vision to privilege ,repairing a disgrace

BS"D

Shabbat Chazon is the Shabbat before the ninth of Av, the Shabbat of vision.

Boy ! Our prophets sure had vision. They were given the job to let us know that we would have some lousy times but if we keep the faith the good times will be really great. They described the visions in very picturesque terms that each year for the weeks before and after makes it like seeing a 3D movie.

The inertia of vision kept the Gush Katif people going after destruction of all. This destruction was in some ways a repeat of Jewish history. Again the source can be traced in the lack of willingness to try and identify with the suffering of others, the lack of openness to take responsibility and learn the subject matter in depth before crushing a brother.

It is now six years later.

Every week I bring endless groups of adults, collegiates and youth to visit the building site of our new Netzer Hazani town, less than a half hour from Jerusalem.

Yes, that is what the official road sign clearly declares, this is Netzer Hazani.

I, wearing those virtual 3D glasses, explain to the visitors that with vision we began acquiring the land ,planning the town, encouraging the sick and fragile among us to hold on to their faith and vision, we began putting up new buildings.

I see that the visitors' eyes focus on the empty land. ---I try again and point out the yet doorless entrance of our new community center replacing the beautiful one destroyed , and I point with enthusiasm to these young people " look friends –don't you see ,over there, ,the playground --as I do, It is so colorful and grand even better than it was before the destruction ---don't you see and hear all the children shouting with joy and faith as children do as they slide down the steep yellow slide sure that they will land safely on the soft surface"

The youth look at me as I have"lost it" and one of them says "but all I see are weeds, dirt and rocks".

I look back at them as if they have " lost it " and say:"but surely you do see the round tables set up in this community center with the colorful table cloths loaded with great food and hear the band's lively Chassidic music and all dancing around us at my grandson's bar mitzvah that will be in less than three years. I know you will then dance with us." Our guests are starting to "get it ".

One must have VISION, CHAZON to meet challenges!!!!

I explain to them that thanks to this tradition of vision we received from our prophets that help us skip hop and jump from prophesies of destruction to prophesies of rebuilding, that we continued as did those friends who "got it" and have been with us in helping us to continue the building anew.
In Netzer Hazani we had a most beautiful synagogue that we built mainly from our own personal financial commitment.

Our Netzer Hazani synagogue stood in its grand glory as we had the chupah of my oldest daughter on the balcony of our synagogue and then the wedding of my son and Thank G-d the endless smachot of all the families.

We felt G-d's endless kindness here through the many miracles witnessed in and near this beautiful synagogue. We prayed in it, we learned in it, It was truly our grand Mikdash Me-at where we felt closest to G-d.

It was destroyed to rubble and abandoned to incited Arabs who came into Netzer Hazani with axes yelling" Itbach el Yahud -" massacre the Jews" and with their own hands destroyed this House of G-d to a pile of rubble with no one to stop this desecration.

Our synagogue is now built anew and near completion.

A few select elite who "get it", who understand, have already come forth to have the zchut, the privilege to be among those that will enable the completion of the synagogue. When the synagogue structure will be completed, soon, standing beautiful straight and tall with all the grandeur of the past and then some –this will finally be a form of Tikkun of the terrible desecration of the Netzer Hazani house of G-d whose rubble has since been covered with sand to hide this shame we all enabled.

The main building stands near completion and we are still missing ,as of today, $28,000 to complete the beit midrash (study)wing and $250,000 to complete the Ezrat Nashim (women's) wing that we must find quickly before the contractor finishes the work and leaves without completing the synagogue.

I do not sleep at night yearning for the completion of this Tikkun of the chillul Hashem, the desecration and destruction as I yearn with you this week more than ever for the Binyan shalem –the complete building that will enable us to easily be close to those qualities of Kindness and Justice –Rav chessed ve-emet that will become the way of the world.

I hope that our friends who were there for us six years ago and ever since and the new friends that we have made over these unbelievable years will have the zchut, the privilege you deserve to have a part (no matter small or big –"ki yidvenu libo") in this tikkun, in these last efforts towards completion of the Netzer Hazani synagogue that will again stand in its grand glory. Each bit that arrives will be immediately implemented on site to keep construction going to completion BE"H!

Details on site www.netzerhazani.org or contact me for details: Email to Tucker.anita@gmail.com-
Phone: 0547775268 (972547775268) or via Skype name: tuckeranita

I really look forward to hearing from each of you personally and hope you will forward this letter as well to those for whom being part of this tikkun will be meaningful.
Someday we will as well be able to again build in Gaza, part of the inheritance of the |Tribe of Judah.

Praying for times of justice and kindness, rav chessed Veemet, with love, anita