"I Came to Disrupt and Attack, Didn't Expect the Surprising End"

If you meet Rachel Sela one day in the Jewish Quarter of Jerusalem, surrounded by excited teenagers, and leading them as they advance towards the Western Wall, don't be surprised.

True, she lives outside the city, and also she's no longer young and doesn't have the energy she once did, but none of this prevents her from repeatedly organizing trips to the Jewish and Muslim Quarters, aiming to get closer to the subject of the Temple, to learn about it, and mainly to experience it firsthand.

Several times a year, she takes groups of girls and women for 'Temple Days,' visiting various figures in Jerusalem and sites related to the Temple, at each place they sit and learn from the Tanach and source pages, conduct discussions and dialogues, sing, and finally arrive together to pray at the Western Wall.

But the most surprising and interesting thing about Rachel's story is that until the end of high school she herself did not even know the concept of 'Temple' and even more than that – she had no faith in Judaism at all. It was only the hand of divine providence that guided her on her wondrous and unique path.

Rachel Sela

"To Fight the Spread of Judaism"

"I was born into a very non-religious family," Rachel opens up. "In my youth, I was extremely anti-religious in the most extreme sense of the word. I lived on a kibbutz in the Beit She'an Valley and received a strict socialist education. There was not a single Bible class where our teachers did not make it clear to us that these were primitive stories that should disappear from the world. It's no wonder I grew up as a great fighter against religious people, even though as a kibbutznik I never had the chance to even speak to one religious person. I lived in a closed place, I didn't even know what religious people looked like."

One day she left the kibbutz to visit some relatives in Beersheba, and on the bus, she met an unfamiliar girl. Somehow, a conversation developed between them, and she told her that she was going to a Judaism class in Jerusalem to hear a lecture by a rabbi. "I immediately changed my plans," Rachel recalls, "I told that girl that I was joining her for the lesson, abandoned the plan to visit my relatives, and went with her to that class, with the intention of fighting the spread of Judaism. It was clear to me that I was going to 'explode' every word the rabbi would say, and indeed I did just that – for every word the rabbi uttered, I offered a more 'wise' and 'enlightened' one. The following month I came again to disrupt and attack, and likewise in the third meeting of the Judaism class. But at a certain point, I suddenly realized that I was also starting to listen in addition to attacking and disrupting."

Rachel notes that to this day she is grateful to that rabbi who brought her closer without banishing her from the lessons. "I know that already the first time I arrived, some participants asked him to remove me, since I didn't belong, but his response was, 'Leave her, everyone has their own pace and time.' And indeed he was right. Between the attacks, I unintentionally started to hear, and suddenly I noticed that the subjects were actually interesting, and not only interesting but deep and valuable."

At the next stage, Rachel already started observing some of the commandments. "I didn't do it out of faith at all," she clarifies, "rather I treated it as 'educational training.' I felt there's something very correct about not just jumping into food, but first washing hands and blessing, and I also felt that Grace after Meals is a kind of good habit – not getting up suddenly from the table, but first thanking. I believed that by accustoming myself to such actions, I was influencing the entire society to be more educated, more gentle, more altruistic. But evidently, from doing it for ulterior motives, I came to do it for its own sake, and in the end, I found myself close to Judaism and Hashem, and yes – definitely also believing."

Looking Forward to Redemption

Rachel has been teaching Judaic subjects, mainly Tanach, for fifty years. She teaches at colleges and ulpanas, and also gives lessons in various towns. She has always included tours and excursions with academic learning, especially when she was a Tanach coordinator, ensuring to take her students to the field, allowing them to truly connect with the study material, experiencing it up close.

Over the years, she felt that there is a certain field not studied enough, and certainly not targeted by tours – the subject of the Temple. "I felt that it was unthinkable that we were dealing with so many topics, and the very subject that is supposed to be the most central for us, which we mention in all our prayers – gets almost no attention from us, we do not learn about it, do not know about it, and we are alienated and shy away from it," she explains.

"At that time, I was teaching at an ulpana in Tiberias, and before the summer break, I posted a small note on the bulletin board announcing that I was organizing a trip to Jerusalem for a tour on the subject of the Temple. The truth is, I was sure that no one would join, as there are much more interesting things to do during vacation. Amazingly, the minibus filled up, and so we set out for a day trip to Jerusalem, which included visiting several sites, especially in the Jewish Quarter area. The excitement from that day was great, and it motivated me to continue with the subject. The following year I approached the principal on my own initiative and asked to hold a 'Temple Day' at the expense of schoolwork. This time we filled a big bus and went again on a journey through several sites and locations related to the Temple. We met interesting people, learned, and sang. Thus the subject continued to gain momentum, with more and more girls joining each year, returning filled with knowledge and mainly with excitement, with a personal connection to the Temple, and with anticipation for redemption.

"'Temple Day' was set on the Tenth of Tevet fast, and each time I got excited again. Girls did not give up the journey, they came even though sometimes there was heavy rain. They simply did not agree to give up 'Temple Day.' After a few years, Temple Day became 'Temple Days.' The girls went to Jerusalem for two full days filled with tours, talks, and lectures about the Temple, spending the nights at relatives' places, so all our budget was invested in content. Temple Days became the highlight of the ulpana, and the girls returned the most excited. Some girls got so attached to it that they continued coming to 'Temple Days' many years after finishing their studies at the ulpana. And I know that today, as mature women and mothers of daughters who participated in Temple Days, they continue to be connected to the Temple."

How do you explain such a strong connection girls feel to the subject?

"I have only one explanation, just like it's said in Song of Songs 'I am asleep but my heart is awake' – even though we all sometimes feel as if we're immersed in the vanities of this world, the truth is that our heart is awake and wants to engage in the subject so significant and essential for the Jewish people. It's not only in Israel, but recent years have also shown that so many communities abroad want to come closer. We all feel that after 2000 years of exile, it's really time for full redemption. And yes, we are also ready to strive for it."

Getting Excited Anew Every Time

The girls who joined Rachel for the first 'Temple Day' are now grandmothers, and Rachel herself is no longer young, but she continues organizing Temple Days again and again. Nowadays she not only organizes them through ulpanas but also through various colleges and for private people looking for bonding trips. "Sometimes families approach me for a 'Bar Mitzvah Journey' or 'Bat Mitzvah Program,' guided by the young celebrants themselves. Of course, I suggest 'Temple Day.' The children learn the content with me, and we take together a Temple tour through all appropriate stops. Later, they guide their families during the journey in the Quarter and around the Temple.

"Every time I enter Jerusalem, even if I am just coming to buy shoes, I stop at the city entrance and recite the Psalm: 'A Song of Ascents... I was glad when they said to me, let us go into the house of Hashem...' and I just feel the tremendous excitement in my heart. I feel like I am really fulfilling the commandment that applies to all of us – to wait for the salvation and redemption and promote the building of the Temple. Because it's clear that it's not enough to just talk and chant the blessing 'Builder of Jerusalem.' Whoever truly waits also tries to act, learns about it, experiences it, connects to the Temple in every way, and is filled with longing. True, it seems that today we are strong in our land, and sometimes we feel that we’re well-settled and comfortable from all aspects. But we mustn't settle for this feeling, because it's clear that nothing will be perfect without the Temple and Mashiach ben David."