The Six Days War and The Sin of The "Golden Calf"

For thousands of years Jewish philosophers, rabbis and others have wondered how the Jewish People, newly escaped-by G-d's miracles- from deadly slavery in Egypt could have so quickly sinned by forming and worshipping the Golden Calf.  There were no certified accurate quartz watches in those days, so what if it had seemed that Moses was a bit late returning from his rendezvous with G-d on Mount Sinai?  It seems such a pretty lame excuse to revert to Egyptian calf-worship culture.

Moses's return from Mount Sinai, the presentation of G-d's Torah to the Jewish People was supposed to be a joyous event, the Shavuot Holiday.  The Jewish People were expected to accept it and quickly enter the HolyLand, but things didn't quite go as planned.

Nothing in timing is without reason.  G-d is in charge of the calendar, and that's why the 1967 Six Days War happened during the forty-nine (49) days of Sefira, the Counting of the Omer, between the Second night of Passover and just before Shavuot.  The war ended less than a week before Shavuot.  The Liberation of Jerusalem, Yom Yerushalayim, is the same day of the week as Shavuot.

After the nineteen years of Jordanian rule and decades, centuries millennium of Jewish restrictions, finally Israel, The Jewish People had the Temple Mount, Har HaBayit b'yadeinu, in our hands.   I have no doubt that the Moshiach HaShem was waiting right here to redeem us after our totally miraculous victory in the Six Days War.

As far away as New York, where I was at the time, you could feel G-d's presence.  The world stood in awe, just as it says in the Bible that Yitro and others "heard what had happened."

And then... the door was slammed in G-d's face, like when the people demanded of Aaron to craft the Golden Calf.  The keys to the Temple Mount, Har HaBayit were given to the Muslims.

As Rabbi Chanan Porat reveals, we just weren't ready:

“At one time, [noted Israeli independence fighter and philosopher] Israel Eldad told me: ‘I have some criticism on you. You stood on the Temple Mount and asked where the Western Wall was. You made a historic shortcut. Instead of staying on the Temple Mount where our Temple stood, you asked where the Western Wall was...

G-d willing, soon we will be ready to embrace G-d, His miracles and all of our Holy Land.

Chag Yerushalayim Sameach

A Joyful Jerusalem Day!