Pain and Pleasure: The Birth of the Future in the Belly of the Beast – Tisha B’Av Workshop, Live from the Temple Mount
“There is no better place to be now than in Israel,” says Rabbi Simon Jacobson. “Nothing is closer to reality than standing at the Western Wall on Tisha B’Av, when both Holy Temples were destroyed (thousands of years ago), and rockets are being launched on Israeli cities (in 2014)… I was 14 years old the first time I visited the Wall on Tisha B’Av. I was told that on that sad night a white gentle dove appears on top of the Wall and sheds a tear for all that has transpired. I searched for that dove and that tear back then in 1971 and searched for it last night as well.
“I stand quietly weeping as I stare at the Wall. Broken, scarred, standing alone for over 20 centuries, these barren stones bear witness to all the battles and tragedies that have taken place here throughout history. How much pain and suffering have these enduring stones absorbed? How has the Wall survived it all? But then a faint smile appears on my face: The fortitude of the Wall also bears witness to eternity. To all the pivotal events that took place at this very spot: The creation of the world began from the Foundation Stone at the peak of the mountain. Adam, the first human, was created here. Abraham’s binding of Isaac and Jacob’s dream all happened here. And then of course, years later, the Holy Temples with the Holy of Holies – where the Divine was revealed on Earth – stood here. All these world changing events are also contained in the Wall’s hidden crevices, as the holiness of this space never leaves… What lessons, I wonder, can the Temple Mount teach us today?”
Our sages tell us that Moshiach was born as the flames consuming the Holy Temple rose to their highest Tisha B’Av afternoon! What is the significance of this bizarre paradox? Why is the greatest event in history — personal and global redemption — birthed in the darkest moment? And what can we derive from this regarding the present battles in Israel and in our lives?
Please join Rabbi Simon Jacobson on this momentous day, Tisha B’Av, live from Jerusalem, as he speaks to us overlooking the desolate Temple Mount about the far-reaching and epoch-making events that are taking place here today as they have for millennia. In this historic and dramatic setting, as we grieve over the destruction of the Temple, Rabbi Jacobson will report on events taking place at the original “ground zero,” and address the ultimate paradox — the two forces that shape all our lives: Pain and Pleasure: The Birth of the Future in the Belly of the Beast. This unique class, taking place in the shadow of the Temple Mount, promises to be emotionally charged given the current challenges in Israel during this time. Learn how the broken Wall, with all its cracks and wounds, silently carries immortality. Join this momentous broadcast from the holiest place on earth on the saddest day in history — and discover whether the dove did indeed appear this Tisha B’Av.
