What is Obama requesting from G-d?There isn't a single visiting American politician and hopeful candidate that doesn't stop at the Western Wall to offer a prayer and photo-op in Jerusalem.
One could cynically look at this picture (or of any candidate) ...but there's a flip side.
The Navi/Prophet Zecharia (Chapter 14: 16) says:
והיה, כל-הנותר מכל-הגוים, הבאים, על-ירושלם; ועלו מדי שנה בשנה, להשתחות למלך יהוה צבאות, ולחג, את-חג הסכות.
And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations that came against Jerusalem shall go up from year to year to worship the King, the G-d of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles (sukkot).
And it's going to get even better -- the nations of the world won't just be showing up for photo ops at the Kotel, but bringing korbanot at the Beit HaMikdash as well.
And while I'm on the topic of the kotel, Lurker suggested I recount the story of my friend, Ahmed.
Yes, I have a friend who's real name is Ahmed (as opposed to my name, Jameel).
He's Muslim, lives in London, and we're work colleagues. I first met him in London and we worked together on many projects, and he was most hospitable to me.
When he had to come for work to Israel, I returned the hospitality and took him around the Old City of Jerusalem. As this was in the days of the "new" intifada around 2002, I took my M16 with me as I showed him the different sections of the Old City.
He expressed a desire to pray on the mosque on the Temple Mount, so I took him as far as I was willing to walk -- and then told him he had to walk the rest from there by himself -- we would meet up again in 30 minutes.
He walked up the entrance, and was quickly stopped by the Waqf guards.I have many more Ahmed and Jameel stories...maybe next week.
"What do you want?" they asked him.
Cheerfully, he replied, "I'm here to pray"
Suspiciously, pointing in my direction, they asked, "Who is that guy that brought you here?"
Ahmed laughed and replied, "Him? That's my good friend Jameel!"
Astonished, they asked, "Your good friend? He's carrying an M16!?"
He answered proudly, "Of course he has an M16, he's an IDF reserve soldier, he's part of his settlement's counter terror unit, and he lives in the Shomron."
The Waqf guards were so horrified and disgusted by my friend's reply that they sent him away, without letting him pray at all!
Dejected, he walked back to meet me, and I told him I would take him to the Kotel instead. Approaching the Kotel, he was instructed to put on one of those cardboard kippot, which he did.
Walking closer to the wall, the Chabad people jumped up to put tefillin on him.
I tried holding them back -- "No, No, Don't put tefillin on him!"
They didn't understand...."It's a mitzva!" they yelled back at me.
"He isn't JEWISH!" I interjected.
They stopped. "He certainly looks Jewish," they replied...
Shabbat Shalom!
hat-tip to Amshi for the pic.
Wherever I am, my blog turns towards Eretz Yisrael טובה הארץ מאד מאד