Rosh Chodesh Aleph
I had an inkling when I wrote The Spirit of Mashiach and Redemption on Shushan Purim Katan that something significant was happening with regard to the Gate of Mercy. But I did not understand the full extent of it until, thanks to Orna Nitzevet, she reminded me of something long forgotten. (See her comment on the previous post.)
On Rosh Chodesh of Adar II - the one that counts for Purim - Orna Nitzevet has reminded me that the Gate of Mercy (Sha'ar HaRachamim) on the Temple Mount is also known as the Shushan Gate.
The Riddle of the Shushan Gate
Waqf rejects Israeli court order to shutter Temple Mount's Gate of Mercy
What are the chances that this gate would be in the headlines davka now? There is certainly a deeper message here. If you have any ideas, please share them in the comments.
~ CHODESH TOV ~
It might be worth noting that the first exile from the Land of Israel which lasted into the reign of the Persians whose capital was Shushan lasted 70 years and now we have completed 70 years of the exilic rule of the State of Israel.
ReplyDeleteIt's quite interesting that today, on Rosh Hodesh Adar Bet, both the Eastern side of Har Habayit and the Western side of Har Habayit are flashpoints for very different reasons.
ReplyDeleteExcellent point. What do you make of it?
DeleteJust like on Hannukka, where there was both a physical and spiritual battle being waged, on Purim we also had both a physical battle waged against our enemies and a spiritual battle that required teshuva from attending Ahashverosh's party by fasting 3 days and קימו וקבלו - reaccepting the Torah.
DeleteNoteworthy is that:
1) Haman is part of Esav via the worst part of Esav - Amalek.
2) Ahashverosh, whose party the Jewish people wrongly attended, is Persian/Median - in many ways synonymous with Yishmael (see Tosefot Rid and Maharal)
While it wasn't always the case, the situation nowadays is that the Jewish people are waging physical battles against the people of the East (Yishmael) and spiritual battles against the people of the West (Edom). This fits nicely with what occurred today as the Yishmaelim are trying to control the eastern part of Har Habayit while the WoW crazies who overfill their minds with Western Edomite values are trying to control the western part of Har Habayit.
Ultimately, both will fail.