YOSSI: You know Yoeli, Yerushalayim is still super special even if it’s not yet rebuilt.
YOELI: Of course it is Yos!
YOSSI: I heard that all emunah comes from Yerushalayim.
YOELI: Sounds interesting…
YOSSI: Well we’ve talked about the Even Shisiyah, the stone that Hashem started to build the world from, right?
YOELI:Yes! It’s up there on the Har Habayis!
YOSSI: Well just like the gashmiyus (physical) world comes from this place, so does the world of ruchniyus (spirituality)! But it goes even deeper. The Ramban says emunah is not a mitzvah in the Torah –
YOELI: But the Rambam says it’s the first mitzvah of the Aseres HaDibros –
YOSSI: It’s a machlokes. But the Ramban says it is the SOURCE of all mitzvos. Every other mitzvah comes from emunah. Emunah means we know – not “believe” that Hashem created the world and that He is in charge! And every mitzvah we do, gives us greater emunah!
YOELI: Wow! Just like the Even Shisiyah! It’s the source of the physical world –
YOSSI: And emunah is the source of all mitzvos in the Torah. We know that Avraham Avinu was called an “eved ne’eman” – a servant with emunah – because of what he did… right there up on the Har Habayis – the Akeida! We are standing in the Emunah Capital of the world!
YOELI: And Yos, you can look around today and see it. It’s Shabbos Nachamu this week. We’ve been waiting over 1900 years to come home. But we have emunah. And we know it’s going to happen any day now!
YOSSI: Amen! Yoeli, we should really spend more time together!
YOELI! Absolutely Yos! My family is going back up North for a few weeks… but then we’ll be back in full force! See everyone soon!
This article was found in Nekuda Tova Issue 47.