56. Why the Soldier Cried

(As told by Rabbi Avraham Plotkin on chabad.org)

It was in 1967, when the Jewish people reclaimed Jerusalem and reclaimed the sight of the Holy Temple, that the the soldiers arrived at the site of the Western Wall. 

You can imagine that it was a very emotional moment. 

The soldiers were all standing there and they started to cry from the excitement. After thousands of years, the Jews were finally once again able to touch these walls and to kiss these stones!

Some of the soldiers noticed that there was a secular soldier there, one who never learned what it means to be a Jew, and he too was crying bitterly. Curious, one of the observant soldiers walked over to him and asked, 

"I know that I'm crying because I learned about this, but why are you crying?"

"I'm crying because I don't even know why to cry. That really hurts me," he replied.

Now, during the three weeks, the Rebbe encouraged us to use this opportune time to learn about the Holy Temple - so we can find out why we need a Temple anyway, why we should be crying for Moshiach, and why every moment that goes by without it is an unimaginable loss.  

55. And the Living Should Take to Heart

It's hard to believe a full year has passed

I didn't expect it would happen so fast

Nothing seemed to change, Moshiach still hasn't come 

But we need ensure this Yartzeit's the last one 

Time has its way of making us forget

We tried for a while and then we somehow let

Ourselves get discouraged and even upset 

But we can't let him down or relax just yet 

It's so hard to be stubborn and never give in

To all the other things calling our attention 

Not seeing the progress makes it a huge test

But we know Uncle Meir would never stop or rest 

Other things feel so much more in our control

So why hang onto the one thing that we don't know?

It's challenging to stay consistently focused

But we must cuz Moshiach is our only real purpose

 

It might not be a topic that's very popular 

Everything else seems so much easier 

It's embarrassing to talk so passionately

But he did it and that means that so can we

It's hard to believe what we don't see with our eyes

Even after all these years it will still come by surprise 

It's a real test to truly await him each day 

But when will be a better time than today?

And sometimes it's not even a question of faith

It's just that what's familiar somehow feels safe

We might not feel desperate or even desire

But Uncle Meir's memory is here to inspire 

 

BH HaShem is kind and Hashem is good 

So we get more comfortable than we should 

We start to forget that we don't belong here

But we don't want reminders to make us care

When things are scary, when things are tough 

We remembers that we really had enough 

We cry out for help cuz we need an escape 

But the point's to want Moshiach when all feels ok 

Instead our desire should come from inside

From the depth of our soul that tends to hide

That sees the truth and knows the master-plan 

But wishes the whole world would also understand 

That knows that it's the purpose of all our history 

That knows that this is our only destiny 

But that just can't wait for it to happen patiently

That feels that every extra moment is a tragedy

That knows that all the goodness we experience today 

Is not running away, that it's all here to stay

But that knows that it's all nothing compared to what will be

That the greatest pleasures await us, physically and spiritually 

I want to see Hashem revealed in full glory 

I want to watch the Rebbe's dance of victory 

I want to see the pride of all of our nation

But right now I also have another motivation 

I want to see Uncle Meir's last will come true  

I want it to be remembered in all that we do 

I want him to see his stubbornness was not in vain 

I want him to see there was really a gain 

והחי יתן אל לבו

Nows the time to take to heart

It's not the time to stop, it's the time to start

So that he will live on through each one of us

Till the moment very soon that he'll rise from the dust