Heritage and Jerusalem Minister sees heritage of our Mother Rachel
as great consolation for the People of Israel even in difficult times.
During his tour of the Tower of David in Jerusalem, the Minister of Heritage and Jerusalem, Rabbi Rafi Peretz, spoke with Arutz Sheva about the preparations for the 11th day of Cheshvan, the day of the death of our mother Rachel, “a day that is very special in our history.”
Minister Rabbi Peretz mentions the weeping of Rachel who refuses to be comforted until her sons return to their borders, “Rachel who did not get to come to Jerusalem but got to pray for those who left Jerusalem and comforted them. Rachel is the great comfort of the people of Israel, she is the great believer in the people of Israel.”
“This day has a very significant role for the people of Israel,” says Rabbi Peretz, adding that unfortunately, over the years, the day of the assassination of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin also joined this date, “and we remember that day as well.”
Regarding the preparation of his office for the day of the death of our mother Rachel, Rabbi Peretz says: “My office deepens the heritage in general throughout the country, historical sites, and we also take care of sites in Judea and Samaria that they not be robbed by Arabs. Our mother Rachel is a huge building block in our history as a people, and I want to bring the children of Israel together with the character, the idea, and the value and teach our children about these characters so that we can live in their light.”
The Ministry of Heritage promotes an initiative that focuses on “awareness of qualities and love for Israel, a desire to console and insist on comforting even in the most difficult days of the people. Some say the children have returned to their borders,” says Minister Rabbi Peretz, and tells about the collaboration between the ministry and Arutz Sheva for a special seminar and meeting. “It is important to us that the entire variety of the rainbow finds a way to rejoice in our roots.”
These are the words of Minister Rabbi Peretz from his visit to the Tower of David, and in the background the excavations can be seen and heard, the sound of which he links to the sound of an F-16 plane in the sky. “They are both connected to me in the same matter. The sovereign state of Israel with the most advanced weapons in the world and with the advanced Torah capabilities, knows in every field to dig in the ground and find our roots and foundations and know that the people of Israel live.”
“We lived here for thousands of years and as Minister of Jerusalem I am excited to say that I am now standing on the Hasmonean tower and this is where my ancestors walked over two thousand years ago. There is no minister in the world who can say that about his role.”
(Arutz 7).