tisha-bav – Parsha Ponders

Temple fasts[1]

כה אמר יקוק צבקות צום הרביעי וצום החמישי וצום ההשביעי וצום העשירי יהיה לבית-יהודה לששון ולשמחה ולמעדים טובים וגו’‏
Thus says Hashem, Master of Legions, that the fast of the fourth, the fast of the fifth, the fast of the seventh, and the fast of the tenth, will be for the House of Yehudah for joy and celebration, for festivals…[2]

The fast of Tisha B’Av commemorates the destruction of both the First and Second Temples. The day that both Temples were destroyed is the ninth of Av. A question that many wonder is during the time of the Second Temple, did they fast on Tisha B’Av? On the one hand, the destruction of the First Temple was devastating, as described in Megillas Eichah[3]. On the other hand, they were in a state of redemption. The Jews were (somewhat) back in their homeland, and they had a Temple again[4]. While this question doesn’t necessarily have any bearing on our own practice, considering we lack a Temple, still, it potentially could shed light on the nature of the fast.

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August 4, 2022

Tisha B’Av 5782

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The redemptive undertones of Megillas Eichah[1]

איכה ישבה בדד העיר רבתי עם היתה כאלמנה רבתי בגוים שרתי במדינות היתה למס
Alas! [Jerusalem] sits alone. The city [that once] was filled with many, has become a widow. The greatest amongst the nations, an officer amongst the countries, has reverted for plunder[2]

Megillas Eichah, the book of Lamentations, contains within it a description of the horrible tragedies that befell the Jewish people during the destruction of the First Temple. Who wrote it? Our tradition has it that it was written by the prophet Yirmiyahu, Jeremiah[3]. In fact, he prophetically[4] wrote it before the gruesome disaster even occurred[5]. He knew that the destruction was imminent and tried his best to get his generation to improve their ways. Unfortunately, they did not take kindly to his rebuke, and ultimately, he witnessed the very prophecy he had foretold come to fruition. We recite Megillas Eichah every year on Tisha B’Av, as the most fitting way to recall the destruction, which took place on that very day.

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July 15, 2021

Tisha B’Av 5781

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Consolation through mourning[1]

והפכתי אבלם לששון ונחמתים ושמתחים מיגונם
I have flipped their mourning to joy, and I have consoled them and made them rejoice from their anguish[2]

If we examine the way we observe Tisha B’Av carefully, we’ll be astounded by what we see. For almost two thousand years, the Jews have had their ups and downs in exile. As time passes, whatever good we’ve received from Hashem quickly fades from memory. Yet, every year our eyes are filled with tears for the destruction of our Temple, and the exile from our land. This is unlike any other nation. Whenever a nation lost something that was precious to them, they eventually got over it and moved on. What’s the secret to the Jewish preservation of their mourning?

Our Sages teach us[3] a concept in human psychology. Hashem decreed, as an act of kindness, that the sadness we feel when we lose a loved one fades with the passage of time. However, this is only the case when we actually lose a loved one. If it’s a mistaken loss, Hashem makes it that the person will never accept consolation. We see this with Yaakov and Yosef. Yaakov thought his son Yosef had been eaten by a wild animal, and was never consoled for his loss. The reason was because he in fact hadn’t lost his son, as he was merely sold to Egypt as a slave.

We can apply this concept to our discussion. Every nation that ever lost something realized that they’ll never get it back. As such, with the passage of time, they eventually get over their loss. Not so the Jewish people. Deep down, we know Hashem hasn’t abandoned us. We constantly look forward to the day that Hashem will redeem us from our exile. It turns out then that our constant mourning is the very source of our consolation[4]. It’s testimony to the fact that what we lost isn’t gone forever. This is why Tisha B’Av is also known as a festival[5]. It’s the day that know with full confidence that we will eventually be redeemed[6].

May we merit this year to a true consolation, with the rebuilding of the Temple and the restoration of Jerusalem.

[1] Based on Derashos Chasam Sofer III p. 84 col. 2

[2] Jeremiah 31:12

[3] Bereishis Rabbah 84:21

[4] This reminds me of a popular story involving Napoleon. The story goes that he was travelling through the town he was in on Tisha B’Av, and heard wailing coming from the local synagogue. He asked what all the fuss was over, and was informed that the Jews were mourning the loss of their Temple. He was surprised to hear this, as he hadn’t realized they had a Temple which was recently destroyed. He was informed that it had been 1700 years since the destruction. He responded that a nation that mourns its Temple so much will surely merit to see it rebuilt. For the origins of this story and its veracity, see http://onthemainline.blogspot.com/2011/08/on-napoleon-tisha-bav-legend-tracing-it.html

[5] Lamentations 1:15. See Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim 559:4

[6] This is also alluded to in the words of our Sages כל המתאבל על ירושלים זוכה ורואה בנחמתה (Ta’anis 30b), meaning immediately

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August 8, 2019November 2, 2019

Devarim / Tisha B’av 5779

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Horrific consequences of sin[1]

…אם-תאכלנה נשים פרים עללי טפחים אם-יהרג במקדש אדנ”י כהן ונביא
…Alas, women eat their own fruit, their newborn babies! Alas, Kohen and Prophet are slain in G-d’s Temple[2]

Parshas Devarim always falls out the shabbos before Tisha B’Av[3], the day commemorating the destruction of both the First and Second Temples[4]. The Prophet Yirmiyahu (Jeremiah) in Megillas Eicha (Lamentations), describes all the horrible things that happened at the time of the destruction of the First Temple. The scenes were horrific. Besides all the murders by the Babylonians, there was incredible hunger. The prophet describes how frantic mothers, desperate for food, succumbed to eating their own babies. This repulsive result of the destruction was in fact predicted by the Torah, where it says[5] that people will eat the flesh of their daughters and sons.

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September 20, 2018November 2, 2019

HaAzinu 5779

The retractable flame[1]

אם שנותי ברק חרבי ותאחז במפשט ידי וגו’‏
If I’ll whet My flashing[2] blade and My hand will grasp judgement…[3]

This week’s parsha contains Moshe’s parting song to the people. It contains prophetic insights into the Jewish people’s past, present, and future. Verses that seem merely poetic often convey deep concepts. One verse uses the word ברק to describe Hashem’s “blade”. Some² explain it to connote “flashing”, but it literally means a bolt of lightning. Consequently, the Sages understand[4] the verse homiletically to be teaching us a unique aspect of Hashem’s power. Normally, when a person shoots an arrow, they are unable to retrieve it. Not so the Holy One, blessed is He. When He shoots an arrow, He is able to retrieve it. We see this because the verse describes His arrow as being a bolt of lightning, which is in His grasp. Besides the homiletical teaching, the verse also provides a resolution to a seeming contradiction apparent in one of the Sages’ opinions.

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