MeetingRimini 2014: conference on the Power Of The Heart (Fra Pier Battista) | abbaa

MeetingRimini 2014: conference on the Power Of The Heart (Fra Pier Battista) | abbaa

MeetingRimini 2014: conference on the Power Of The Heart (Fra Pier Battista)

Meetings
in Rimini (meetingrimini) and the conference given by Fra Pier Battista
Pizzaballa, Custos of the Franciscans in the Holy Land. The
intervention is moving, realistic, beyond all present media and politic
tendencies - it shows a real connection with "the Service of the
Brother" as sketched out in the Eastern tradition. The point is that
Father Pier Battista is heading the structure that is present in a large
part of the Fertile Crescent, from Egypt to Turkey through Sinai,
Israel, Palestinian Territories, Lebanon, Jordan, Syria along with a
basis in Cyprus. It makes his testimony "theological" which is quite
rare at the moment and Christianly comprehensive. Listen to the whole,
because Emilia Guarnieri makes an extensive introduction to the purpose
of the 2014 meeting,

"http://youtu.be/bE-I15jZTfY"

Tisha Be’Av 5774, 100 years passed, and far more centuries

Western Wall and Entrance to the Anastasis

Tisha be'Av/ט' באב (מנחם) - The Ninth of the Month Av

This day is so special for Jerusalem, I mean all the inhabitants of
Jerusalem. The Orthodox Church walks ahead of the commemoration of the
Prophets Elijah, Elisha and Ezekiel who had a special relation to
"vision, envisioning" times and delays. The Church of Jerusalem and the
Eastern & Oriental rites will also celebrate toward the end of
August the feasts of Mary (Mother of Jesus of Nazareth) and the Cross.



Tisha Be'Av put a specia lmilestone in the development of history. It
first refers to the destruction of the two Temples of Jerusalem: a) in
586 BC/BCE when the Babylonians destroyed the Temple and deported the
Jews to Babylon. b) In 70 AD, the Romans totally destroyed and burnt the
Mikdash/ the Holy Temple to the full.



Volens nolens, both Jews and Christians in our days live on this event.
It took time for the Christians to elaborate a real and substantial
theology that linked the destruction of the Temple to the resurrection
of Jesus as he told in advance (John 2:19 & Matthew 26:31).



On the other hand, the destruction of the "Temple-House of prayer for
all the nations" did not destroy the Jewish community. As the tradition
teaches, times and delays happen with regards to the way people were
behaving in their service of the Lord. It is said that the first Temple
has been destroyed because of the way the "servants" were acting with
rational hatred, while the second Temple came to be erased because of
their irrational hatred. It means that the Jewish community is aware and
this is the question for the day, that sin grew too far and led to
destruction.



In return, it is known that when Yohanan Ben Zakkai saw the foxes coming
out from the Holy of Holies (Devir/דביר) he burst into laughters and
said to Rabbi Yehoshu'a that "this means that I will see the coming of
redemption. His laughing is compared in the Jewish tradition to the
attitude of Sarah when she heard that the visitors/angels told she would
give birth to a son. Others refer to the words of Rabbi Akiva in Talmud
Shekalim and Makkot 24b who als olaughed when he passed with his
disciples near the destroyed Temple. It meant that they saw the veracity
of Zachariah's prophecy on the redemption of Jerusalem as the young and
the elderly will be heard in the streets of the City. This is why Av 15
(= 2014/08/11) as when the Temple was alive (as said in Hebrew), is the
day of "love", in ancient times the beginning of grape harvest.



For each Jew, since the time of the destruction of the Second Temple, it
means that the people witness and "memorize, make a trans-generational
and beyond time testimony" that the Temple has been destroyed till it
will be rebuilt. Each generation thus ascertains that redemption will
come in due time that only belongs to God's will. Judaism has a teaching
that, on the day the Temple has been destroyed and "wiped out", the
Messiah came to be born. Over the generations of "physical absence" ,
the Place still gathered all the prayers of the House of Israel, locally
in Jerusalem as in the dispersion. Tisha Be'Av is thus a day of hope
and true faith.



World War II started in Europe on August 2nd, 1914 - on Tisha Be'Av 5674
- i.e. 100 years ago. The world, in particular the Western world and
Europe, commemorates this event these days. It led to the collapse of
the Ottoman Empire in 1918-9. In 1917, the Balfour Declaration
recognized the project of a Jewish homeland for the Jews. For the first
time in the two millenia history, the Jews who were living in countries
that were in conflict, had to fight against Jews embattled in ennemy
states. Some were Austrian-Hungarian, German, French, British citizens.
They came to fight against other Jews for the sake of other powers. The
starting of the Jewish homeland in Eretz Israel allowed the Jews not to
fight against theirs' but to gather and launch a process of rebirth of a
Jewish presence beyond long centuries of destruction.



When we consider the situation in Jerusalem, we live in the midst of a
mystery of death/destruction and resurrection, Presence and absence or
visible and invisible Presence. In Jerusalem, the CHurch of the Holy
Sepulcher is also called the Anastasis, the Place of the Resurrection of
Jesus. He suffered death on the Cross at the Golgotha and was buried in
the then-garden on this hill. The Tomb was and is empty. We celebrated
yesterday the feast of the first true Apostle, Mary Magdalene, whom the
Resurrected called by her name. He told her to announce resurrection to
the scared disciple who were in despair. Today, the Tomb is empty. The
Sacraments/Mysteries of the Church (in particular the Eucharist)
proclaim the presence of the Lord. He remains "physically invisible".



For the Jews, the Temple is not visible but there remains as a living
memorial, an "absent Presence". Both Jews and Christians are rooted and
firmly established in this terrible day of destruction, precisely for
both Jews and Christians, in this "visible absence.



It makes all that happens to this very place a permanent "bridge in fire" whose future only depends on the Most High.


[From the CHaBaD online site]


Afternoon of the 8th of Av


The restriction against studying Torah—other than sections that
discuss the destruction of the Temples or other sad topics—commences at
midday on the eve of the fast. With few exceptions, the prohibition
continues until the end of the fast.


Tachanun (penitential prayer) is omitted from the afternoon prayer, as well as from all of the Tisha B’Av prayers.1


The final meal consists of a hard-boiled egg and a piece of bread
dipped in ashesShortly before the fast begins, we eat a “separation
meal.” This somber meal is not very plentiful—it follows a larger meal
eaten a bit earlier. This final meal is eaten while sitting on the floor
or a low stool. It consists of a piece of bread and a hard-boiled egg
dipped in ashes, a symbol of mourning. (No zimmun is conducted when reciting the Grace After Meals.)


With sundown, all the laws of Tisha B’Av take effect.

Tisha B’Av Eve

In the synagogue, the curtain is removed from the ark, and the lights are dimmed. After the evening prayers, the book of Lamentations
(Eichah) is read. The leader reads aloud, and the congregation reads
along in an undertone. In some communities (not Chabad), Lamentations is
read by the leader from a parchment scroll.2


Lamentations is followed by the recitation of a few brief kinot (elegies) and the “V’Atah Kadosh” paragraph, followed by kaddish (minus the stanza beginning “Titkabel”3—which is also omitted from the kaddish recited at the end of the morning prayers).

Tisha B’Av Morning

When ritually washing the hands in the morning, pour water on your
fingers only until the knuckle joints. While your fingers are still
moist, you may wipe your eyes with them. It is not permitted to rinse
out one’s mouth—or brush one’s teeth—until after the fast.


Considering that we don’t wear leather footwear on this day, the
blessing “Who provided me with all my needs,” which primarily thanks G‑d
for providing us with shoes, is omitted from the morning
blessings.Tefillin are referred to as our “glory,” and on the Ninth of
Av our glory is absent


Tallit and tefillin are not worn during the morning services. Tefillin are referred to as our “glory,” and on the Ninth of Av our glory is absent. Tzitzit are worn the entire day.


Those who follow Sephardic tradition insert the “Aneinu” passage in
the Amidah. The priestly blessing is omitted from the cantor’s
repetition.


The Torah reading in the morning is Deuteronomy 4:25–40,
which speaks of the destruction of the Land of Israel. A chapter from
Jeremiah (8:13–9:23), which also speaks of the destruction, is read as
the haftorah.


After the morning prayers, it is customary to read the kinot elegies. The service then concludes with “Uva L’Tziyon” (omitting its second verse, “And this is My covenant”4) and “Aleinu.” The Song of the Day and “Ein K’Elokeinu” are omitted.


Work is permitted on Tisha B’Av, but discouraged. On this day, one’s
focus should be on mourning and repentance. If one must work, it should
preferably begin after midday.


It is customary to give extra charity on every fast day.

Tisha B’Av Afternoon

It is customary to wait until midday before starting the food
preparations for the post-fast meal. The intensity of the mourning
lessens in the afternoon, as is evident from the relaxing of certain
restrictions.


After midday, it is once again permitted to sit on chairs and benches
of regular height.Many have the custom to clean the house and wash the
floors in anticipation of the Redemption


Many communities have the custom to clean the house and wash the
floors after midday, in anticipation of the Redemption which we await.


In the synagogue, the ark’s curtain is restored to its place before the afternoon prayers.


Men don their tallit and tefillin for the afternoon
prayers. Before starting the afternoon prayers, it is customary to say
those prayers omitted from the conclusion of the morning services.


The Torah is read before the Amidah. The reading is Exodus 32:11–14
and 34:1–10, which discusses how, in the aftermath of the Golden Calf
incident, Moses successfully interceded on the Israelites’ behalf and
attained forgiveness for their sin. After the afternoon Torah reading,
the special fast-day haftorah, Isaiah 55:6–56:8, is read.


The sections of “Nachem” and “Aneinu” are added to the Amidah. (Note:
“Aneinu” is recited only by those who are actually fasting.)

Post–Tisha B’Av

Before breaking the fast, one should perform netilat yadayim, this time covering the entire hand with water, but without reciting the blessing.


The Temple was set ablaze on the afternoon of the 9th of Av, and
burned through the 10th. Therefore, the restrictions of the Nine Days
(such as not eating meat, swimming, or laundering clothing) extend until
midday of the 10th of Av.


However, if Tisha B’Av falls on a Thursday—in which case the 10th
falls on Friday—one may wash and cut one’s hair on Friday morning in
honor of the Shabbat.

FOOTNOTES
1.	This is because there is a verse (Lamentations 1:15) that refers to the Ninth of Av as moed, a word that can also mean “a festival.” This is a reflection of the idea that Tisha B’Av is the birthday of Moshiach, and contains the potential to be a great holiday—a potential that will be realized with the coming of Moshiach.
2.	In some communities that read Lamentations from a parchment scroll, the reader recites the blessing al mikra megillah beforehand. Levush writes that the prevalent custom to not read Lamentations from a parchment scroll is based on the fact that such scrolls were rare. Scribes did not customarily inscribe this scroll, as an expression of the yearning and great anticipation for the time when the Ninth of Av will be transformed into a day of rejoicing and happiness.
3.	Omitted because it is a petition that our prayers be accepted. We read in Lamentations (3:8) that “my prayer has been shut out”—so how can we petition G‑d to accept our prayers if they have been shut out?
4.	This verse is omitted because we are forbidden to study Torah—G‑d’s covenant—on Tisha B’Av. Also, so that it does not appear as if we were establishing a covenant with G‑d over the destruction.

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When we all need a repair and a rebuilding

"The fundamental aim of the Temple is the exact opposite of
iron. Iron is a symbol of death and destruction; implements of war and
slaughter are fashioned from metal and iron. Iron is a material used to
shorten life. The Temple, on the other hand, is meant to lengthen life.
Its purpose is to promote universal peace and enlightenment — "My House
will be called a house of prayer for all the nations" (Isaiah 56:7). The
incompatibility between iron and the Temple is so great that iron could
not be used to hew the stones used in building the Temple (Deut. 27:5,
Middot 3:4). With the Temple's destruction, the sweet music of prayer
and song was replaced by the jarring cacophony of iron and steel,
reaping destruction and cutting down life."



Think it over: we are on the eve of such meaningful times for each
"religion": the eve of Tisha Be'Av tomorrow night, the Orthodox Church
will remind Saint Mary Magdalene, the "first apostle" who met the
resurrected Lord in the Garden (as the Gan Eden, Paradise - the man woke
and saw the woman - here she WAS SEEN and called by the Lord to bring
the news that births to redemption), the Roman Catholics commemorates
st. Jean-Baptiste Marie Vianney, the model of the "curates, rectors",
exceptional insightful life of a priest whom st. Seraphim of Sarov had
heard of positively.

Who can really see the prayers shaping the fulfillment of redmeption,
this year, in the Mid-East, as in all the places in the world bec. faith
and prayers build us to see what is invisible and to be repaired; all
things can be repaired, each of us whosoever we are and unlocking the
walls.




Rav A.I. HaKohen Kook on Tsiha Be'Av: Terumah: The Iron Wall


The Torah describes in great detail the vehicle for bringing God's Presence into our world: the Mishkan (Tabernacle), the forerunner of the holy Temple in Jerusalem.


The Beit HaMikdash, the holy Temple in Jerusalem, was a focal point of Divine service, prayer, and prophecy; a vehicle to bring the Shechinah into the world. The current state of the world, without the Beit HaMikdash,
is one of estrangement from God. When the Temple was destroyed, the
Talmud teaches, the gates of prayer were locked and a wall of iron
separates us from our Heavenly Father (Berachot 32b).


Why did the Sages describe this breach of communication with God as a 'wall of iron'? Why not, for example, a 'wall of stone'?




A World Ruled by Iron


The metaphor of an iron wall, Rav Kook explained, is precise for
several reasons. A stone wall is built slowly, stone by stone, layer by
layer. An iron wall is more complex to construct; but when it is
erected, it is set up quickly. The Temple's destruction and the
resultant estrangement from God was not a gradual process, but a sudden
calamity for the Jewish people and the entire world, like an iron gate
swinging shut.




But there is a deeper significance to this barrier of iron. The
fundamental aim of the Temple is the exact opposite of iron. Iron is a
symbol of death and destruction; implements of war and slaughter are
fashioned from metal and iron. Iron is a material used to shorten life.
The Temple, on the other hand, is meant to lengthen life. Its purpose is
to promote universal peace and enlightenment — "My House will be called a house of prayer for all the nations" (Isaiah
56:7). The incompatibility between iron and the Temple is so great that
iron could not be used to hew the stones used in building the Temple
(Deut. 27:5, Middot 3:4).




With the Temple's destruction, the sweet music of prayer and song was
replaced by the jarring cacophony of iron and steel, reaping
destruction and cutting down life. At that tragic time, the spiritual
and prophetic influence of the Temple was supplanted by the rule of
iron. Only when justice and integrity will be restored, when the world
will recognize the principles of morality and truth, will this wall of
iron come down, and the Beit HaMikdash will once again take its place as a world center of prayer and holy inspiration.


(Silver from the Land of Israel. Adapted from Ein Eyah vol. I on Berachot 32b (5:76).)




Second reflection I can share:


We are so good at saying that "love and we love is real". For each
Jew, Tisha Be'Av recalls the destruction of the Temple of Jerusalem in
586 BC. by the Babylonians and in 70 AD/CE by the Romans and further all
the calamities that affected the Jewish communities. As for
Pessah/Easter or Shavuot/Giving of the Oral and Written Laws, each Jew
in his/her generation IS present at the destruction of the Temples
looking forward to redemption. This "active memory is quite parallel to
"memorial" in the Christian eucharistic mystery, i.e. that past is
present and runs ahead of a repairing and in-gathering future.



These days, all the faithful cannot pray for theirs' - for those they
feel connected with, for those they consider they are victimized
according to their opinion. When we pray, we ought to remember that
millions of souls do pray at very hour in this world and the saints also
intercede, beyond all the walls we would like to imagine. When we pray
for peace, we do not pray for the peace because of a specific nation or
some group of people - we only can join the prayers of all who do pray
for peace; this is not restricted to their own peace or the peace they
would dream. It reaches out to envision the capacity of God to allow the
humans to rebuild what they all have split.




Rav A. I. HaKohen Kook on Tisha Be'Av: Three Weeks: Rebuilding the World with Love


Rectifying Baseless Hatred


Why was the Second Temple destroyed? The Sages in Yoma 9b noted that
the people at that time studied Torah, observed mitzvot and performed
good deeds. Their great failure was in sinat chinam - baseless hatred.
It was internal strife and conflict that ultimately brought about the
Temple's destruction.




How may we rectify this sin of sinat chinam? Rav Kook wrote, in one of his most oft-quoted statements:


"If we were destroyed, and the world with us, due to baseless hatred,
then we shall rebuild ourselves, and the world with us, with baseless
love — ahavat chinam. (Orot HaKodesh vol. III, p. 324)


This call for baseless love could be interpreted as following
Maimonides' advice on how to correct bad character traits. In the fourth
chapter of Shemonah Perakim, Maimonides taught that negative traits are
corrected by temporarily overcompensating and practicing the opposite
extreme. For example, one who is naturally stingy should balance this
trait by acting overly generous, until he succeeds in uprooting his
miserliness. Similarly, by going to the extreme of ahavat chinam, we
repair the trait of sinat chinam.


This interpretation, however, is not Rav Kook's line of thought.
Ahavat chinam is not a temporary remedy, but an ideal, the result of our
perception of the world's underlying unity and goodness.




The Source of Hatred


Why do we hate others? We may think of many reasons why, but these
explanations are not the real source for our hatred of other people.
They are merely signs and indications of our hatred. It is a lack of
clarity of thought that misleads us into believing that these are the
true causes of hatred.


The true source of hate comes from our otzar hachaim, our inner
resource of life. This fundamental life-force pushes us to live and
thrive, and opposes all that it views as different and threatening.
Ultimately, our hate is rooted in sinat chinam - groundless and
irrational animosity, just because something is different.




Yet even in hatred lies a hidden measure of love. Baseless love and
baseless hatred share a common source, a love of life and the world.
This common source hates that which is evil and destructive, and loves
that which is good and productive.




How can we overcome our hatred? If we can uncover the depth of good
in what we perceive as negative, we will be able to see how good will
result even from actions and ideas that we oppose. We will then
recognize that our reasons for hatred are unfounded, and transform our
hatred into love and appreciation.


'I Burn with Love'




This idea of ahavat chinam was not just a theoretical concept. Rav
Kook was well-known for his profound love for all Jews, even those far
removed from Torah and mitzvot. When questioned why he loved Jews
distant from the ideals of Torah, he would respond, "Better I should err
on the side of baseless love, than I should err on the side of baseless
hatred."




Stories abound of Rav Kook's extraordinary love for other Jews, even
those intensely antagonistic to his ways and beliefs. Once Rav Kook was
publicly humiliated by a group of extremists who showered him with waste
water in the streets of Jerusalem. The entire city was in an uproar
over this scandalous act. The legal counsel of the British Mandate
advised Rav Kook to press charges against the hooligans, promising that
they would be promptly deported from the country. The legal counsel,
however, was astounded by the Chief Rabbi's response.


"I have no interest in court cases. Despite what they did to me, I
love them. I am ready to kiss them, so great is my love! I burn with
love for every Jew."




Practical Steps towards Ahavat Chinam


In his magnum opus Orot HaKodesh, Rav Kook gave practical advice on how to achieve this love.


Love for the Jewish people does not start from the heart, but from
the head. To truly love and understand the Jewish people - each
individual Jew and the nation as a whole — requires a wisdom that is
both insightful and multifaceted. This intellectual inquiry is an
important discipline of Torah study.


Loving others does not mean indifference to baseness and moral
decline. Our goal is to awaken knowledge and morality, integrity, and
refinement; to clearly mark the purpose of life, its purity and
holiness. Even our acts of loving-kindness should be based on a hidden
Gevurah, an inner outrage at the world's — and thus our own — spiritual
failures.


If we take note of others' positive traits, we will come to love them
with an inner affection. This is not a form of insincere flattery, nor
does it mean white-washing their faults and foibles. But by
concentrating on their positive characteristics — and every person has a
good side — the negative aspects become less significant.




This method provides an additional benefit. The Sages cautioned
against joining with the wicked and exposing oneself to their negative
influence. But if we connect to their positive traits, then this contact
will not endanger our own moral and spiritual purity.




We can attain a high level of love for Israel by deepening our
awareness of the inner ties that bind together all the souls of the
Jewish people, throughout all the generations. In the following
revealing passage, Rav Kook expressed his own profound sense of
connection with and love for every Jewish soul:




"Listen to me, my people! I speak to you from my soul, from within my
innermost soul. I call out to you from the living connection by which I
am bound to all of you, and by which all of you are bound to me. I feel
this more deeply than any other feeling: that only you — all of you,
all of your souls, throughout all of your generations — you alone are
the meaning of my life. In you I live. In the aggregation of all of you,
my life has that content that is called 'life.' Without you, I have
nothing. All hopes, all aspirations, all purpose in life, all that I
find inside myself — these are only when I am with you. I need to
connect with all of your souls. I must love you with a boundless
love....




"Each one of you, each individual soul from the aggregation of all of
you, is a great spark from the torch of infinite light, which
enlightens my existence. You give meaning to life and work, to Torah and
prayer, to song and hope. It is through the conduit of your being that I
sense everything and love everything."  (Shemonah Kevatzim, vol. I,
sec. 163)