Our new film: BEYOND THE WALL is almost here. Join us this Tisha B'Av (Wednesday night) for the premiere of our brand-new film. This is a powerful and inspiring story you won't want to miss. Stay tuned, be inspired, and make sure you're subscribed to Homebound to Eretz Yisrael so you don't miss the premiere.
20 July 2026
PREPARATIONS to Build the Third Temple Are COMPLETE
The Tisha B'Av Message Most People Have Never Heard.
Are all the preparations to build the Third Temple already complete?
In this interview, Michael Weichbrod and Aron Sokol examine the biblical, historical, and modern developments that have led many to ask whether the next stage of redemption could begin sooner than most people realize.
Discover how Tisha B'Av, the Third Temple, biblical prophecy, the rebuilding of the Temple, Jewish redemption, and current events may fit together in ways most people have never considered.
@RabbiAronSokol
@homebound-to-eretz-yisroel
2026 Ophel Excavation Begins in Jerusalem
ME: They’ve been digging for five years 2021, and will we see miraculous things from this?
Less than 100 meters from the southern wall of the Temple Mount, the Ophel Excavation is currently underway in one of the most important locations in all Israel.
The joint project by Hebrew University of Jerusalem and the Armstrong Institute of Biblical Archaeology seeks to uncover the monumental remains from the late Second Temple Period (2,000 years ago) and even earlier.
On today’s episode of Let the Stones Speak host Brent Nagtegaal speaks on-site in Jerusalem with excavation co-director Prof. Uzi Leibner about what has been uncovered so far and what this season’s excavation could reveal.
SHOW NOTES: https://armstronginstitute.org/1498-2...
WEBSITE: https://ArmstrongInstitute.org
MAGAZINE: https://armstronginstitute.org/reques...
EMAIL UPDATES: https://armstronginstitute.us12.list-...
CONTACT US: letters@ArmstrongInstitute.org
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Burnt Wooden Beams from the Destruction of Jerusalem Discovered in the City of David
קורות עץ שרופות מחורבן הבית הראשון התגלו בעיר
Burnt wooden beams from the destruction of the first house were discovered in the city.
Couple this with the burnt homes in “Havat Gilad” in Judea/Samaria TODAY!!
[female voice]
Carolyn Glick in Her Courageous Form
Anti-Israel Hecklers Confront Caroline Glick and Her Response Is Brutal
How did this happen in the first place?? Just read further down, “ Note: this debate took place a few years before Oct. 7/23.” Just being presented now!
SUPER Commenters
Caroline Glick, is an absolute BEAST. I love her
It is very clear that the panel chairman and most of the audience have anti Israeli and anti Jewish bias
There is already a ‘two state solution’ .. it’s called Jordan.
Caroline Glick is an amazing wionderful defender of Israel!
I think it’s a rather strange phenomenon that people often compare “the Zionist regime” in Israel with the nazis and claim it’s racist when that kind of hateful thinking actually is what the Palestinians brainwash their children with.
Thank you God for Caroline Glick.
Nothing more irritating than posh British so called academics talking down to jews
When the British man on the panel tries to say how unimportant mentioning anything about the Holocaust, he loses the whole historical reason for the re-formation of the Jewish state is because the people who were pushed out over centuries of time through a number of Diaspora’s were ultimately turned away when their ships came to the shores of England, France, United States and other countries right after the Holocaust is exactly why Israel was re-formed. To say Israel is Occupying land that is something that is already theirs to begin with is incredibly absurd!
Ancient Israel was called Judea.
Too many people would rather try to erase history, The Jewish people are acquainted with grief but also know that they do have a home that is their original one and are a very resilient people that aren’t going to be pushed out. Never Again!
How to spot colonizers:
67 countries speak ENGLISH
21 countries speak SPANISH
29 countries speak FRENCH
22 countries speak ARABIC
Only ONE country speaks Hebrew (clever comment)
The Palistinians must go back to their original countries. According to their surnames, Israel knows where they come from. This will make Egypt, Jordan etc liable for their own people????
The English bloke with the weird hair, said the leaders of the Plestinians would bite his arm off if they were offered a peace based on the 1967 borders. Not sure what he means by "biting off one's arm", but they have already been offered that on four occasions, and rather than biting off someone's arm they chose to blow up busses, cafes and kidergartens. Not sure if he is niave, or just sleazy.
More Caroline please
Caroline is SO smart.
Reb Sones: Es Brent!…..BIG UPDATE
Es Brent! The Land Has Burned Before — And What We Must Do Now
While the direct perpetrators bear responsibility for their actions, the enabling environment is not created in a vacuum
For over 100 years, Jewish forests, crops, and communities have been deliberately set on fire.
The people who lit those fires bear primary responsibility.
But the conditions that enable, sustain, or fail to deter such incidents frequently originate in internal Israeli dynamics and policy choices.
This is not about externalizing blame.
It’s about fixing what is in our hands.
13 homes burnt, dozens damaged in West Bank settlement as crews battle blaze for 2nd day
Over 100 families said to evacuate homes in Havat Gilad, no casualties reported; probe indicates cigarette caused fire, no other materials found at scene, arson not suspected ???
Fire crews on Sunday continued battling a wildfire that began the day before in the northern West Bank, with emergency services saying the fire destroyed 13 homes and damaged dozens more in the Havat Gilad settlement, and that intensive efforts were still underway to limit the blaze from spreading.
According to the Fire and Rescue service, two firefighters were injured during the firefighting efforts, and were evacuated for medical treatment in moderate and light condition, respectively.
Investigators said that an initial probe indicated that the wildfire was sparked by an unextinguished cigarette butt flicked to the side of a road. Law enforcement was working to track down the vehicle from which it was thrown.
בפני מי קם הגאון מוילנא?: משא רוממות ממנהיג הדור הגר"ד לנדו באסיפת החירום למאות מנהלי מוסדות הפטור
מנהלי תלמודי התורה יחד עם רבני הקהילות מכל רחבי הארץ התכנסו לאסיפת חירום, לשמיעת הדרכה וחיזוק מגדולי ישראל בראשם מנהיג הדור רבינו מרן ראש הישיבה הגר"ד לנדו שליט"א. במרכז המעמד האזינו גדולי ישראל ומאות המשתתפים למשא הדרכה ממנהיג הדור רבינו מרן שליט"א: ברשות מורנו ראש הישיבה שליט"א והגאון הצדיק המשגיח שליט"א וברשות מרנן ורבנן שליט"א התכנסנו כאן יחד עם רבני הקהילות ומנהלי החיידרים בכדי להשמיע קבל עם ועולם את גודל יקר מעלת המלמדים שליט"א, הנושאים ומשמשים בתפקיד קדוש ורב ערך בהרבצת תורה והקמת דורות של תופסי תורה החרדים לדבר השם. גדולי ישראל בכל הדורות הכירו במעלת המלמדים שלימדו אותם בילדותם, והכירו טובה עד למאוד למלמדים שהכניסו אותם בשערי לימוד התורה בינקותם, מסופר על מאור עינינו הגאון החסיד מוילנא, שהוא קם ממקומו כאשר פגש את רבו שלימדו א' ב'. ועוד רבו המעשים על גודל הכבוד שרחשו גדולי ישראל ברבותיהם שלימדו אותם בקטנותם. ומהנהגתם של גדולי ישראל, אשר הכרתם בערך התורה ודבקותם באהבת ובקדושת התורה היא לאין ערוך, מהם למדנו את גודל זכותם וערך תפקידם של המלמדים, בהנחלת ומסירת התורה מדור לדור. ישנה תחושה בקרב מקצת העם, שתפקיד רב ערך זה של 'מלמדות' אין בו כבוד, או שאינו אלא פרנסה. ולא היא! הרבצת התורה שזוכה בה המלמד, היא הרבצת תורה זכה וטהורה, וכמאמר חז"ל 'ומצדיקי הרבים ככוכבים אלו מלמדי תינוקות'. ועל כולנו הזכות והחובה להכיר בכבודם של המלמדים, אשר בהרבצת התורה לתלמידיהם הם המה מקיימי היהדות, ונוטעי שרשי האילנות של דורות הבאים. ומי שיודע בעצמו שיש לו את היכולת להרביץ תורה לצעירי הצאן ולחנכם ליראת שמים טהורה, ידע שזכות גדולה עומדת לפתחו, ואל יקל ראש בדבר זה, אלא ילך להיוועץ בחכם המכירו לקבל הכרעת רב בדבר נשגב זה, שחשיבותו רבה עד למאד. ולנדיבי הלב ולכל מי שביכולתו אנו קוראים, הסכיתו ושמעו והטו אזנכם וליבכם למען היות לעזר ואחיסמך למען החזקת המלמדים, כי מעלה גדולה ונשגבה להחזיק מרביצי תורה אלו מקיימי היהדות לדור יבוא. ולכבוד המלמדים שליט"א אנו פונים בכל לב, מעלת תפקידכם אין בדומה לו, הרבצת התורה שבה אתם עוסקים, הינה הרבצת תורה במשמעות האמיתית ביותר, דעתנו עליהם שיקל עליכם ככל היותר, ועליכם להבין גודל מעלת תפקידכם ללמד תורה לילדי ישראל כפי המסורה בטהרת החינוך כמקובל בכל הדורות ללא שינויים חלילה. ולמנהלי החדרים שליט"א הננו פונים, ידוע היטב העול הגדול אשר הינכם נושאים על כתפיכם, ופעמים רבות אינכם מקבלים את הכרת הטוב הראויה לכם, חזקו איש רעהו והצליחו בתפקידכם זה. וחובת הזהירות שלכם מנהלי החיידרים, להתנהל מול השלטונות יחד, ולא יעשה אדם דין לעצמו בזה, שלא יהיה חלילה חב לאחרים וחב לעצמו, עמדו יחד והתנהלו בתבונה ובעצת חכמים כאיש אחד בלב אחד. יהי רצון שיזכו אתם והמלמדים שליט"א להעמיד לגיונות לגיונות של לומדי תורה, ותזכו לסיעתא דשמיא בדבר זה, ותרוו נחת מתלמידיכם ומכל צאצאיכם, אך טוב וחסד באהליכם כל הימים.
למה לבכות😢? המנהיג הרב אדלשטיין מעורר לבכות על חורבן בית המקדש
עכשיו אנחנו נמצאים בבין המצרים בין שבעה עשר בתמוז לתשעה באב, בין המצרים, כתוב בשולחן ערוך, הפוסקים מביאים בין המצרים אז צריך לבכות חצי שעה כל יום, למה לבכות?, מפני שיש על מה לבכות, על בית המקדש, חורבן בית המקדש.
זה התחיל בשבעה עשר בתמוז, הובקעה העיר, והחורבן היה בתשעה באב, זה זמן החורבן, כל המתאבל על ירושלים זוכה ורואה בשמחתה.
יש פסוק שישו איתה משוש כל המתאבלים עליה, כל המתאבל זוכה ורואה בשמחתה, מי שלא מתאבל לא רואה בשמחתה, מי שלא מרגיש שחסר לו בית המקדש, הוא לא מתאבל, לא אכפת לו הוא לא מרגיש את זה אז אין לו זכויות לבית המקדש, אינו רואה בשמחתה, מתאבל על ירושלים זה הענין.
🔥 האם מותר אינטרנט בבית? ומה הכריע מנהיג הדור הגרמ"ה הירש על עבודה בממ"ח? 😱
A moving and profound footage from the residence of the Leader of the Generation, Maran Rosh Yeshiva Rabbi Moshe Hillel Hirsch, responding to HaGaon Rabbi Binyamin Finkel on two of the most burning questions in the Jewish home today: Is it allowed to bring filtered internet into the home for a wife's work, and is it allowed to work in "State Haredi" (Mamach) institutions when livelihood depends on it. Watch his clear halachic rulings and inspiring words of faith and trust in Hashem.
📢 * "אנחנו בשליחות להפיץ את אורם של גדולי הדור לכל יהודי בעולם! 🌍
בקרוב נעלה תיעוד היסטורי גנוז ומצמרר שמעולם לא פורסם!
לחצו כאן עכשיו, הירשמו לערוץ והיו שותפים לקידוש השם העצום הזה כדי לא לפספס: 🔔
/ @gedoleihador
/ @gedoleihador "איך נעלים את השנאה?" 😱 מרן הרב זילברשטיין שליט"א חושף את המשימה הגדולה של הדור!
הסמינר רימונים בטבריה
"לבנות החשובות והיקרות מאוד לעם ישראל, התלמידות של סמינר רימונים.
אני רוצה להגיד לכם, יש לכם היום משימה מיוחדת במינה של תפילה. עמוד השדרה של עם היהודי בטבריה היה כל הזמן ר' דב קוק, איש אלוקים קדוש הוא, אשרי עין ראתהו. אתם יודעים שהוא נמצא במצב קשה, והדבר הראשון הוא להתפלל לרפואתו: דב הכהן בן שושנה. [א.ה. - זה היה עוד לפני הוספת השם חזקיהו, בהמלצתו, וכעת שמו רבי חזקיהו דוב הכהן בן שושנה לרפו"ש]
והדבר השני שהם צריכים לעשות הוא לקדש שם שמיים. המצווה הכי גדולה שיש בעולם זה קידוש השם. קידוש השם זה נקרא שכל בת ובת, הולכת ברחוב, ויודעים: זו בת ישראל צנועה, לבושה יפה, בצניעות יהודית, בגדים ארוכים, לא מדברת דברים בטלים, מדברת רק לעניין, ומקבלת כל אדם בסבר פנים יפות, מתנהגת בדרך ארץ – זה נקרא לקדש שם שמיים.
זו המשימה הכי גדולה שיש היום לעם היהודי: להוריד את השנאה שיש כלפי הציבור הדתי, שהיא גוברת וגוברת מיום ליום. להזים אותה? איך להזים אותה? לדעת דרך ארץ איך לדבר, ובענווה לדבר, ובהקרבה וברצון להיטיב – זה נקרא מקדש שם שמיים.
על מקדש שם שמיים נאמר ששכרו עצום. אתם תזכו כולכם להקים בתים נאמנים בעם ישראל, בזה שתקדשו שם שמיים ברחוב, בהליכה, בכל מקום שאתם נמצאים, דרך ארץ, נימוסים והכנעה. וכל טוב סלה, הקדוש ברוך הוא יברך אתכם.".
בונים את היסודות: הכנה רוחנית ממרן ראש הישיבה הגרמ"ה הירש שליט"א לשינוי הגדול בחיים
כל החיים עליה ועליה - ילדי כיתה ח המשתתפים במסלול נטועים באיגוד בני הישיבות אשדוד עלו למעונו של מרן ראש הישיבה הגאון רבי משה הלל הירש שליט"א לסיום מסכת סוכה ולשמיעת דברי הדרכה ממרן ראש הישיבה לקראת עלייתם לישיבות קטנות בשנה הבאה להלן הדברים:
ברוך השם שסיימתם את מסכת סוכה וסיימתם את החיידר, ועכשיו אתם נכנסים לשלב חדש לחיים שלכם זה מהשלבים הכי חשובים, שאתם נכנסים לישיבה קטנה שזה מתחיל כשאתם כבר גדולים עד עכשיו הייתם קטנים, עכשיו ישיבה קטנה אתם כבר גדולים, יש חיוביים אחרים כל היסוד שאתם בונים כל החיים, זה בנוי על מה שהיה בישיבה קטנה כי בישיבה קטנה אם אתם למדתם חזק חזק והתחלתם את העלייה אז ממילא יהיה כל החיים זה עליה עליה.
א. אז אתם צריכים לדעת שישיבה קטנה צריכים לשמוע למה שמה שהראש הישיבה אומר, מה המשגיח אומר, מה המגיד שיעור שלך אומר וזה חשוב מאוד מאוד. בחורים שמבזבזים את הזמן בישיבה קטנה, אז מתחרטים, אוי אוי, למה לא למדתי בישיבה קטנה. אז זה הנקודה שאתם צריכים לדעת, ישיבה קטנה זה זה ההתחלה, ולפי ההתחלה זה כל החיים. אני מאחל לכל אחד ואחד שיעשה עלייה אחרי עלייה אחרי עלייה בישיבה קטנה וזה עד ישיבה גדולה ואז כולל כל החיים בתורה ותורה ויראת שמיים. והשם יעזור לכם, שיצא מהלימוד שלכם קידוש השם ושמיים וכבוד שמיים. אמן.קרדיט תיעוד: איגוד בני הישיבות באשדוד
The Wisdom of HaRav Moshe Sternbuch Shlita: On Exile and Redemption
ON EXILE AND REDEMPTION
SORROW OF THE SHECHINA
Rav Y.L. Diskin never went to pray at the Kosel, even though he lived near it. Rav Sternbuch heard many years ago from someone who had the merit of attending to Rav Diskin and afterwards to his students, that his students had a tradition that the reason their rav refrained from visiting the Kosel was that he was afraid of fainting when reaching the Kosel due to his great sorrow, and therefore, instead, he would frequently look out of his window to see the Makom Hamikdash, which would make him cry.
Tradition has it that when he moved to Eretz Yisroel he was on his way to the Kosel when he suddenly thought about the great sanctity of the place he was about to visit and about how the Holy Shechina was in exile and suffering. He started sobbing and felt so unwell that he had to retrace his steps. He did not visit the Kosel after that.
How far removed we are from those generations. Due to the great sorrow he felt, Rav Y.L. Diskin did not visit the Kosel even on Shabbos and Yom Tov, whereas today people dance there joyfully, completely forgetting about the sorrow of the Shechina. The Bas Kol that appeared to the Shelah Hakadosh told him that if people would be aware of even a tiny fraction of the sorrow the Shechina feels, they would incapable of feeling any joy. What then, can be said of our generation, when most of the nation is far removed from religion, and the irreligious rule over the Holy Land?
UNREVEALED SECRET
Rav Sternbuch heard from Rav Moshe Schneider that during the period of the Cantonist decrees, when Jewish boys were snatched away from their parents and forced into 25 years of Russian military service, Russian rabbis convened and unanimously agreed that Moshiach’s arrival was surely imminent. One elderly rabbi, a kabbalist, wanted to announce the date of Moshiach’s coming based on an allusion by the Vilna Gaon in his commentary on Safra Dezniusa, where he warns anyone - subject to an oath - who understands his hint not to reveal the secret. The elderly rabbi declared: “I know the secret of the coming of Moshiach hinted at by the Vilna Gaon, and according to his calculations that date will not arrive for a while yet, but since currently everybody imagines that his coming is imminent, and when he will not come people’s faith will be weakened, G-d forbid, in my opinion the Vilna Gaon would also say that it is a mitzvah to reveal the date, and so that is what I will do”. At that moment he suffered a heart attack and died in the presence of all the rabbanim.
GOG AND MAGOG
Rav Yechezkel Abramsky told Rav Sternbuch that he has a tradition from the Vilna Gaon’s students in the name of the Vilna Gaon that the war of Gog and Magog will last only 12 minutes, and during that war a third of the world’s population will die, a third will be injured, and a third will remain unharmed. Rav Sternbuch says that the Vilna Gaon was talking about the world’s non-Jewish population.
CHILLUL HASHEM
Rav Sternbuch heard from Rav Elyah Lopian who heard from Rav Yitzchak Blazer that when Rav Yochanon said “let him come and let me not see him” (Sanhedrin 98b), he did not mean that he not did not want to witness the coming of Moshiach because of the physical suffering associated with the birth pangs of his coming. After all, Rav Yochanon himself had endured the passing of ten sons in his lifetime, and so he would certainly be able to endure the physical tribulations of Chevlei Moshiach. Rather, he meant that he would not be able to endure the desecration of the Divine name during those birth pangs, such as during the Holocaust when people asked “Where is your G-d?”, and during our time when the irreligious rule over the Palace of the King in Eretz Yisroel and desecrate it terribly. Rav Yochanon felt that he would not be able to endure such a terrible desecration of the Divine name.
MORALITY IN THE GENERATION OF MOSHIACH
The Gerer Rebbe, the Beis Yisroel, told Rav Sternbuch on one occasion that since the main area that needs to be amended in the generation of Moshiach is that of morality, he is very stringent about those matters, but he added that he is lenient with regard to repentance for past actions.
HANGING ON
Rav Yechezkel Abramsky once suggested the following parable: People who swam across the Channel separating England from France would be awarded a prize. There was one swimmer who, just before reaching the French side, said that he was so exhausted that he felt he could not swim even one more stroke. People tried to encourage him to work up just that extra bit of energy so that all the efforts he had invested would not be in vain. Similarly, we have suffered so many tragedies during this long exile. All we have to do now is hang on with determination and perseverance, because we are almost there.
TISHA B'AV
The duty of repenting on Tisha B’Av is on the same level as the obligation to fast. Therefore, part of the duty of the day is to engage in introspection and account taking, especially with regard to the sins for which the Beis Hamikdash was destroyed, such as those pertaining to lashon hara, which are very prevalent.
We also have to mourn and feel sorrow not only for the absence of the Shechinah in a revealed manner in the Beis Hamikdash, but also for the fact that the wicked are reviling and treating the Shechinah with contempt.
On the other hand, the reward for mitzvos performed during a period of Exile is much greater, because Hashem’s expectations of us are less when the Shechina is absent. This is especially so during periods of “hester besoch hester” (“concealment within concealment”), because keeping mitzvos properly in such times is especially difficult.
A great tzaddik in the time of Tach v’Tat (the Chmelnitzki Cossack massacres of 1648–49) is said to have promised before he died that when he would get to Heaven, he would not rest until Hashem would bring about the final redemption. After he passed away, he appeared to someone in a dream and told him that anyone who lives in Olam Hazeh cannot imagine what he sees in Heaven. People have no idea of the great reward awaiting those who merit performing any mitzvah during a period of hester panim (Hashem hiding His countenance, so to speak). Whatever used to require fasting and mortifications in previous generations, can be attained in later generation by stubbornly resisting the temptations of each generation with regard to matters of faith and toiling in Torah. Those who are successful in this endeavor climb the rungs of greatness.
ON THE COMING OF MOSHIACH
When people bless Rav Sternbuch that he should witness the coming of Moshiach, Rav Sternbuch responds that a blessing should include the period after the coming of Moshiach too, because the Rambam has ruled that life will continue more or less as it is now. In fact, we especially yearn for that time, because then we will have no worries. One visitor amended his blessing: “May the Rav enjoy a long life also after the coming of Moshiach, and may he become Moshe Rabbeinu’s deputy!” Rav Sternbuch response to that blessing was: “Oy …, when Moshiach comes, I will run away from Moshe Rabbeinu. How embarrassed we will be in his presence!”
Rav Sternbuch once asked one of his congregants how he was doing, and the latter replied, “I’m waiting for Moshiach”. Rav Sternbuch responded, “Are you really waiting for him? You are still preoccupied with your car and your apartment, so your words don’t seem that sincere”.
Rav Sternbuch was once visiting the Brisker Rav when an American visitor told the Brisker Rav that in America people were waiting for Moshiach to come. The Brisker Rav asked him whether people were preparing themselves for this great event. The visitor responded that Moshiach should come already with or without our preparations. The Brisker Rav replied that this would not work. We must start the process of repentance and strengthening our faith now, intensifying our Torah and prayer and working on our character traits so that we will be worthy of welcoming Moshiach and witnessing the unprecedented miracles that Hashem will perform at that time. Even revealed miracles, the Brisker Rav said, will not change a person who is stubborn or steeped in his desires. Someone who is steeped in matters pertaining to Olam Hazeh, and merely pays lip service to his desire for the coming of Moshiach, claiming that he is waiting for his coming, will be filled with embarrassment and shame when he does come. Good deeds and repentance are expected of us, coupled with a real desire for the coming of Moshiach.
Awaiting the coming of Moshiach is a constant theme of Rav Sternbuch’s drashos. When he visited the United States several years ago, he made a point of focusing on this topic, noting that it had become neglected, and emphasizing the need to reinforce our yearning for Moshiach.
Rav Pardes, a Rav in Chicago, told Rav Sternbuch about a meeting he had with the Chofetz Chaim when Rav Pardes was a young bachur. The Chofetz Chaim asked him where he was from, and when Rav Pardes said that he was from America, the Chofetz Chaim asked him whether Jews in America were talking about and awaiting Moshiach. Rav Pardes hesitated about his answer but decided to say “avade,” of course they are. The Chofetz Chaim then went to a corner and started crying to Hashem. Rav Pardes overheard him saying the following: “It is one thing for us, who are suffering so much from poverty and other material problems, to yearn for Moshiach, because it could be that we are waiting for him so that he will redeem us from our material troubles. But even our affluent brethren in America are yearning for him to come. How much longer must we wait?”
The first question we will be asked when in our judgement after 120 years is “Tzipisa liyeshuah — Did you anticipate the salvation?” Rav Yechezkel Abramsky notes that we will not be asked, “Kivisa liyeshuah — Did you hope for the salvation?” because every believing Jew hopes for the redemption. The question we will be asked is whether we anticipated it the same way that we expect someone to arrive for an appointment at a prearranged time. We do not hope that the person will arrive; we expect him to. Hashem has not revealed a prearranged date for Moshiach to come, but we are meant to hope and wait for him in eager anticipation and expectation.
Rav Sternbuch recalls how after World War II his mother was sure that Moshiach’s arrival was imminent. She refused to wear her best jewelry and nicest dress, stating that those were set aside for when Moshiach would come, and she waited for him every day.
Rav Sternbuch was once speaking to a rav when he suddenly sighed and exclaimed, “Oy, Moshiach may come already”. The rav wondered about this statement, saying that surely Moshiach must come already. Rav Sternbuch explained his statement by recalling the time that his mother told her father Rav Shlomo Zalman Pines, “Moshiach has to come”, and her father told her off, “How can we say that he has to come, Hashem does not owe us anything. All we can say is “May he come” and if he is permitted to come, he will surely come”.
Rav Sternbuch says Tikkun Chatzos throughout the year, but many times he does not say the whole text, but only several chapters of Tehillim and the chapters from Megillas Eicha at the beginning of the Tikkun.
At one stage, Rav Sternbuch would get up secretly in the middle of the night to recite Tikkun Chatzos. The late Rebbetzen only found out about it because she noticed that Rav Sternbuch disappeared in the middle of the night, and the following morning his clothes were covered with white dust. One night she decided to follow him to see where he was going. To her astonishment, he made his way to the storage room (machsan) and sat on a sack of flour to recite Tikkun Chatzos far removed from the eyes and earshot of others. However, the telltale white dust gave away the secret.
Many years ago, when Rav Sternbuch was living in the “Shikun Harabbanim” neighborhood in Yerushalayim, he confided to a neighbor that he had chosen to live specifically in that neighborhood because the only path to the Old City (at the time) was from the entry route to Yerushalayim, which was close to that neighborhood. This meant that when Moshiach would come, the residents of Shikun Harabbanim would be amongst the first to welcome him, and would not have to wait until he entered the other neighborhoods.
Similarly, when Rav Sternbuch moved to the Har Nof neighborhood of Yerushalayim, he said that since Eliyahu Hanavi is a Kohen, and since the whole of Yerushalayim is full of graves and bones, how will he be able to enter the town? The only option is to pass through the neighborhood of Har Nof, which is built on hard rock, and therefore does not contain any graves. Hence, those living here will merit seeing Eliyahu Hanavi first.
Shortly before the Rebbetzen passed away, some sixteen years ago, Rav Sternbuch bought a burial plot for himself and his wife at Har Hazeisim. When one of his confidants tried to dissuade him from doing this, stating that it may be difficult to visit graves there because of the security situation, and that it would be better to buy something at Har Hamenuchos, Rav Sternbuch responded: “Even if no one comes to visit the grave, the main thing is to merit being buried at Har Hazeisim in order to be amongst the first to welcome Moshiach”.
Characteristically, Rav Sternbuch signs off letters with the formula “I am expecting the salvation of Hashem and great heavenly mercies with yearning”.
As the Rambam notes (end of Hilchos Melachim) the exact details and chronology of the coming of Moshiach and Milchemes Gog Umagog are not known. Our duty is to reinforce our fear of Heaven and keep our distance from the forces of tumah until the time that Hashem will reveal His glory (Teshuvos Vehanhogos 4:328).
The Gemara says that if we will be worthy, Moshiach will come with the clouds of heaven, and if not, he will come as a poor man riding a donkey (Sanhedrin 98a). This means that we will either be on a very high level, with the Shechina accompanying us, or on a low level. When the time will come, Hashem will not wait even for a moment, just like in Egypt before the dough had time to ferment, Hashem already revealed Himself, and the final redemption will be similar to the first one. May Hashem accelerate the redemption with ease, just like in Egypt (Teshuvos Vehanhogos 5:297).
Several years ago, on Tisha B’Av, members of Rav Sternbuch’s household noticed that he was talking in learning in the middle of his sleep, and they told him about it when he woke up. Rav Sternbuch responded that he was not able to control his thoughts whilst sleeping [and he was therefore not responsible for the act of learning, which is forbidden on Tisha B’Av when one is awake].
May this coming Tisha B’Av be a day of joy and redemption, in which it will be a mitzvah to learn during all hours of the day to our hearts’ desire.
19 July 2026
Rebbetzen Tziporah: His Grandeur - Still Here
Dear friends,
I wish you were all with me on my trip. It seems like a dream, even though it was barely a week ago. I don't know if this is how it was planned, but the Three Weeks and Nine Days are times of exactly the kind of contrast that we confronted again and again as the trip progressed.
Both Moldova and Ukraine are places of astounding natural beauty. When I first realized how much time we would be spending on the bus, I looked forward to the empty space that I could fill with reading, listening, and quietude, while also enjoying the company of the women who came. I didn't know most of them initially, but simply coming on a journey like this one meant that I was in the company of mevakshot – seekers.
My window revealed more than I could have imagined: vast fields of ripe wheat, greener-than-green crops still ripening, and seemingly endless forests. The organizers, Peretz and Chavi Rubel, kept our creature comforts provided for so well that even my critical Inner Kvetcher was on vacation.
The contrast between the land and the people became apparent at the border crossing. Nothing went wrong. The passports were collected, the waiting was uneventful, but the expressions on the faces of the men in charge were a rather disturbing mixture of dour and vaguely annoyed.
I initially assumed that the job itself was tedious enough to affect them. There are many jobs that no six-year-old dreams of having when he grows up (think of the people at the airport who spend each day endlessly saying, "Bags on the belt," for instance).
When we stopped at one of the immaculate and almost identical rest stops, I noticed something that made me change my mind. I was looking at the stuffed animals. Their mouths were straight lines. No smiles for these teddy bears.
To the folks who live here, apparently this is de rigueur. The land didn't seem to speak to them in a language that could touch their souls.
It made the moment we finally arrived at Mezhibuzh, the home of the Baal Shem Tov, far more meaningful.
I knew his life story before, but standing there made it come alive. He was orphaned at five, born to elderly parents in a village so poor that no family took him in and made him one of their own. He often wandered the forests, but he saw Hashem giving life to every leaf.
When a group of Kabbalists who had escaped from the distractions of urban life met in the forest, they "happened" upon the child – no doubt as part of Hashem's plan. They brought him up and taught him the unique brand of Torah that later became known as Chassidus.
He married young, as was the custom of the times, and worked at various jobs (which historians have discovered by finding Mezhibuzh's tax records). But when he found his niche as a teaching assistant, there was no turning back.
He helped the children learn much more than Aleph-Beis. He taught them how much Hashem loves them, and how much they could discover their own love of Him within themselves. He taught them with words and with songs.
When he was thirty, he went out to teach those same lessons to his people. They were almost all observant and connected on the outside, but for many, the struggles of staying alive in the wake of the Khmelnytsky Massacres (1648–1657) had left deep scars. It was a catastrophe unmatched until the Holocaust.
His name is still used in Ukraine (in fact, Khmelnytskyi is a city we passed on the road). In the Baal Shem Tov's time, everyone's parents or grandparents were witnesses to the unspeakable horrors of those years.
Shabbetai Tzvi proclaimed himself Mashiach in 1665. When he converted to Islam, the shock was indescribable. Everyone had heard of him, and his apostasy left a layer of cynicism that was not always conscious, but was still hard to penetrate.
Unlike the people among whom they lived, almost every Jewish boy knew Chumash, basic Hebrew, prayer, and some Mishnah, but literacy and scholarship are not the same thing. Historians estimate that perhaps 15–20% had significant Gemara learning, and perhaps 5–10% were serious scholars. Women, in general, were deeply knowledgeable through family tradition, popular Yiddish works, and living day to day with practical halachah.
What the Baal Shem Tov confronted wasn't only a lack of learning. It was a lack of hope.
He taught how precious every Jew is, how involved Hashem is in every life, and how scholarship is not the only measure of a person's worth. Everyone has a specific mission, and the intrinsic value of each of us depends on the commitment we make toward serving Hashem as we fulfill that mission.
The depth of his message didn't only touch people like us. Great scholars such as the Maggid of Mezritch saw him as their rebbe.
When we went to his kever that night, I think we all felt some of his light.
Maybe that's why our teddy bears look different. (Theirs have frowns….)
The next day we went to the spring where he immersed. It is so cold that it makes the Ari's mikveh in Tzfat feel lukewarm. Those of us who went in (including yours truly) spoke about feeling both clean and happy.
The next leg of our journey took us to a tomb on top of a high hill in a town we all had heard of. We were in Breslov, at Rav Nosson's resting place.
Rav Nosson's life could be summarized by what was written on the velvet covering over the monument: "The Great Light. The Faithful Disciple." He wrote down everything we have of Rav Nachman's teachings – with utter humility. The town itself is shockingly beautiful, overlooking a lake and echoing tranquility.
And then it was on to Uman.
Uman is ugly.
No more fields. No more houses that look like the Three Bears live inside. It is the kind of place that gives the word shantytown its well-deserved reputation. Ugly streets, broken up by countless attempts at repair. Ugly houses.
You may wonder why Rav Nachman chose to live there.
It was because he saw something profound in its ugliness.
Uman was the scene of one of the worst massacres in Jewish history. Rebbe Nachman chose to move there because he wanted to be buried among the victims. In 1768, a peasant rebellion directed against the Polish nobility swept through the area, and thousands of Jews died al kiddush Hashem.
Before his death, Rebbe Nachman moved from Breslov to Uman to be with them.
His message, like that of the Baal Shem Tov, is that darkness can lead you to light.
The next morning we went to Sophia Park in Uman. It is extraordinarily beautiful and is said to be where Reb Nachman would go for solitude.
And then home.
To the Three Weeks – a time of destruction that opens us to doing the same within ourselves.
One of Rav Nachman's teachings tells us that Hashem "reduced" the way His Presence is felt so that human beings could relate to Him – not through an overwhelming Presence that would leave us unable to have a relationship with Him, but through a Presence that allows us to seek Him and draw close.
The destruction doesn't mean that He left.
It means that His grandeur is still here, but we have to be humble enough to find it.
The way to do this is by serving Him with joy.
Have a wonderful, if vicarious, trip, and may the Torah of finding light bring us all closer to the restoration of the Beis HaMikdash.
Love,
Tziporah
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