Tag: western-wall

Temple Mount, the Kotel, and Church of the Holy Sepulchre – what a morning.

Posted on by Keith Dvorchik

One of the things I have always wanted to do is visit Temple Mount.  On my prior trips, I never had the opportunity to do it for many reasons.  The first intifada.  The second intifada.  Jews not being allowed on Temple Mount.  A schedule planned during the limited time that it is open to Jews.  This time it was different.  Jews are allowed on Temple Mount from 7 am until 11:30 am during the week.  I had nothing planned for the day so I could get up early and go up onto Temple Mount. 

Every time I have seen the line to go up on Temple Mount it was long.  I expected a wait, so we left the hotel at 7:30 to we would make sure to have some time up on Temple Mount.  When we got there, there was one person in front of us.  I guess war changes everything, including those who want to go up on Temple Mount.  The man who was in front of us had on his tallis (prayer shawl) and tefillin (the boxes on his forehead and arm). The rules for Temple Mount are controlled by Jordan.  This has been the agreement since 1967 to attempt to limit conflict.  This is why access is limited for Jews and at times has been prohibited.  Of the rules is that we are not allowed to enter any of the buildings now, including the mosques.  There was a time that we were allowed to do that.  Another rules I that Jews are not allowed to pray on the top of Temple Mount or use obvious prayer symbols like this man was wearing.  He was arguing with security who would not let him through.  It was clear he wanted to provoke something.   We passed the first part of security and headed up.  There was an area with information and clearly could be used for prayer.  We decided to keep on going.  On our way up, we passed a large number of Israeli security forces.  It was far more than I have seen at any other site in Israel, including Jacob’s tomb in the West Bank.  One final security officer greeted us to go over all the rules of Temple Mount including the hours, so we knew when we had to leave.  A few minutes later we stepped on the ground of Temple Mount.   

It is hard to describe what it felt like to step on Temple Mount for the first time.  It was something I always wanted to do but never really expected I would get to do.  Knowing that I was standing on ground that was the center of Judaism from over 2000 years ago was incredible.  It was more powerful than being at the Kotel because I was actually even closer to the holiest place in Judaism where the actual Temple would have been.  I know that the Temple that Solomon built was smaller and likely in a different location on the mountain that the second Temple built by Herod, but it was likely in the area that I was now able to walk and explore.  I am not a religious person, but I had the urge to say a prayer now that I was up there.  My friends felt the same way, so we headed to a vacant area near the edge where we quietly said the Shema together.  It was a powerful moment and one that I will never forget.

Shema Yisrael

The door to the Al Aqsa Mosque was open, so we went to try to take a peek inside.  My friend Michael got a little too close to the door and the people there thought he was trying to enter so he was shooed away.  It was clear this was no joke.  We wouldn’t walk that close to another open door the rest of the time on Temple Mount.  The Kotel is a retaining wall built by Herod to support the floor of the Temple Mount on which the Temple was built.  It is the holiest place we have to pray as it is the holiest place we have access to 24/7.  It made me sad and a bit angry that as a Jew, in Israel, I was limited where I could go on the holiest place we have. 

We continued to walk around and explore the Temple Mount.  Despite the security and having to use a special entrance to get there, for Muslims there were multiple easy access points.  All had Israeli security at them, but they are there to keep non-Muslims from entering.  A number of years ago, our tour guide showed us one of the entrances from the Arab shuk in the Muslim Quarter.  As we got close to the entry, we were quickly approached by security who told us not to enter.  The difference in access was palpable.  There was an open park with its own access to and from the Muslim Quarter.  I didn’t expect that either.  I thought that we would be able to stand on the top of Temple Mount and look down on the Kotel but learned that there were buildings that blocked that area. 

We still couldn’t believe we were actually on Temple Mount just walking around and exploring.  My friend Matthew took a picture that mimicked one from his family 50 years ago.  Michael and I did the Gator Chomp on top of Temple Mount (I don’t think we were the first to ever do that, but we wanted to make sure we did it). 

Doing the Gator Chomp on Temple Mount. Go Gators!!

Then, with nobody around us, we decided to sing very quietly Am Yisrael Chai.  I guess another benefit of war is that so few people were on Temple Mount that we had the ability to be alone and do this.  We did it quietly because we didn’t want to offend anybody.  We also wanted to be Jewish on Temple Mount.  Maybe we shouldn’t have.  Maybe I shouldn’t be writing this.  To both say the Shema and sing Am Yisrael Chai on Temple Mount was very meaningful.  Since nobody saw it and we didn’t offend anybody, it was worth it.

We headed down from Temple Mount through the exit in the Muslim Quarter and in 5 minutes were standing at the Kotel.  We went to put on our own Tefillin and go to the Kotel to say our own prayers.  I had a note from a friend that she asked me to put in the Kotel so I did that for her and then began my own prayers.  I decided to try what Rabbi Palatnik told me from Maimonides and included all three components this time.  First, I acknowledged the presence of God and the greatness of God.  Then I asked God for what I wanted.  It felt a little weird to be doing this as I haven’t done this for a very long time.  Finally, I thanked God for everything in my life.  All around me there were different groups of people praying Shacharit, the morning service.  It was a cool way to spend the morning and when we finished, it wasn’t much past 9 am!

In front of the Kotel

Off we went to the final stop in our morning exploration of the Old City.  Both Michael and I had been to Church of the Holy Sepulchre before, but Matthew never had and wanted to.  It took us a little longer to get there because we made a wrong turn but in a few minutes we were there.  It is a reminder of how close these three important places to Jews, Muslims, and Christians are.  For me it is a reminder that no matter what you believe, something happened here.   The church is nondescript from the outside and home to seven (7) different churches representing seven different types of Christianity.  Home to the spot of the crucifixion, the place where Jesus’s body was ritually washed and anointed, and the cave in which he was buried and then was resurrected, it was originally built by the mother of Emperor Constantine who converted the Roman Empire to Christianity on his deathbed.  If you want a detailed accounting of that, read Constantine’s Sword (spoiler alert – it is a very long book).  As we entered, once again I noticed how empty it was.  The Greek Orthodox church was preparing for a ceremony.   We stood to the side and watched the ceremony.  You can see some of it below.  It is the second time I have been there when there was a mass/ceremony by one of the churches and it was cool to watch. 

We stood by the area where Jesus’s body was washed and anointed as a nice, out of work tour guide told us about the church.  It was clear how much he was enjoying having somebody to share his knowledge with. 

Where Jesus’s body was washed and prepared for burial and then annointed.

We went upstairs to the spot of the crucifixion.  I have been up there a number of times but there was always a line to pray at the spot and I never wanted to impede somebody who found it spiritually meaning to just see something that I found interesting.  This time there were two people praying and when they left, I was able to walk up and see the spot undisturbed. 

The site of the crucifixion

We went downstairs and stood in line to enter the building that protected the cave where Jesus was buried and then the cave itself.  Usually, the line wraps around a number of times and it is easily a 15–30-minute wait to get inside.   This time there were two (2) people in front of me.  Two nuns then came up and we let them go in front of us to enter the cave where Jesus was buried so they could pray.  Then we entered one at a time.  It is a small area and the place where his body was laid was accessible.  The first time I was there, the line was long, so we were rushed.  This time there was time to look around and spend a few minutes there.  It isn’t what I believe and doesn’t have spiritual meaning to me.  It was very meaningful to be in such a holy site to so many of my friends and others in the world.  I realized how many of my friends would never have the opportunity to be right where I was at that moment.  Gratitude flooded me. 

The building protecting the cave where Jesus was buried
Where Jesus was buried. His body was laid on this slab

We left the church and headed to Ben Yehuda Street to do some shopping.  Our trip was busy, and we didn’t have much time to buy anything.  I had requests to buy three things.  My oldest son wanted a Star of David necklace.  My younger son’s girlfriend wanted a piece of art to put on her wall.  And all three of them wanted the ‘cow chocolate’ from Israel (it is a special brand that is delicious).  Since it was still only 5 am at home, I shopped, took pictures and sent them for them to view when they woke up hours later so I could go back and buy what they wanted, and enjoyed a quiet Ben Yehuda Street. 

In 2019 I participated in a program called Encounter.  It takes Jewish leaders into the West Bank/Judea and Samaria for four (4) days to interact with members of Palestinian Civil Society.  It was a powerful trip for me.  You can read about it in my many blog posts starting here.  One of the people that I met at that time was named Mahmoud and during the day we spent together he said a lot of things that stuck in my head.  Some I agreed with.  Some I disagreed with.  Some just stuck and I have been chewing on for 4 ½ years.  I had reached out to him over the past four years a number of times to check on him during Covid and the start of the war.  Since I was coming to Israel I asked if he would be willing to meet and spend some time talking.  Today was that day.  Matthew came with me as this would be the first Palestinian that he would meet and listen to.  We walked from Ben Yehuda Street through a number of Arab/Palestinian neighborhoods until we got to the American Colony Hotel where we were meeting.  On the way there was a Palestinian Christian school letting out and we saw the kids with their backpacks being picked up by their parents.  It could have been any private school anywhere in the world and was a beautiful thing to see.  Matthew and I talked on the walk about how few people would do this out of fear, yet we felt safe as we walked.

My morning was a great and meaningful morning.  For my final day in Jerusalem, it was an amazing way to connect spiritually and appreciate how lucky I am to go to sleep in Jerusalem, wake up in Jerusalem, and walk the streets of Jerusalem.  This was a dream for my ancestors for 2000 years that I get to do on a regular basis.   I think prior to this trip I took that for granted.  I won’t any longer.

Rather than continue with my conversation with Mahmoud which would make this post far, far too long, I am going to stop here and my next post will be about that conversation.  This morning was about celebrating the beauty of Jerusalem and the freedom Israel provides to all religions.  The access I had today to these three sites has only been possible since 1967 under Israel.  I won’t ever take that for granted.

Lessons to make me a better person

Posted on by Keith Dvorchik

Shabbat (the Sabbath) is an interesting concept.  A day of rest.  A day where you don’t do work.  A day of reflection.  What is it really and what do words like rest, work, and reflection actually mean? 

I have never found an interest in ‘keeping shabbat’ (following all the rules) in a strict sense.  Not turning on light switches or the using the remote control never made sense to me.  Driving isn’t really work, is it?  You turn a key or push a button and it starts.  After that, what’s the difference?  Not turn on the oven or stove.  Why can’t I push buttons on the microwave or the air fryer?  And not carry?  Why do pants have pockets anyway? 

When I am in Israel, Shabbat becomes a little bit clearer.  I typically find that I look forward to it for a number of reasons.  First, by the time Friday afternoon arrives, I am usually wiped out.  The thought of having a day with little to do and a chance to really unplug from the prior week is attractive.  Going to the Kotel (Western Wall) for Shabbat services is always fun and meaningful.  You’ll hear more about that later.  A nice dinner with friends that is leisurely and relaxing?  Sign me up. 

On this trip I had the privilege of learning from three amazing people.  As we were walking back to the hotel on Friday after an amazing morning at the Begin Center, I started asking Lori Palatnik, the founder of Momentum, about Shabbat.  I understand the prohibition about not working and a day of rest, but my definition of work isn’t starting and driving a car, turning on the stove or oven and cooking, turning on the TV, changing channels and watching shows.  So how does that reconcile?  Lori taught me something interesting that I am still chewing on.  She told me that there is no prohibition against work.  That is a wrong interpretation.  The prohibition is for creating.  And the reason there is a prohibition against creating is that Shabbat is a chance to honor and recognize THE creator, God.  The reason she doesn’t do these things is because they involve creating.  On Shabbat, it’s all about our creator, God. 

It is an interesting concept to take a day each week and use it to honor and thank God.  I meditate and pray every day.  I have for more than 35 years.  I don’t use a prayerbook when I pray, it’s a quiet conversation with God.  Over the years it has gone from asking him for things that I wanted to thanking him for the things that I have.  When I meditate, it’s often in silence, just focusing on my breathing and paying attention to all the sounds around me.  I get in touch with God and with the world.  Sometimes I will do a guided meditation to mix it up and they are enjoyable as well.  But most of the time, my meditation is about getting closer to God. 

So what if I was to expand my practice of prayer and meditation to take a full day each week and focused entirely on that connection with God?  I don’t know that I’d go to synagogue or follow a formal process, but what if I were to unplug, honor our creator, and not worry about making anything for a day?  It’s an interesting question and one that I will ponder for a while.

I also had the opportunity to learn with Rabbi Yakov Palatnik, Lori’s husband.  I have seen him on other trips, but this was the first time I really got to spend time with him, and WOW!  I have been missing out.  This quiet and humble man is filled with incredible wisdom.  One of the things we discussed that really intrigued me was about prayer.  As a scholar of Maimonides (the Rambam), he told me that the Rambam said you need three things in a prayer.

The first is to praise God and acknowledge his greatness.  While I am not an overly religious person, that is something I always do.  One of my favorite things to say is that God often does for me, what I can’t do for myself.  I have seen that happen over and over again in my life.  Things happen that I hate and that I think are awful and I would get upset about.  A few days or weeks or months later, I would look back and realize it was the best thing that could have happened.  I know and understand the greatness of God and it centers me and gives me great comfort.

The second is to ask for what you want or need.  As I said, I used to do this but stopped.  In part this was because of my understanding of the greatness of God.  Who am I to ask?  I don’t know what’s best for me.  Isn’t it better to ask God just to take care of me and that’s enough?  Rabbi Palatnik said no.  He said we have to ask because we have to know ourselves.  If we don’t ask it means we don’t know.  Of course God knows, and we aren’t asking for him to know.  We are asking to show that we know.  We are asking because we have done our part and done the work.  That makes sense to me but it is still going to be uncomfortable to ask for things for myself.  That is because of the third thing that Rabbi Palatnik told me Maimonides required in prayer.

You have to say Thank You to God.  That I do every day.  I thank God for giving me another day of life.  Sometimes it’s saying the Modeh Ani, but most of the time it is just saying thank you for another day.  I say it at night when I go to sleep.  I say it throughout the day.  Part of the reason I struggle with asking God for things is because I know he will take care of me and I’d rather say thank you than ask for things that I may think I want but in hindsight I wish I didn’t get.  Saying thank you to God is comforting to me. 

It is an interesting process for sure.  Over the next few days, weeks, and month, I am going to follow Rabbi Palatnik’s suggestion to listen to the Rambam.  I’m going to work to make sure I include all three components in my prayers.  We will see what happens as a result.

Lori and Rabbi Palatnik and me. Two great teachers. One average student.

The third person I got to learn from was our trip leader, Saul Blinkoff.  Saul is an amazing man, and you can google him to learn more about him.  During Shabbat, he said two things that really resonated with me. 

The first is that what you will die for determines what you live for.  It’s a fascinating concept.  He shared the story of a woman in a concentration camp during the Holocaust.  The woman looked like she was ready to end her life when she walked up to the Rabbi in the camp and asked for a knife.  The Rabbi was shocked and worried about her.  She demanded a knife again.  The Rabbi didn’t have one and tried to talk to her.  She looked behind him and saw a member of the SS who had a knife.  She walked up to him, grabbed the knife, reached down to her leg and pulled a baby out from under her uniform.  She had recently given birth and was keeping the baby a secret.  She took the knife, performed a circumcision, a Brit Milah in Hebrew, entering her son into the covenant with God.  She then gave the knife and the crying, newly circumcised baby to the SS officer, turned around and walked away.  A minute later there was a shot and the baby stopped crying.  A few seconds later and the SS officer shot the woman in the back of the head.  She knew what she was willing to die for – to be Jewish and part of the Jewish people.  So she knew what she was living for. 

It is a powerful lesson and question.  What am I willing to die for?  What is so important to me that I would sacrifice my life for it?  I have started my list and will be thinking about this for a long time.  Once I know what I would die for, I will know what I live for and can make sure that’s what I am doing in my daily life. 

The other lesson Saul taught me on Shabbat was about the mezuzah.  I have had a mezuzah on my door for many, many years.  I know what it is, why it is there, what is inside it, what it says, where the commandment comes from.  One of my clients has a focus on the mezuzah so I’ve learned even more over the past few months.  And yet, Saul taught me something new and important.  He said that one reason the mezuzah is on the door is because it signals a transition.  When we walk into the home from outside, we need to leave our outside problems at the door.  It is a visible signal to change our focus to what is inside the house, our family, and go all in.  What a really cool concept.  A visible reminder of what is important.  This is one that I have already started using.  When I walk through a new door with a mezuzah on it, I think about where I am going to and what mindset do I need in this new space. 

Saul Blinkoff teaching us. What an amazing man and teacher. Lucky and proud to call him my friend.

Learning stuff like this to challenge my behaviors and beliefs is really cool (at least to me) but that isn’t the only special part of Shabbat.  As I have said, I am not the most religious person and don’t really go to shul.  Ok, I don’t go to shul unless it is a family simcha (celebration).  In Israel, I don’t want to miss Shabbat at the Kotel (Western Wall).  It is joyous, fun, exciting, and meaningful.  There are so many different types of Jews there and so many different services going on.  And you never know who you are going to see.  This Shabbat was no exception.  As we got to the Kotel and began our service, I looked ahead and saw Rabbi Lipskier from Chabad at UCF.  I quickly made my way over to him to give him a big hug and to wish him Shabbat Shalom.  Only in Israel!  I returned to our group and the singing and dancing began.  We were a group of about 25-30 men.  This is small on Friday night at the Kotel but as we sang louder and danced, we started seeing others come over and join us.  IDF soldiers in uniform.  Hassidic men.  Men in Black hats.  Men pulling out their kippah from their pocket before they joined us.  Men with the big fur hat.  Men who looked like they belonged at a Grateful Dead show.  Even a little boy.  It was amazing to see all these different types of Jews join us to sing and dance.

When it was over and it was just our group again, I started thinking about how this was an allegory for the world.  If Jews of all different types can come together at the Kotel on Shabbat and not only pray together and separately but also join together in unification, why can’t we do it elsewhere.  Forget about the entire world, why can’t we do this in our local communities?  Why can’t we find different types of people who will be happy with their differences and yet also celebrate their similarities?  What can we do to make our local communities look more like the Kotel on Shabbat?  Different types of people enjoying both their differences and similarities.  That’s the type of world I want to live in.

My takeaway is really something else that Rabbi Palatnik taught me during this trip.  We have to be able to learn from everybody.  It is a fascinating concept that everybody has something to teach us.  It doesn’t matter who they are, where they come from, how much or how little they have, how well educated they are or are not, or anything else.  Everybody in the world has something to teach us.  I haven’t only learned from these three amazing people on this trip.  I learned from the other men on the trip.  I learned from some of the women on the women’s trip who spoke.  I learned from the French Machal soldiers and the families from Kibbutz Alumim who have been relocated.  I learned from the farmer, visiting Kfar Aza and Nova.  I learned from the Chabad Rabbi who put my tefillin on at the Kotel on Wednesday.  When I am open to thing, I can learn from everybody.

I know how to put on Tefillin but I can still learn from the Chabad Rabbi who did it for me at the Kotel.

What a powerful thought – to learn from everybody and every interaction.  That sure makes us all better people and makes for a better world.