by Rabbi E. Tauger
Menachem Av : Dates To Remember
Tishah B'Av and the Nine Days
Tishah B'Av is the most tragic day of the Jewish year. Our Sages relate that on this day:
a) Both the First and Second Temples were destroyed;
b) The people supported the spies and no longer desired to enter Eretz Yisrael, and it was decreed that they would wander 40 years in the desert;
c) Beitar, the capital of Bar Kochba's kingdom was destroyed;
d) The Romans plowed the Temple Mount like a field.
Similarly, in subsequent generations, the exile from Spain and many other tragic events occurred on this date.
For this reason, Tishah B'Av itself is commemorated as a severe fast day. From sunset on Monday, Aug. 11, until the appearance of three stars on Tues. night, Aug. 12, we are forbidden to eat, drink, wash, wear shoes, put on lotions, engage in marital relations, or work.
Similarly, the nine days preceding the fast are marked by customs associated with mourning. For example, weddings and other celebrations are not held, we do not eat meat, listen to music, or bathe for pleasure.
Without minimizing the above, the Rebbe has also recommended that we use these days for activities that lead to an awareness of the inner positive motif within the destruction, and serve as a catalyst to its revelation. Among these is the study of the laws of the structure of the Temple and its service.
Similarly, he has suggested that since celebrations associated with a mitzvah are permitted in Av, we should use all the opportunities - and create such opportunities - so that happiness can be spread at this time. In this vein, he has suggested that siyumim, celebrations of the conclusion of the study of a Talmudic tractate, be held during these nine days. This is not necessarily for the purpose of allowing meat to be eaten, as is practiced in certain communities, but for the purpose of increasing joy and a positive frame of mind at this time of year when the natural tendency would be otherwise.
Other Dates In Menachem-Av
Rosh Chodesh Menachem-Av - The yahrzeit of Aaron, the High Priest. Aaron is identified with "loving peace and pursuing peace, loving the creations and bringing them close to the Torah."
Our Sages state that the Temple was destroyed due to baseless hatred. Thousands of years before the Temple's destruction, Aaron showed us the paradigm of selfless love, giving us the key to the approach which will lead to the reversal of this motif and the rebuilding of the Temple.
Menachem-Av 5 - the yahrzeit of the Ari zal, Rabbi Isaac Luria, the mystic luminary who revitalized our understanding of the Kabbalah. It is rightly said that the Ari changed the direction of the Jewish mystic tradition, and from his time onward, all the students of the Kabbalah have been nurtured by his teachings.
Shabbos Chazon - The Shabbos preceding Tishah B'Av. Literally the name means "the Shabbos of vision." Rav Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev interprets this name to mean that on this Shabbos, each of us is granted a vision of the Third Temple.
Shabbos Nachamu - The Shabbos following Tishah B'Av. Literally the name means "the Shabbos of comfort." It is given in connection with the haftorah which speaks of the comfort G-d will give His people for their suffering.
Menachem-Av 15 - The date of which the Mishnah states: "There were never such great festivals for the Jewish people as the 15th of Av and Yom Kippur. On these days, the young girls of Jerusalem would go out and dance in the vineyards."
Among the explanations for the celebrations of the 15th of Av is that it was on this date that the Jews realized that they would be allowed to enter Eretz Yisrael one year earlier. After the sin of the spies, which, as stated above, took place on Tishah B'Av, G-d told the people that they would wander in the desert for 40 years. 39 years after that decree, on the 15th of Av, they were informed that the first year of the exodus - before the sin of the spies - would also be included in that reckoning, and thus they would enter Eretz Yisrael a year before they thought they would.
Another explanation of the uniqueness of this date is that on it men and woman from different tribes were allowed to marry each other. Thus the date is associated with love and closeness, and the entry into Eretz Yisrael amending the influences which led to the destruction of Tishah B'Av and its consequences.
Menachem-Av 20 - the yahrzeit of the Rebbe's father, Rebbe Levi Yitzchak, a great Kabbalist and scholar who was exiled by the Communist regime in Russia for his efforts to maintain Jewish observance despite the government's oppression. Even in exile, despite the lack of ink or paper, he wrote Kabbalistic insights on the margins of his books. These books were later smuggled out of Russia and his insights have become part of the spiritual legacy of our people.
Menachem-Av - A Month Of Mixed Feelings With regard to the month of Av, our Sages said: In the month of a lion - Av whose Zodiac sign is a lion - a lion arose from Babylonia - Nebuchadnezzar, who conceived of himself as a lion - and destroyed "the lion of G-d" - the term used to refer to the Altar in the Temple - so that G-d who is described as roaring like a lion will rebuild "the lion of G-d." Thus on one hand, the month of Av is associated with mourning - sadness over the destruction of the Temple and the exile of our people. On the other hand, since the destruction was "so that" G-d will rebuild the Temple, there is an element of joy connected with the month. Indeed, in the Introduction to Midrash Eichah, our Sages state, "Happiness is manifest solely on Tishah B'Av." And we find that less than a week after Tishah B'Av, we celebrate the 15th of Av, a day of which our Sages said: "There were never such great festivals for the Jewish people as the 15th of Av."
What Happened Inside The Holy Of Holies We can better understand the conflicting extremes of the month of Av by looking to the core of our relationship with G-d as manifest in the Temple, in the Holy of Holies. In the Holy of Holies, there were two cherubs of gold which stood on either end of the golden covering of the Ark of the Covenant. Our Sages relate that when the Jewish people followed G-d's will, the cherubs faced each other, embracing like lovers; when the Jewish people were rebellious, the cherubs would avert their gaze and face opposite walls. During the celebration of the pilgrimage festivals in Jerusalem, the priests would unveil the Holy of Holies and show the people the cherubs' embrace. "See the great love G-d has for you," they would declare, "a love like that between a man and a woman." The cherubs of the Holy of Holies also figure in the narrative of the destruction of the Temple. Our Sages relate that when the gentile invaders entered the Holy of Holies, they saw the cherubs embracing. They brought them out to the market place and displayed them, exclaiming, "How could Israel worship these?" As we know, during the destruction of the Temple, G-d "poured out His wrath like fire; G-d was like an enemy." Why, then, were the cherubs intertwined in love at this time of apparent anger? If their relationship reflected the fluctuating feelings between G-d and Israel, what could their embrace mean at a time when "He cut down, in fierce anger, the pride of Israel?"
G-d's Only Son The Baal Shem Tov taught: G-d cherishes every Jew with the love of a parent for an only child who is born to him in his old age. This outlook gives us a different understanding of our bond with Him. From the prophetic perspective and in the commentaries of the Sages, exile appears to be a punishment, an expression of G-d's wrath at Israel's misdeeds. From this perspective, the bond is dependent upon Israel's conduct. If Israel is meritorious, she will be rewarded; if she sins, she will be punished. This view, however, reflects only one dimension of the bond between G-d and Israel. In truth, however, our connection with G-d goes far deeper, for all Israel are "children unto the L-rd your G-d." A father does not love his son only because the son is virtuous or obedient; most fundamentally, he loves him - unconditionally and unwaveringly - because he is his son. With or without redeeming qualities, his father loves him. G-d loves Israel in the same way. No matter what our conduct, we are His children. Therefore, even when G-d appears to be displeased with us, in the Holy of Holies, at the inner core of the Sanctuary, His love for us is revealed.
What A Father Does Out Of Love It is written, "He who withholds the rod, hates his son," implying that when a parent punishes a child he is in fact manifesting his love. Every parent has a natural impulse to excuse misconduct. It's easier; there's less personal challenge involved. When a parent instead makes a decision to rebuke a cherished child, he or she is making a deeper and more selfless commitment. When seen in this light, though exile is obviously a descent from the majestic state to which Israel had been accustomed, we can understand that the force motivating this exile is love. In a subtle manner, which only His ultimate wisdom can fully comprehend, G-d is guiding the course of His son's development.
Descent for the Purpose of Ascent In this light, exile serves as a temporary tool to reach a positive objective. Our Sages teach that a descent for the purpose of ascent cannot be branded a descent. By the same token, since G-d's purpose in exiling His people is to elevate them to a higher rung, the hardships endured are eclipsed by their ultimate goal. In this spirit, our Sages teach that Mashiach was born on the very day the Temple was destroyed; i.e., the destruction of the Temple sparked the process of preparation for the Era of Redemption. Concealed beneath the fall of the Jewish people is G-d's desire to bring Mashiach, and to elevate both Israel and the world to a state of ultimate fulfillment.
Stripping Away The Husk Our Sages compare the process of exile to the sowing of seeds; as the prophet says, "I will sow [Israel] unto Me in the earth." When harvested, the produce that grows from seeds greatly exceeds the quantity initially sown; this increase reflects the long-range gains of exile, as explained above. For this growth to take place, the exterior husk of a seed must utterly decompose. Only then, can its kernel flourish into a flowering plant. In a similar way, the destruction of the Temple and our people's exile were intended to strip away all superficiality and allow the Jewish people to blossom into fulfillment in the Era of Redemption.
A Holiday Of Redemption In light of this, we can understand the inner dimension of an observation of our Rabbis, that Tishah B'Av always falls on the same day of the week as the first day of Pesach. This calendric correspondence reflects an intrinsic tie: both days are associated with redemption. Pesach marks the redemption from Egypt, and Tishah B'Av anticipates the ultimate Redemption. Every year, Tishah B'Av generates a renewed impetus for Redemption. This is reflected by the concept cited above, that Tishah B'Av is the birthday of Mashiach. A birthday is a time when mazalo gover, when the particular spiritual source of a person's soul shines powerfully. Tishah B'Av, the birthday of Mashiach, is thus a time when he and the Redemption of which he is the catalyst are granted renewed power. At no point in our national history has the redemptive aspect of Tishah B'Av been as relevant as it is today, for we are at the threshold of the Redemption and, indeed, in the process of crossing that threshold. May we merit the completion of this process and the coming of the era when "all the [commemorative] fasts will be nullified... and indeed, will be transformed into festivals and days of rejoicing." |
The Torah Portions of the Month
Parshas Devarim - This Torah reading begins the fifth book of the Torah. It recounts "the words which Moses spoke," the farewell addresses of Moses to the Jewish people." Nevertheless, it is considered as having the same status as the other books of the Torah. Though Moses "spoke these words on his own initiative," "the Divine presence spoke from his throat," so much so that at times, he says "I" when the intent is obviously G-d. This reflects the quintessence of our human potential: how man can step beyond the mortal realm and become a medium for the communication of G-d's truth.
Parshas VaEschanan - This Torah reading contains Moses' description of the giving of the Torah and the Ten Commandments. It also contains the Shema, the fundamental statement of G-d's unique oneness.
It is no accident that this portion is always read on Shabbos Nachamu, the Shabbos of comfort. Implied is that the comfort we will receive for the exile is the revelation of G-dliness in the Era of the Redemption, a revelation that will surpass that of the giving of the Torah and which will make G-d's oneness overtly apparent.
Parshas Eikev - This Torah reading begins: "This will be the reward when you hearken unto these ordinances." The commentaries note the connection between the name Eikev and the time period referred to as Ikvasa deMeshicha, "the era when Mashiach's approaching footsteps can be heard." They explain that it is the observance in that era which will bring the great rewards that the passage continues to enumerate.
Why is this observance so unique that it will be worthy of these rewards? For the challenges the Jews will face in that era will compel them to reach into the very core of their souls in order to continue their Divine service. And when our Divine service is inspired by the essential spark every Jew possesses within his soul, there are no limits to the rewards it is deserving.
Parshas Re'eh - This Torah reading speaks of the construction of the Temple, explaining that it will be "in the place that He will choose to rest His name." Once G-d chose to rest His presence in Jerusalem, the site of the Temple became holy forever. Even now when it is destroyed, that holiness still remains and requires us to treat its site with reverence and awe.