Why Was the Temple Destroyed?

Why was the Temple destroyed? Not because the Jews fought a war and lost. The Talmud tells us the Temple was destroyed because of Sinat Chinam ... 



In Israel where we are surrounded by Jew-hating Arab countries, and with hostile arabs within our borders that do not give up in their attacks on children and women, there are select Jews that look upon defending their country from terrorists and war as anathema.

In response to attacks on religious soldiers by their co-religionists, the matter was brought at a public meeting of the Knesset's Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee. IDF Brigadier-General Gadi Agmon, head of planning in the IDF's Personnel Directorate, compared the treatment of haredi soldiers by their fellow non-soldier haredim in stark terms.

"The phenomenon and its style are no less than that of [the Nazi propaganda newspaper] Der Sturmer," Brigadier-General Gadi Agmon told the committee. YnetNews

Isn't this Going Too Far

A haredi leaflet depicting an armed ogre-like haredi IDF soldiers chasing little children to steal their souls
There are many more such leaflets/posters alarming the Haredi public.



Sinat Chinam is the rejection of G-d's Grace:

"The words, “sinat chinam” literally mean “the hate of their cheyn.” Cheyn is a hard word to translate, but essentially it means grace, likeability, charm. It is the unique quality which every person possesses in different measure, that which makes us special, and validates our presence in the world. Sinat chinam is the denial of another’s right to exist, the belief that he or she contributes nothing valuable to this earth. That attitude is an affront not only to the other person, but also to G-d who made that individual."

One cannot be oblivious to the fact that Eretz Yisrael and the Israeli people possess cheyn. Whether you agree or not, G-d has smiled at His children and blessed them with cheyn, and has Blessed the Land of Eretz Yisrael. G-d has Blessed His children in their efforts and protects them from undue harm, at the same time that Israel's army goes out to protect its citizens. There is no other way to describe the continued existence and flourishing of life in Israel since 1948. But this occurred because Israel had an Army to do battle on the ground at the same time the war was being fought in Shomayim. And so it will continue until our Moshiach finally arrives to bring us into the Geulah.







Jews in America have served in the American Armed Services since colonial days. Jews have served in the armies of some of the countries they migrated to over the centuries.

"Military History of American Jews:" Jewish Americans have served in the United States armed forces dating back to before the colonial era, when Jews have served in militias of the Thirteen Colonies. Jewish military personnel have served in all branches of the armed forces and in every major armed conflict to which the United States has been involved. The Jewish Chaplains Council estimated that there are currently 10,000 known Jewish servicemen and servicewomen on active duty.

A number of Jewish American servicemen have gained fame due to their military service, and many have received awards and decorations for distinguished service, valor, or heroism. At least 18 Jewish servicemen were awarded the military's highest award, the Medal of Honor. Many other American Jews who served in the military later achieved prominence in business, politics, science, entertainment and other fields. American Jews have also been significant in the development of military science and technology – including physicists Albert Einstein, J. Robert Oppenheimer, Richard Feynman, and Edward Teller, who were important in the Manhattan Project, which led to the development of the first nuclear weapons."