The Land Of Israel: Dispersion And Assimilation, Part 3

Temple—a Place of Strengthening Unity

Comment: Once the Jews entered the Land of Israel, they began to connect even more. As a result, the First Temple was built.

My Response: Yes. However, this was also quite nominal since many of them were unable to unite.

Connection was not the uniform desire of all the people. After all, we are talking about voluntary, conscious connection over the ever-growing egoism that tears people apart. This is not easy.

Comment: After the death of King David, his son ascended the throne and built the First Temple—a symbol of unity. It was a place where people came at least three times a year in order to connect.

There is evidence that in Jerusalem, pilgrims were accepted as relatives, given free accommodation, and no one was deprived of care. There was joy everywhere and people felt like one family.

We usually think of a Temple as a place where sacrifices are offered. Here, however, it is referred to as a place of connection.

My Response: Sacrifice is a purely allegorical concept. Animals in the Temple were slaughtered only to prepare a meal. After all, a huge number of people were gathering there and all had to be fed.

Question: Was it not an act of appeasement of the upper force?

Answer: No. In no way. No one thought about it. A person made a donation from the bottom of his heart so that it would help unite all those who came to Jerusalem.

This was the most important thing for those who came to the Temple. At that time, people lived in very small families distant from each other. Each with his own sheep, goats, and a small piece of land that was cultivated with simple, unpretentious tools.

Three times a year, they brought all this to Jerusalem, where they held meals to strengthen unity. The tradition of holding meals exists to this day. Kabbalists have always paid special attention to this. They especially earned, stored, saved money for this, and brought everything possible to the meal: meat, bread, and wine.
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From KabTV’s “System Analysis of the Development of the People of Israel,” 7/8/19