoop in, eager to strike, eager to hand victory to the very monsters who carried out these atrocities. And now, one by one, they begin to announce with this self-righteous bravado their intent to unilaterally recognize a Palestinian state. As Israel's actions in Gaza grow even bolder and settler violence in the occupied West Bank continues to rage on, more and more countries are moving forward with plans to recognize a Palestinian state. Canada became the latest with the prime minister saying hopes for a two-state solution are being eroded before our eyes. For decades, it was hoped that this outcome would be achieved as part of a peace process built around a negotiated settlement between the Israeli government and the Palestinian Authority. Regrettably, this approach is no longer tenable. >> It follows similar moves from France, [Music] >> the UK. >> I can confirm the UK will recognize the state of Palestine. Portugal too says it is considering it. It would bring the total to more than 140, evidence of growing frustration. >> Germany is one of Israel's most loyal allies. The foreign minister is heading there to meet officials, including the president. He's hinted Germany's support may be running out. In a statement, he said Israel is increasingly finding itself in a minority position. That's right. A minority position as the world is establishing the so-called Palestinian state, which of course would instantly elevate Hamas from a blood soaked terror organization to heads of state, complete with their own seat at the United Nations, their own international airports. No more tunnels, no more smuggling. Their weapons would roll in on commercial flights through Terminal One. And even even the so-called moderates, the Palestinian Authority, proudly enshrine in their law the pay for slave program. You all know this, the monthly stipens that are being paid millions and millions and millions to the families of terrorists who slit Jewish babies throats in their cribs. This isn't an a conspiracy. It's not an accusation. It's their policy to recognize such a state in the biblical heartland of Israel itself is to sanctify evil, to reward mass murder. to spit in our faces and cast the final stone at the people of Israel in our hour of greatest anguish. This isn't politics. This isn't this is this is prophecy. It's prophecy unfolding before our eyes. And yet in the midst of this suffocating darkness, there's a blinding beautiful light. And this light is the reason I shared everything I've shared up until now. The prophet spoke not only of the nations gathering against Israel, but also of the righteous remnant. So the righteous of the nations will join themselves to the Lord on that day, and they will become my people, and I will dwell in your midst, and they will become my people, and these righteous of the nations will become like a people to me. And in chapter 13, he even goes further to describe the the final days. He says, "I will bring the third through fire. I will refine them as silver is refined and test them as gold is tested. They will call on my name and I will answer them. I will say they are my people and they will say the Lord is my God." My friends, I believe these prophecies, some say they're only speaking of Israel. I really in my heart I know that they're speaking of all of you as well. This prophecy, look around at this fellowship. These prophecies are about you. You are the righteous remnant. You are the ones who refuse to to bow to the lies that are uh that are so prevalent in our world. You're the ones standing in in a covenant of friendship with Israel even as the nations are raising. And the more they rage, the more love we feel coming from all of you. And I said, it's taken me a number of years to understand the hearts of of my friends like Steve who have been rallying the nations on this painful day. But I'm I'm coming to see that truth. that you are not bystanders. You are part of this story. Your grief is not less and your mourning is not other. The temple we mourn today, it's yours too. It was the place where heaven touched the earth for all of mankind. The source of blessing for the nations of the world. And we are a nation of priests. We were priests. Just as the children of Aaron are priests to us, the Israelites in the temple, the entire nation of Israel are priests to all of you. We were the conduit through which that light and that blessing was to flow. And one of the final awakenings before redemption is this. We in Israel, we are remembering, we are coming to. We're remembering that we are not here for ourselves alone, but that we are called to bless the nations, to be a light to the world, to build a house of prayer for all all peoples. And with your loving hearts and your spirits of brotherhood, you are helping awaken us. I can speak for myself. You've been you've been helping these years of this fellowship awaken me. awaken me and I believe all of us to our truest calling, to our deepest purpose, to the very core of who we're meant to be. As King David declared, in those days, the righteous of the nations will say, "Look, look at the great things God has done with you." And only then, when the righteous of the nations say that, only then will the Jewish people look and say, "Wow, look at the great things God has done with us." So yes, then this is the ninth of Av that is different because even as the darkness deepens, the light grows brighter. And even as the nations rage, the righteous remnant, all of you are rising together. Jews and the righteous among the nations. We mourn today and we pray and we prepare for the day when mourning will turn to joy. May this be the last ninth of a that we cry. And may next year be the year we dance together in the courtyards of the Beta Mikdash. And it is now my great honor to introduce my best friend, my Rebi, and my commander Jeremy. Thank you, Ari. Thank you. That was absolutely beautiful. Um, my tishabove has already become more meaningful just connecting all of the dots and realizing that we're not just commemorating something that happened 1,955 years ago. We are living tishabove right now. But tishabove is also the day that Messiah will be revealed into the world. And so amongst this hardships and these challenges, we know that something beautiful will be born of it. And I just want to welcome everyone that's come here today. I want to welcome all the new names and the faces that I see here. Welcome to the Land of Israel Fellowship. You know, it's a global community with representation from 50 countries and we're a tight-knit group and we decided to open up the gates to everyone and how beautiful it is that we meet every Sunday to learn together, to grow together, to stay plugged into what's really happening in Israel and get connected to the heart of Israel. But this tishov, we said, let's open it to the world. And I there's so many people on YouTube now live streaming, so many people here in this Zoom gathering, and it's just marvelous. And um you know just stay tuned for 10 from the nations. They'll be starting their tishop of event right after the fellowship. And so what an honor it is to be hosting this event to be this voice from Israel to be this bridge between worlds. And so it's just beautiful to have you all with us here today. You know on the 9th above we didn't just lose the house of prayer for all nations. It's like now on the tishabove the fast, we've been fasting now all day. It's almost evening time here in Israel. We're literally modeling that dream that we lost. We've gathered people from so many nations together in this virtual house of prayer for all nations. And so I want to just take this historic opportunity as we pioneer this path for the world and start this session with a prayer uniting the different nations, the different countries, the different religions, the different educations, the different backgrounds and bring us all together as we all have one heart for Israel. And I think if there's one thing we can learn from Tishabove and from the temple, it's that we have one world. We have one God, and that all of us are his children. So let's bring our hearts together from around the world and through this land facing Jerusalem and the temple mount. Let's pray. Hashem, master of the universe, our father, our king, we've gathered here together your fellowship and beyond. It's a fast of tishabove today. and we've come here together from so many nations around the world to align our lives with you, to learn your Torah, and to attach ourselves to the destiny of Israel. Every week after Shabbat, every Sunday, we start off our week together coming together. We scattered around the world, but we are united with a single purpose to see Jerusalem rebuilt and to see it shine as a beacon of light for all nations. Today we remember the destruction of your house, the exile of your people, and the fire that consumed the holiness and the closeness we once knew with you in your temple. But today, Hashem, we don't only mourn the past. We bring before you the pain of the present. We cry for our hostages that are still being held by monsters. For over 600 days, the people of Israel in your land have been at war. And on this 9th of A, Hashem, we lift our hearts in mourning for the brave soldiers of Israel who have fallen. Sons and daughters of Zion whose courage lit the darkness with hope. And for those who still stand, who carry the weight of this war on their shoulders, we ask you, guardian of Israel, to surround them with your divine protection. Strengthen their hands, steady their hearts, and grant them victory in this battle between Israel and the jihad, between good and evil. Hashem, look down at our fellowship and look down at this gathering that we've gathered here today. See what we've done together in this generation, a living model of your ways on earth, a reflection of your temple in Jerusalem. Bless this fellowship. Bless everyone that has joined this movement. Bless everyone that's come here live today. Bless them and bless their families. In this time of transition between the world we know and the world soon to come, guard us all and guide us on the path of righteousness and help us reflect your light to everyone around us. And may this fellowship be a seed of prophecy for soon Jerusalem will become a house of prayer for all nations. Amen. All right, my friends. So I want to talk to you just a little bit about the book of Lamentations, the book of Aha. It was written by Jeremiah the prophet who lived before, during, and after the destruction of the temple. He actually wrote the book Aha years before the destruction of the temple. He wrote it to rattle people and wake them up. And now everyone last night, everyone this morning, that's the book that all of Israel is plugging into on this day of tishab. So imagine when it was written, it was like going to the doctor because you're not feeling great and instead of hearing a diagnosis, the doctor begins to read your eulogy. It's like a what? What's happening? And so that's how eh was first written. And the book starts with the words a which are usually translated as alas. But that's not really the right translation. The word aa is the expanded Hebrew word for a which means how. So the right verse really reads, "How did this happen? A lonely sits the city, what was once full with people. How like a widow is she who is great among the nations." It's like a isn't just how, but it's like how has this happened? This didn't need to be the case. It's a question really for us to reflect. What did we do to bring this destruction? How could we have stopped it? How can we make it better now? And the first time that word appears in the Torah, it takes us all the way back to the Garden of Eden. It says, "Then the Lord came to Adam and said to him, where are you?" Genesis 3:9. Where are you? Isayeka. It's not said the same way, but it's literally the same exact written word. Where are you? The same letters. In some ways, it's really asking the same question. How did this happen? Where are you? Where are you this tishabove? Where are you in life? When tragedy falls upon the people of Israel, the response is always, how did this happen? And where was I? And that's really the entire purpose of this day, the purpose of this fast, the reing of keynote and lamentations, the purpose of this gathering. It's ultimately to call us to go inside, to reflect, to soulsearch, to take responsibility wherever we find ourselves. And one of the people who takes more responsibility than anyone that I've ever met is Tahil Gimpel, my wife. She has recently opened up a new community within the fellowship. It's called the Women of Valor and it's a place where righteous women can get together, learn together from around the world, connect with each other, really learn from Ta. It's one of the most beautiful initiatives I've ever seen Tahila do. And once again, she's just taking responsibility for women around the world that are looking to connect to Israel, to connect to the Torah from Israel. And so with that, I want to introduce Tahila to share with us a Torah about Tishabove and help make our day that much more meaningful and connected. >> Hi everyone. Wow. I know it's a sad day, but uh I can't help but be a little bit uh happy to see everyone here together. Old friends uh and new friends, friends that I haven't seen for a long time, friends that we get together with every week. It's really just so special to me. So I want to take a second and go back to the biblical source of this day. You know, when we think of time, we often, you know, in the Bible, we think of the biblical feasts that are in the Torah. But the fasts for the destruction are also mentioned in the Bible as well. So I want to open up and if you guys have your Bibles with you, feel free to just follow along. Uh I want to open up in Zechariah 7, Zakaria Peragine. So where are we in this chapter? So the first temple was destroyed. Um the first temple was destroyed. The Babylonian exile, you know, the the the Jews went out into the Babylonian exile. Cyrus gives permission to go back. Some go back to the land. Most of them don't. And the ones who come back to the land are trying to set things up again, but the nations are giving them a very hard time. Um and then things start to p perk up a little bit with Darius. on the prophet Hagai. Hagai uh urges the people to start rebuilding the second temple. So they start building in the second year of Darius and they're going to ultimately be building for four years until the sixth year of Darius. But this prophecy in chapter 7 of Zakaria happens in the fourth year, meaning they're halfway through. And we can in our times relate with what it feels like being halfway, right? Like we can, you know, where you feel like there's this progress that's been made, but you're not quite there yet. On the one hand, they're in this really good trajectory of building things along, but they still have a lot of problems. And so, here's what it says. Says, "It cames to path came to pass on the fourth year of King Darius. The word of the Lord came to uh Zearia. Yes, sorry. and Sharez and Regim and Melik and his men sent to Badel to pray before the Lord to say to the priests of the house of the Lord of hosts and to the prophets saying, "Shall I keep shall I weep in the fifth month abstaining as I have done for these many years?" So the fifth month is when we're in now. This is tish they're talking about tishabove and they're asking a pretty logical question, right? We've started building the temple. We're two years into the building process. Can I have a sandwich? Right? It's like it's about time. How do we know when to stop being sad? How do you know when you can say like, "Okay, things are things are picking up. I can I cannot I can stop mourning." And then how does God answer? I fell off my chair when I read this for the first time. Says, "Say to the people." So God appears to to to Zechariah and in verse 5, he says, "Save all the people of the land." And the priest saying when you fasted a more in the fifth month and the seven month that's the fast of Gdalia these 70 years did you fast for me? It's like he's asking them why are you ask it's like a it's almost a sarcastic response. It's like oh you were you were doing this for me when you eat and you drink are you're are you not the ones who are eating and the ones who drink. It's a shockingly sarcastic answer coming from God. Right guys, I did a double take the first time I read it because these people have come all the way to the prophets and to the priests calling out to Hashem for guidance. Isn't this behavior that we encourage? And God is like, why why are you asking me this? Why why are you bothering me with this question? Am I the one fasting? Are you doing are you doing this for me? What does this have to do with me? Am I the one eating? You're the one eating. Like this is a you thing. As my kids say, you do you. So, you know what Hashem is saying here is, I get that you have this question, but Hashem is clearly not pleased with this question. You're not asking the right question. And then what does the prophet go on to say? He says you're fasting and sad because I destroy the temple. This is not a random tragedy. If you think you're sad about the temple, you're missing the point. What you're supposed to be sad about is why the temple was destroyed. The prophets I sent you were telling you what to do. Did you listen to them? And so he he says, "Execute true judgment. Perform loving kindness and mercy each one of you to his brother. Do not oppress the widow, the orphan, the stranger, the poor man. Neither shall any of you think evil against his brother in your heart." The reason the temple was destroyed is not because rocks, you know, fell apart or because fire was set to it. It was because you refused to listen. It says in verse 11, they turned a rebellious shoulder and they made their ears heavy not to hear. So Hashem is saying, you didn't listen to what I wanted back then. So the temple was destroyed. Now you're fasting about the temple being destroyed and asking me if it's a good time to stop fasting, but I never told you to fast to begin with. I told you what to do to prevent the destruction. I told you how not to get yourself in this trouble to begin with. That's what interests me. You want to know if to stop fasting? Answer the question yourself. I'll say this to my kids a lot of times. I'll be like, "You ask me a question. Now you tell me what you think the answer is." Hashem is saying, "What do you think the answer is? I'm not going to answer you. You need to figure out if you're fixing the things that I've asked you to fix. Are you truly listening to the words of the prophet? Are you are you doing are you are you understanding the main point?" And then the verses in in this chapter go on to say, "All the things that went wrong in the exile and all the punishments that we received." Okay, fair enough. If that would have ended here, you would have been left saying to yourself, "Well, that didn't really answer the question, though." Meaning, yes, of course. Like, great lesson. Great lesson. Thank you, Zachariah. But, uh, can I get a bagel? Like, are we supposed to go eat? It didn't really answer the question, but fair enough. Maybe Hashem just really isn't that interested in these fast days, and he's saying, "Figure it out for yourself." But then suddenly in chapter 8, it seems totally the opposite. Suddenly God is saying this whole prophecy about what's going to happen in the times of redemption. And it doesn't seem like Hashem is disinterested in the fasts at all. It seems quite the opposite. Look in verse 19 in chapter 8. So said the Lord of hosts, the fast of the fourth month, the fast of the fifth month. So that's the 17th of Tamuz and the ninth of A. The fast of the seventh month and Gdalia the fast of the 10th month that's um the uh the 10th of T shall be for the house of Judah for joy and happiness happy holidays but love truth and peace. So Hashem is giving this beautiful prophecy about all the wonderful things that are going to be happening and of all the things that he can tell us. He's like guess what guys if he didn't just sarcastically respond one chapter ago to the question of the people asking if they can stop fasting. Hashem is like guess what guys great news. You always thought there were only three biblical feasts. I'm promising you there are going to be four more biblical feasts. Great news. And then you're like, "Okay, great news. But I am banging my head against these prophecies for days, saying, "Are are our fasts significant? Are these days significant to God or not?" Because when they asked him if they could stop fasting, he was like, "Why are you asking me?" And then when God comes and gives us the good news, just a few verses later, he seems very enthusiastic about the destiny of these fasts becoming joyous days. Why couldn't he just tell them, "Yeah, here like, okay, do XYZ and then you could stop fasting. It's going to be joyous days. We're have this beautiful prophecy. Shouldn't chapter 8 have been the answer to the question of chapter 7?" Could have been like, "Great question. Here's your answer. What is going on?" And suddenly it hit me when we were driving on a little vacation with my children with our children. We have all these beautiful plans. We're going to go hike in the beautiful mountains of Israel and we have these great this great vision of all of our, you know, precious family time. And what are the kids doing in the car? Are we there yet? Can we go out and buy a snack? This this gas station looks like a great place to get a snack. I'm hot. Can I get out of the car? Are we done? Let's just get out here. this is we've been driving long enough. Let's get out. And I'm like, really? What do you want your kids to be doing? You want them to be envisioning all the fun we're going to have in our destination, being grateful, being excited, and instead they're stuck in this like momentary question of, "Can I go buy a sandwich? Can we just get out of this squishy discomfort of this car?" I'm like, "Guys, we have a much bigger plan." You're losing sight of the destination when you are fretting over, "Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet?" And it struck me maybe Hashem is upset at the question in chapter 7 because it is fundamentally such a small question. What did they come and ask? They said, "Can we stop being sad? Can we eat?" And Hashem says, "What difference do you think it makes to me if you're sad and not eating?" You're not asking the right question if you're asking to stop being sad because you're basically saying, "Are things what is the fundamental of that question?" It's saying, "Are things unhorble enough?" We have like a quarter built temple. Is that unhorble enough to not be absolutely devastated anymore? What should they really be asking? What they should be asking is how do we make these days amazing? How do we turn around all the suffering of our Jewish history and make it and give meaning to it? You know, these the names of the people asking the question, they sound like Babylonian. They might have actually sent these people from Babylonia to ask God if they could stop fasting. That's not the question. The question is how do we join together to be so much bigger? How do we turn around the bad stuff and strive for true redemp to redemption to to dream something as big and beautiful in its magnitude as the magnitude of the suffering that we suffered because that's how big Hashem is dreaming for Jerusalem. So don't ask if we can be less sad and eat a bagel. Ask can we make this into an epic biblical level festival? And so Hashem says the question you ask me not the right question. But chapter 8 comes and says here's the plan guys. And Hashem gives a plan. The eighth chapter of Zachchariah is not just a prophecy. It's a plan. It is nothing less than a threepronged partnership. said there are three legs that this vision is going to stand on. First of all, Hashem makes his promises. And there are a lot of promises. I'm not going to read all of them, but he says, "As I plan to do evil to you, when your forefathers provoked me, so I have turned about and planned these days to do good to Jerusalem and to the house of Judah. Do not fear." And then God lists all the miracles that he's going to do and the in gathering of the exile and children in the streets and the elderly in the streets. Hashem is saying as bad as the suffering of the Jewish people has has been that is how good in in quantity and quality how good it's going to be in my plan do not fear but that's not enough because that is Hashem's promise but then there's instructions for Israel and he says and you know there's there's a lot of instructions here to Israel but it always has this one word that keeps coming back again and again truth and peace these are the things you shall do it's not just a prophecy it's a job description Speak the truth one with his neighbor. Truth and judgment of peace shall you judge in your cities. Let no one think evil of his neighbors in your heart. Do not love false oaths. But this is what I hate, says the Lord. So many of Israel's problems start when we do not live out the truth of what it means to be Israel. From the desert trying to copy the Midionites up until now trying to, you know, fit into whatever the UN tells us we're supposed to be. Our biggest problem is trying to be someone else instead of doing what God put us here to be. But then there's one more leg. There's one more piece to the puzzle. Zechariah goes on, "How will you know that you've gotten there to this revolution where the fasts become festivals?" Says, "And the inhabitants of one shall go to another, saying, "Let us go pray before the Lord and treat the Lord of hosts. I will go too, and many peoples and powerful nations shall come to entreat the Lord of hosts in Jerusalem and pray before the Lord." So said the Lord of hosts, in those days 10 men of all languages, the nations shall take hold of the skirt of a Jewish man or the fringes of a Jewish man, saying, "Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you." There's a third element that the righteous of the nations h are tasked in this chapter to do their job. And when these three things come together, that is what we're shooting for. The goal is not to be less hungry on Tishabove like the people in the chapter 7 asked. The goal is to use tishab to be hungry, to be hungry and yearn and work for that great great destiny that Hashem has in mind for Jerusalem and for the world. And in the middle of this prophecy, there's this incredible verse. I read it again and again. I can't get enough of it. So said the Lord of hosts in verse six, as it will be wonderful in the eyes of the remnant of the people in those days, it will be wonderful in my eyes, says the Lord of hosts. Wonderful doesn't mean like really really nice wonder. This is using the word pelle in Hebrew. It means like actual wonder like shocking wondrousness. Is this actually happening? Like unbelievable wonder beyond wonder. And it's so crazy because God is saying I know that this prophecy sounds hard for you to envision and believe. It's hard for me. I am in wonder as I am saying what is going to be. I myself, God, am in wonder watching this of what I see can be for Jerusalem. And now here I am sitting in wonder because I'm sitting in Judea after Hashem has engathered me and inathered the exiles and put elderly in the streets of Jerusalem and children playing in the streets of Jerusalem and Hashem did his part. And here we are doing our little part to try to speak the truth of Torah from Zion. And here you guys, everyone here is coming from all over the world to seek out Hashem. And I can't help but be overwhelmed by the wonder and wonder if Hashem himself isn't saying, "Wow, this is really a wonder in my eyes, too." So with that, I wish you guys a meaningful a meaningful tishabove. And I pray I you know, I hope we all join together in praying for that great vision to come and pass speedily in our days. Bye everyone. Thanks for being here. >> Uh that is Tahila Gimpel. She is absolutely marvelous. And what we want to do now is we want to introduce our partners in crime, the Israel guys. And we want them to be representations of the nations. And um I I don't know if Josh Waller, Luke Hilton, are either of you guys with us now. >> Jeremy, I can hear you loud and clear. Can you hear me? Okay, here we are, Josh. All right, there you go. >> Okay, good. Okay, so I'm gonna get right to you, Josh, but I just have to say, you know, 20 years we're together now. Uh we've been friends, and for the first time, we're here together on Tishaba, and we're mourning the destruction. And the truth is, there are things about this whole thing of us being together that I still truly do not understand. We are not here together because we've solved every theological question. We're not here because we've worked out all the logic. We're not here because of what's happening here. We're here because of what's happening here in our hearts. >> You know, something has already begun. And that's what the prophet said. They said that when we return to the land, God will take from his heart of stone and place within us a heart of flesh. That we would have a circumcision of the hearts, not of the heads of the hearts. We don't need to understand everything or anything. But I want to understand you. We want to understand you. What is it that is making you want to be a part of the ninth of AV? What is it? What does the ninth of AV mean to you? Are you fasting today? Share with us, Josh. Thanks, Ari. And yes, what a friendship. And I think that this is this may just be part of the the uh redemption that's happening as Tahila just gave such a great um uh study and a talk there of of the redemption. And I feel like the nations, there is something for the nations in this. And I know so many on this call right now are those from the nations that are that are listening in that are wanting to see what something's happening. And like you said, Ari, it's it's moving. It's not so much in the head right now. There's a lot that comes from the heart. Um, and I think that for me specifically, yes, I am fasting with you. I'm fasting maybe in a different way though. I'm fasting because I know the Jewish people, Ari, you and I spoke earlier this week and um and you said you're fasting and seeking God more on a a level of reflection for you as a Jewish person that that the Jewish people, you teach that the these evils that befell the people of Israel, the exiles, the burning, the destruction of the temple came because of the sins of Israel. as one from the nations. As I fast today, I think of I reflect on what the nations did. Just as you as a Jewish person are reflecting on what you did that caused this, I'm reflecting on what we as the nations did that caused this. And maybe you can't say caused, but the those that dealt this evil upon the Jewish people, those that actually committed the crimes of destruction, the ones that lit the fires in the holy place of the temple mount, destroyed the temple with their own hands, the Jewish people would have never dreamed to do such a thing. Uh so the depravity of the nations, uh I'm reminded of this morning. I read Ari um probably what you read it was a list of just terrible things that befell the Jewish people. Uh it's in it's in uh some of the prayers that you probably read this morning as you sat on the floor in the synagogue. I wanted to hear what the Jewish people were reading and I went through and I read those things and it was horrifying to be one that no I don't have a specific family member or grand greatgrandfather that did something that I know about. But in my mind there's only two people groups. There's the Jewish people, God's chosen people, and there's the nations. And whether you're Chinese, whether you're American, whether you're Canadian, no matter who you are, you're a part of that group called the nations. And the nations inflicted so much pain on the people of Israel on this day that yes, everyone from the nations that understands that damage should be fasting and should be seeking God on how do we rectify, how do we repent? Something really amazing happened this week, Ari. And it happens uh it just happened to be that this last nine days have been some of the most productive days of standing with Israel uh that we here at Hayu have had in a long time. We were out standing with Jewish farmers. We took nearly uh was about 3,000 dunams of land down in the Jordan Valley. And as our team was building uh fences for a new farmer to take over lands that Jewish people have not been able to settle on for thousands of years, I thought, "Okay, this is real repentance. This is the nation's way of repenting." When we ourselves can come and do the very thing that we wronged you in by destroying the land of Israel, we can come and be a part of building up this precious, holy, God-given land to you. Can we can be a part in a positive way, not the destruction, not the tools of destruction upon this nation, but literally the tool of redemption, of restoration, of of restoring this land. Uh so this week has been a really um it's been a a beautiful uh week to see an opportunity. You didn't have to accept it, Ari. Uh not one Jewish person should really. You should have said, "Hey, we can do this on our own. You've heard us too much. Goodbye with the nations. We've tried this before." But you didn't. You said, "Come on, we need you. This is a part of the story. Let's build together." And uh for that, I thank you. Thank you, Ari. uh and to all of your people that have welcomed us to join in this building process. Uh it's been a a humbling journey uh but one of great great fulfillment. Uh so that's that's my reflections today Ari as I am fasting maybe in a little different light a little different way than maybe you as a Jewish person are. Uh but that's that's uh that's the ninth of for me. Well, I'll tell you, I feel like on some level the relationship between us is like symbolic of a greater healing that's going on between Israel and the nations, at least the nation you represent at this time. And it's part of not just facilitating the redemption, but it feels like it's part of the redemption itself. Um, but I had this thought that the very first ninth of AV, the root of all this sorrow was when our ancestors spoke against the land, right? Right? The spies came back and they said the land is good but and they fill the people with fear. And that moment of slander really shattered everything. And so we are the the relationship between us Josh isn't only you know about the house of prayer for all nations. But you're coming together. We're coming together to lift up Hashem's name and sing the praises of the land. The land. You're rectifying that initial sin that caused our dispersion. You're praying in the fields of Judea. You're working our vineyards in Samaria. You're coming and you're saying the land is very, very good. Jews, come home. The land awaits you. The world awaits you. Is that a big part of what this day is for you also? Is that the land as well? Well, I have to say that yeah, there's something about this land that's unlike any other land, Ari, you know that from me. Uh it's it is amazing to see the prophecy becoming a reality in front of our very eyes when we when we see the goodness of God as King David would say in the land of the living. There's so much atrocities that have come to the Jewish people on these this day that we're fasting. And there's still we're still not completely there. But my my are we seeing the hand of God alive in this country. And yes, the the redemption that I see daily, the videos of people uh dancing and singing and worshiping on Harabite, the Temple Mount, inspire me like you wouldn't believe. So yes, there is something about this land that I that I believe is natural. You are beginning to be a light to all nations. The the reversal of the destruction is literally happening right before us. And there's something powerful when I even see a video of Jewish people worshiping on the Temple Mount. It's something that inside of me, it goes, "That's true worship." And I I know everybody on this call is like, "Wow, something's happening." And because we from the nations feel there's something coming when Jewish people connect to the depth of of of that light that you that is beginning to shine. We're right at the beginning of it. when the Jewish people are taking hold of and there's only one thing that I want to do. There's only really one and you can ask anybody that knows me. Ari, you know me. Uh you would tell everybody this. I want to learn how to worship with you on the Temple Mount. And I think that that truly would be the rectification of this day when we together learn as the nations come and we learn because it's not something we already know. when I'm almost a little bit jealous when I see the Jewish people just all out worship to God on the Temple Mount and I don't know that what what's happening and I want to know and I think there's so many people of the nations also that want to know that want to to be a part of that because that is the ultimate prophecy that we're all looking towards here on this day is when the nations can and we can grow go up with you that we grab a hold of those zit zit right is to red and we go go with you to Zion and that's when that's the whole redemption picture that we we're all studying together. This is what we have so much in common with each other is this prophecy of the redemption of the Jewish nation coming and growing and then being a light to all the nations. So yeah, I'm excited about this land thing. J Ari, >> that is beautiful. Thank you, Josh. Uh, I just got to say as I'm seeing you speak and I'm thinking about the Israel guys, the program we have that's going on and now we have you on our Tishbove and our relationship is coming so much closer and more loving over the years. I mean, you've done things for us that I can't even talk about in a public way because you probably get arrested or we would or both. You know, there's not I don't think there's one of us that wouldn't die for each other. We don't even need to say it. Certain things you just know. And that kind of love, that kind of brotherhood isn't just about alliances or in shared interests or common things. That kind of love can only come from God himself. And it feels like it's part of the redemption. And so I want to ask you, am I alone here in being the messianic crazy dude? Or do you do you also believe that this is the last ninth of a before the great temple? >> Ari, this is that's exactly what I expect you to say. Uh I'm with you. And I remember what was this we've been saying this every oh this Passover it was the going to be the last Passover. Uh every holiday for Ari is is literally going to be the final redemptive mo because every feast day has that moment that's like the the climax and it's going to culminate in this redemption. And I'm with you Ari. I think uh that is that is the hope that we have to carry in these days when nations are turning against and things look so terrible as the nations literally begin to fall apart as Israel is coming alive. We have to hold on to that hope and that faith that yes it is coming and maybe just maybe this is the last one that we're going to >> Amen. Brother Jeremy can you to introduce our brother Luke or should I bring him on? >> No I would love to. I I I just want to say that I've been friends with Ari now since we were 18 years old. And every tishabove is the last tishabove. And there's something about it that is so beautiful because he never gets tired. He never loses faith. He's always ready. And he's always expecting redemption to come. And that really is the right way to live. Expecting redemption, expecting salvation. And Josh, as we say in Texas, Jeremy, even a blind squirrel finds an eggorn. >> Eventually, >> eventually I'm gonna be right and it's gonna be this one now. Anyways, go ahead, Jeremy. >> Yeah. So, I just wanted to say that like, you know, the relationship that we have with Josh Waller and with Luke Hilton, we've spent hours with these guys and it's become more than friends. They've really become brothers. And I just pray that our work together is a reflection of what was meant to be and what will be in the temple. A brotherhood of man under the fatherhood of God. That's really what I hope our friendship represents. And so with that, I want to introduce Luke to everyone here and just let him speak from his heart. Luke, are you with us? >> Yeah. Can you hear me? Give me a thumbs up. 100% we hear you. What does Tishabove mean for you living in Samaria in the land of Israel alongside the Jewish people representing the nations? What does Tishabove mean for you? >> Yeah, thank you Jeremy. Thank you Ari. Uh so good to be with you guys. Normally you guys come here and uh we get to record a podcast together every week. If anyone does not know uh you need to check check that out every week. We do an hourlong podcast together. Joshua and I and Ari and Jeremy. Um, and if anyone here is from the Israel guys audience then and it's your first time on the fellowship, you need to make sure and figure out how to sign up for the fellowship every single week because uh this is just an amazing amazing thing, amazing to be a part of it. So, I was thinking about tishab um and realizing that as a Christian, someone from the nations like Joshua was mentioning and uh I know there's Jews and Christians on the the this call, but I'm going to assume that the majority of people here are probably from the nations. Uh probably a lot of Christians on the call in the in that that world. This is an unknown thing. Nobody knows what Tisha Bav is. Nobody's heard of it. Um it's a strange name like it's a very uh if a lot of people know about Passover or Sukkot uh even Yum Kipur Roshes Shana but tishab is it's a very like unknown thing and the question is why should non-Jews fast? Why should non-Jews commemorate it? And um this morning I was watching uh an animated uh film on YouTube with my children. I think it's called Temple in Flames. I know there's a book about it as well. Basically, it it tells the story of the the temple uh being overtaken and burned by the Romans. And it's like the uh what happened on Tishaba, one of the the one of the the the things that 2,000 years ago when Jerusalem was overtaken by the Romans. Um and it made me realize that we very much have a shared faith and a shared history here. Um and a good reason to commemorate Tishab. And as Joshua is saying, I think as those from the nations, we have a responsibility as well. But I have a little bit of a different um idea for of things that I was thinking about today um as as to where we're at right now as those from and I specifically want to speak to people from the nations. Um there was a a video that came out recently by Charlie Kirk and uh he had a group of Gen Z uh young people gathered in a focus group and they were talking about the topic of Israel and the question was basically should your generation care about Israel? Should this be an important topic? Are you tired of hearing about Israel? Um, are you exhausted? And the the consensus among uh the generation of young people, young people in their early 20s, uh, 18, 19, 20, 21 year olds was that they're just very tired of hearing about Israel. They feel like America has a lot of their own problems. They can't afford a house, inflation, uh, open borders, crime, etc., and they're just kind of tired of hearing about Israel. So, it kind of um made me stop and pause like how do we reach uh es especially the next generation for Israel especially when they're so exhausted over this topic I guess you could say um because they're seeing war in Gaza they're seeing you know starvation and famine and they're seeing um just they're just deluge social media right is just overrun with the with the topic of Israel and and um specifically one of the things that this group of Jenzers said is that they don't really like the idea of needing to support Israel only uh from the Bible basically because the Bible says so. We all saw Ted Cruz kind of fumble talking to um uh I believe it was was it Tucker Carlson basically he he quoted Genesis 12 but he couldn't remember where the reference was. Uh, and then everybody jumped on them like why, you know, why do we supporting Israel just because the Bible says to? And I've been mulling over that topic in my that idea in my head like is is supporting Israel just from the Bible a good enough reason or should we also support Israel because Israel brings moral clarity and brings uh technology and and uh brings you know so much good to the world. Israel has so much to offer, which are all true things, but I can't a as a bibleelving uh Christian, someone who's grown up with the the Bible my entire life, I can't get over this idea that Israel should be a part of our should be a central part of our faith be um because of the Bible, because the Bible says so. Like, period. And like we have to stop there. And I feel like somehow we have to reach the next generation. I'm 33 years old. Um, and I'm already looking at, you know, the next generation of 18, 19, 20 year olds and thinking like what is the state of the world today? I was just looking um re watching some of the latest, you know, video clips with Candace Owens and Tucker Carlson and Piers Morgan and it can be so discouraging, right? Um, just, you know, 80 years ago, we had the Holocaust, worst uh, you know, the just worst event that happened to the Jewish people in in centuries. And then we have October 7th, almost two years ago. Uh you know, worst ma event to happen to the Jewish people since the Holocaust. And already in less than two years, anti-semitism is at levels we've never seen before, unprecedented levels. Um you have uh countries lining up to recognize a Palestinian state. Now, it very much looks like there could be a lot of countries recognizing a Palestinian state in September at the United Nations General Assembly. That's a very scary thing to happen. Uh I I just saw this just a few minutes ago. The name Yakya, and if you know if if you've been following, I'm sure you know Yakya Sinir was the leader of Kamas, who thank God was finally found and killed by Israel. The name Yakya was uh one of the top boys baby names in the United Kingdom in 2024. 580 boys were named Yaka in the United Kingdom. The United Kingdom is now recognizing a Palestinian state. Like, if that doesn't tell you the state of affairs that the world is in, I don't know what will. And and this is kind of the the bottom line for me. Um because then, you know, obviously we could go on and on. Um it feels like what's next, right? It feels like what's next? And it also feels like where are we going to stand? Because if you if you see all the news clips, you see that millions of people are following the likes of Tucker Carlson and Candace Owens and Piers Morgan and on and Dave Smith and on and on and on, right? And it feels like the entire world's against Israel and and and it also feels like um those who are Catholic, those who are uh evangelical Christian, Mormons, uh so many are now questioning why do we support Israel again? Like what's the deal there? like what is the reason that we should stand continue standing with Israel young people especially um and we and there comes a point when there's going to have to be a line in the sand drawn and we have to decide is it worth it like are we going to continue supporting and standing with Israel uh my father-in-law many of whom you you guys know Tommy Waller um teaches very strongly and basically about Christianity and basically um and I very much agree with him comes down to the question is can you be a real bibleelving Christian and stand against Israel and the Jewish people and I tend to stand to say uh the answer to that is no and I think the time has come to say that much more loudly and clearly uh to say you cannot be a bibleelbelieving Christian someone who believes in the Bible and the covenant with Abraham Isaac and Jacob uh and stand against Israel but the problem is the time is coming very very soon and we could be talking days, weeks, months. I don't think it's years when you're not going to be able to sit on the fence. You're not going to be able to just say that and be comfortable. Um the time is going to come where where um it you're going to have to make that decision publicly and openly and then be prepared to take the consequences for that. And I think that today on tishab as we're fasting and as we're commemorating and we're praying and I'm teaching my children about the destruction of the temple and about baseless hatred and how uh you know we should be praying and longing for uh God for the the restoration of the temple and the rebuilding of the temple and it's centered around us uh baseless love and loving each other. I think this is our preparation for that. This is our preparation to the time when we have to make that decision. We have to decide where are we going to stand. And so I think the bottom line for me on this day is we have to teach our children. We have to teach our uh our churches. We have to teach our congregations. We have to stand strong with each other. And you have to fast on tab. You have to fast on on the 17th of Tamuz and Yom Kipur. and you have to commemorate uh Passover and Sukkot and Rosha Shana. These are all like opportunities to practice standing with Israel and the Jewish people. And ultimately, it's going to come down to um being a part of of rebuilding God's kingdom. And it's happening right here in the land of Israel. Josh talked about the very physical, literal reality of building the land of Israel. Um and this is all part of it. And whether you're here in the land of Israel, whether you're the young people that we have here building fences right now or you're praying or you're financially supporting um or you're standing up in your community like that time is now and and all of these things tab that's one of the opportunities to practice um because we have to be prepared to stand and to stand strongly. So I think that's my uh takeaway from Tishab. Uh Jeremy, hope hopefully I came through okay. Um >> yeah, you came across amazing. Thank you so much, Luke. I think that, you know, kind of echoing what Tahila quoted that 10 men from the nations will grab hold the corner of the garment of a Jewish man and say, "Take us with you for we have heard that God is with you." A remnant among the nations, the righteous among the nations. It's not going to be a mainstream movement. Most of the world and most of the countries are going to fall for the lies and stand against Israel. And then that's the opportunity for the real righteous among the nations who really believe in the Bible, who really believe in God to stand with Israel, separate themselves and align themselves with the destiny of Israel. And I see you as a frontr runner, as an example, and everyone that's here are living examples of this VIP exclusive club of the righteous among the nations that are aligning themselves with Israel. and soon Ishabove will be celebrating together in a rebuild Jerusalem. Thank you so much, Luke, for coming. >> Amen. Thank you, Jeremy. >> Amen. That that is just so true. And uh you know, I'm going to bring this all together now, uh my friends, because you know, like Jeremy said, it's a VIP club. It's smaller than smaller than we thought. As some of the conventional people, Tucker Carlson, I thought he was a friend. Little did I know, he's a rabid Jew hater. And you know, if you know me well, you know I'm not the type to start pointing fingers and calling people anti-semites and being a victim and all that, but I think it's pretty clear and that's happening a lot. You know, when I'll tell you, when we first opened our hearts to the nations, we began to see something really extraordinary. You know, this righteous remnant was being gathered almost mysteriously towards this moment. Like it's like um I sometimes I see the world like an energy like beams of pure light drawn together as if some unseen magnetic force was pulling hearts from every corner of the earth in into the same divine frequency. That's how it's it felt for me. And a handful of righteous souls shining in the midst of overwhelming darkness. Like I said, smaller than I imagined because, you know, but brighter, brighter than I imagined because in the story of Israel, numbers never mattered. Right? We read in Deuteronomy chapter 7, "The Lord did not set his love upon you nor choose you because you were more in number than any people, for you were the fewest of all peoples." From the beginning of our history, we were always outnumbered by armies, empires, by the tide of the world itself. But that was never a flaw in the plan. It was the plan itself. It was a living reminder that our strength has never been in our numbers or in our weapons, but in the spirit of Hashem who fights with us and through us. And so tonight, if you are here, if you're here, if you have chosen to step into this mourning, this pain with us, to feel our grief as if it was your own, then I believe it's safe to say you are that righteous remnant. The very the very souls that the prophets foresaw drawn like like light toward light, purified like gold in the fire, of whom God himself would say, "Comfort comfort my people elim tenderly to Jerusalem and proclaim to her that her warfare has been completed, that her iniquity has been pardoned, for she has received received from the Lord's hand double for all her sins. And uh and here's the mystery. You know, you may think that we are blessing you by inviting you into this fellowship, by leading this fellowship, but the truth is, at least from our perspective, you're blessing us because we are not mourning the destruction of a building. We are mourning a relationship uh not destroyed but deeply wounded between man and God, between nation and nation, between neighbor and neighbor. And we're mourning fear. We're mourning rage, hatred, jealousy. All of it is so unnecessary. All of it is a lie because each of us, each person, each nation carries a gift that humanity desperately needs. And Messiah will be the conductor that brings that all together, that will bring this unique light, a frequency when joined together will create a harmony the world has never known. And maybe, maybe, just maybe, we here in this fellowship are the foundation stone. In this fellowship, we are the harbinger of what is to come, of what's possible. Because if we after thousands of years of hatred and suspicion and bloodshed, if we can somehow find our way back to one another, if we can move from enmity to brotherhood, then it means something far bigger than ourselves. It means reconciliation is possible for all of humanity. And so tonight, I want to invite you gently and lovingly with open hearts, not just to watch the fellowship from the outside, but step in and join us. become a part of this story, a part of the prophecy, a part of the healing of the world. And may we merit to see in our days the rebuilding of the holy temple, not as a monument of stone, not as a building, but as the beating heart of a world made whole. A house of prayer for all nations. A house where the light of every people will rise together and illuminate the earth with the glory of God. And with that, it is my great blessing and honor to share the blessing of Aaron, the high priest with you. And as you know, I tell you every week, I am not of the descendants of Aram. I I'm not a priest in the temple. But as the Bible says, we are a nation of priests and a holy a holy people. So with that, Shalom. May the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you. May the Lord lift his face toward you and grant you peace. Amen. Thank you, my friends. Thank you. May the next time we meet be dancing in the courtyards of the temple. Jeremy, if there's anything you want to share. If there's anything anyone has on their hearts, please go ahead. This tishabove be the last fast and may it be the beginning of a new feast. The new feast of the Bible that we celebrate Jerusalem and we celebrate this gathering of the nations coming together. >> Amen. Amen. Thank you. I'm shocked at the degree of energy and vitality I had as today was a hot long day without drink or food. But as always, you uh this fellowship, these are my righteous brothers and sisters have always given me a life force and us a life force um for which we will be forever grateful. All right, my friends. Thank you so much. Shalom. Shalom. See you soon in the temp temple courtyard on Mount Mariah. [Music]