Christian Reflection and Prayer

Scripture:

“That night all the members of the community raised their
voices and wept aloud.”—Numbers 14:1

There is a story told about the famous French emperor
Napoleon Bonaparte. He was traveling through a Jewish
town in Europe when he entered a synagogue. There he
saw men, women, and children, all sitting on the floor,
weeping and reading from ancient texts. The room was
almost completely dark and the atmosphere was gloomy.

“What great misfortune occurred?” Napoleon wanted to
know. He assumed that something terrible must have just
happened to the Jews. The Jewish officer with him knew
otherwise. He explained, “It is the ninth of Av on the
Hebrew calendar. On this day, every year, Jews around
the world gather to mourn the destruction of the Temple in
Jerusalem.” Napoleon asked, “When did that happen?”
The officer replied, “Two thousand years ago.” Napoleon
was shocked and said, “Any people that still cry for their
land and their Temple after two thousand years will surely
merit seeing both returned to them.”

Indeed, the land of Israel has been returned to the Jewish
people. But as the Temple still lies in ruins,

Friends, let’s consider what we cry about. If we whine and
complain for no good reason, it won’t go over well with God.
When we cry for good reasons, we will be rewarded. Those
who weep over the Temple will get to see it rebuilt. Those
who cry for the sake of God will see God do great things for
them.

With prayers for shalom, peace,
Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein

(excerpts taken from Holy Land Moments)