YOELI: It’s so good to be here, Yossi!
YOSSI: Yes! I feel like I’m recharging my batteries!
YOELI: It’s true, Yos. This is the way it used to be in the times of the Beis Hamikdash. Three times a year, everyone would come and visit the Beis Hamikdash. To check in – and recharge our ruchniyus batteries!
YOSSI: You know I heard that in the Torah that there are no stumos from when Yaakov leaves Eretz Yisrael until he returns from Lavan.
YOELI: Stumos?
YOSSI: You know those Pays and Samechs in the Chumash? It means one topic ended, and the next one is starting.
YOELI: SO why are there none of them from when Yaakov leaves until he returns?
YOSSI: Because Yaakov never stopped thinking about Yerushalayim! Some Yidden are lucky; they live here always. But for us, we need to gather as much kedushah as possible while we are visiting .. And keep our minds on it until we return! A Yid is really always on his way to Yerushalayim!
YOELI: What if someone has never been here?
YOSSI: Well we connect to Yerushalayim all day! When we daven we face here, and also “Ki miTzion teitzey Torah,” and when we learn Torah we connect to Yerushalayim. If we keep our minds as best we can on Kedushah… we can stay connected to Yerushalayim all day!
This article was found in Nekuda Tova Issue 40.