Our Sages tell us that each brother wept over the destruction that would occur in the other brother's portion of land. Joseph wept over the destruction of the two Holy Temples in Jerusalem, in Benjamin's portion, and Benjamin wept over the Sanctuary in Shilo, in Joseph's portion.
Interestingly, Joseph wept over the destruction that would occur in Benjamin's portion, but not over the destruction in his own territory. Similarly, Benjamin wept over the destruction of the Sanctuary in Joseph's portion, but did not grieve over the two Temples in Jerusalem, which were in his own portion.
Why didn't each one weep over his own misfortune?
A Jew who conducts himself according to Torah causes G-d's Presence to dwell within him, thereby symbolically building in his heart a personal Sanctuary.
When one sees his brother's inner Sanctuary being destroyed [by his actions], he cries, for it is painful to witness. Crying lessens the pain, but cannot fix what was destroyed. Rectifying the situation is not in his hands, he therefore can only empathize.
Yet when a person destroys his own inner Temple he does not weep, for no amount of weeping can ever rebuild it. Instead, he needs to perform actual deeds.
Mitzvot can reconstruct the ruined Sanctuary.
Joseph and Benjamin realized that lamenting their own sorrows would yield no practical benefit. Each brother would have to exert his own efforts to rebuild; by observing Mitzvot and acts of goodness.
Let each of us rebuild the Sanctuary in our hearts, and together we will merit the rebuilding of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem, that will never be destroyed!
Candle lighting time for L.A. is 4:31 pm.
Shabbat Shalom!
No comments:
Post a Comment