One of the strange pairings that are to be found in the Jewish calendar, is the pairing of Pesach and Tisha B'Av. This means that the first day of Pesach, the joyous Holyday of our redemption, marks the same day of the week upon which Tisha B'Av, that terrible black Fast that reminds us of the multiple destruction of our people will occur. Thus, the first Seder and the subsequent first day of Pesach that occurred on Motzay Shabbat (Saturday night) and Yom Rishon (Sunday morning) foretell that Tisha B'Av will occur this year also on Motzay Shabbat (Saturday, August 13) and Yom Rishon (Sunday, August 14).

It is paradoxical that a Holyday that reminds us of the great miracle of our redemptive freedom is paired by the sages with the end of a mourning period that informs us of all the terrible calamities that have befallen our nation. For it was on Tisha B'Av, that both of our sacred Temples were destroyed, the first in 586 B.C.E. and the second in 70 C.E. With those destructions, not only did we lose our two most sacred institutions, but we also lost our freedom and independence. Could there possibly be a connection between these two events? Obviously, the sages thought there was.

Rabbi Berel Wein, in a sermon that he gave in his synagogue in Jerusalem for Shabbat Shimini, touches obliquely on this question that I raised. In that sermon he said that the Torah portion of Shimini records that on the day that the Mishkan/Tabernacle was finally dedicated and Aaron was installed as the priest, Moshe accompanied Aaron into the sanctuary. But why did Moshe accompany Aaron? What need was there for that? After all, Aaron had performed all of the required sacred duties! One of the answers suggested by the commentators was that, at the conclusion of the sacred activities, Aaron did not feel that the Divine Presence had pervaded the Mishkan. He was dismayed and assumed that it was his fault that Hashem's glory had not settled upon the Mishkan, for he had participated in the grave sin of building the golden calf. So Aaron called out to his brother saying, "Moshe my brother, please enter now with me and we will pray together for the Divine Presence to descend and rest in Israel amongst the Jewish people." At this desperate time, Aaron needed his brother and thus called upon him for assistance.

In line with this thought let me draw a comparison. At that time, at the dawn of our nation, we as a people invested heavily in our willingness to follow Moshe into the desert, and in the construction of our great national religious treasure - the Mishkan/Tabernacle. Whole sections of the Torah are devoted to an elaborate exposition of the materials needed to build the Mishkan, and the work that was required to construct it.

To have invested our might and main in this sacred project without the ultimate Presence of the Divine, was truly a sign of failure. Hence, Aaron's woeful concern and his call for help to his brother, Moshe.

We too, have invested heavily in the past century in the creation of the State of Israel in the Holy Land. We have sacrificed much in life and limb to maintain this sacred country, and yet I am fearful that the Divine Presence may not be within us. Worse, whole segments of our people deny Hashem's place in this, the most important endeavor of our people in two thousand years. Instead of calling out to our brothers, as Aaron called out to Moshe for help, our people demonize the religious community and the religious community returns the compliment. The Rabbis say that one of the things that led Hashem to redeem the Jewish people at Passover time, was a promise that we made to each other that we would not inform on each other to the Egyptian authorities, and that we would help each other in time of need.

Furthermore, the Rabbis also said that one of the causes of the destruction of the Second Temple, and the subsequent loss of our freedom was the hatred that existed between Jew and Jew. How sad are the words of the Rabbis and how true. The Divine Presence redeems us only when we call out to each other as brothers. When we fail to do so and besmirch each other and lend aid to our enemies, then the Divine Presence conceals itself and nothing but trouble knocks at our doors.

Recently the Wall Street Journal published the statement of the British Association of University Professors that placed Bar Ilan University and Haifa University beyond the pale of respectable institutions of higher learning. Bar Ilan University earned its disaccreditation for establishing satellite schools in Yehuda and Shomrom. Haifa University, known for its mixed Jewish and Arab student body, committed the sin of refusing to accept the dissertation of one of its students that alleged anti-Arab brutality on the part of the Israeli government. The dissertation’s assertions were challenged in Israeli courts and found to be false. Whereupon the university withdrew its acceptance of the dissertation. The action of the British Association of University Professors had been initiated by one of the professors at Haifa University, who was known for his anti-Israeli government positions.

Even more important, we face this summer a period of angst that will surely test the mettle of our nation. Whatever one thinks about the disengagement from Gaza and parts of Shomrom, that course of action is now government
policy. There are good and firm arguments on both sides of this volatile issue that currently is dividing Israel. When we besmirch each other, as in the case of the Haifa University professor, or when we demonize each other as in the case over the national soul searching surrounding disengagement, we face the horrible thought that we may lose whatever Divine Presence rests upon us, G-D forbid. In losing this we forego the Divine Protection we so desperately need.

Though I like to think of myself as a realist, I am also a great believer. I believe that, amidst the shrill denunciations that fill the airwaves, the voice of brotherly love may still be heard. Although we may disagree substantially with each other, we are not to forget that we are brothers and sisters in the same family who have come out of the horrors of the past century alive, and who must come together again for the preservation of our future.

Let us as a people say to one another, as Aaron once said, "Moshe, my brother, please enter now with me and we will pray together for the Divine Presence to descend and rest on our beloved Israel, amongst the Jewish people."