Okay, here's where I go off on a religious rant...

[arib]

Very rare for me, I know, but I just feel like I need to get this off my chest. It won't necessarily be too well written, but I'll clarifly stuff if people have questions.

Jews who don't celebrate Tisha b'Av (today's fast, comemorating the destruction of the Temples in jerusalem, as well as other tragedies) because they see no point in mourning the destruction of the Beit HaMikdash (the Temple, located in Jerusalem, where the Western Wall and Dome of the Rock are now) really piss me off.

Not annoy, anger.

The Temple was once central to religious observance as Jews, and, while we definitely observe differently now, is still central to our identity as Jews.

"The Temple Mount isn't just the Temple Mount, the Beit HaMikdash isn't just the Beit HaMikdash, it's an idea, something that lives inside of us." (From the movie Time of Favor)

Maybe it's just because I lived near the Western Wall, and saw (personally) how the Waqf is destroying what little archaeological evidence remains makes me realize that downplaying the significance of the location is only helping deligitimize our connection to it.

One of the pioneers of the Reform movement in Germany in the early 20th century (I appologize, I know I'm going to muff some of the details) was once asked why he didn't consider himself a Zionist, when many other Jews, of various stripes, were all crying out in support of a Jewish state. His response? "Berlin is my Jerusalem." I believe history provided an adequate rebuttal to his statement.

Jerusalem and the Temple are part of who we are. One can endlessly debate the way things are progressing there, and how they feel things should be done, but to completely disregard it entirely? That's just wrong.

Questions comments and debate will all be welcomed, appologies for any hurt feelings are offered if needed.

Now if you don't mind, I'm going to go rehydrate.

Comments

[pocketnaomi.livejournal.com]

Even before the Second Temple was destroyed, the sacrifices existed but were becoming less and elss central to worship. It was possible then to have the formality od Temple sacrifice on the one hand and the daily routine of rabbinic practicality on the other. What makes you think it would change us much now? I do long for the rebuilding of the Temple; I think that we as a people are incomplete without it and always will be. And I think that, however little I may like it, certain sacrifices are mandatory in Torah if the Temple stands, whether or not we think they are a very good idea. But the number of explicitly required sacrifices is pretty small; if we did no more than has been directly commanded of us, they would be an accent note on a religious structure mostly built around the same things it was before.

In any case, at the moment there stands, either on or directly beside (depending on which archaeologists you talk to) the proper site for the Temple, a little cluster of buildings that we'd probably manage to start World War III by razing. I think this throws rebuilding, for the moment, into the category of things forbidden by pikkuach nefesh, and I think we've no choice either from a practical standpoint or a religious one but to let it alone.