My Thoughts on Erev Sukkot 5771

14 Tishrei 5771

Today, I was thinking about how we really are in the midst of a redemptive process. Recently, I read a story about the British Mandate period---how they wouldn't let the immigrants land here and then they were gone and we had Jewish sovereignty over Eretz Yisrael and now all the immigrants we want (and many we don't want) can come at will.

I was reading about how the British wouldn't let Jews blow the shofar at the conclusion of Yom Kippur at the Kotel and then we lost Yerushalayim to Jordan and couldn't get to the Kotel at all for nineteen years.

Then we got Yerushalayim back and we can do whatever we want at the Kotel, but we in essence lost the Temple Mount.

Just as surely as we have been making this steady progress toward complete redemption, so the Temple Mount will one day be back in our hands as well and we will see the Third Temple built on its holy site and we will bring our offerings up to Hashem three times a year---at Pesach, at Shavuot and at Sukkot! That time is not very far off at all.

Zeh zeman simchateinu---this is the time of our joy. A chag sameach to all of you!