by Rabbi E. Tauger
AV: Dates To Remember
Tisha B'Av and the Nine Days
Tisha 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 these reasons, our Sages instituted a severe fast day.
From the appearance of three stars on Saturday, Aug. 1, until the appearance of three stars on Sun. night, Aug. 2, we are forbidden to eat, drink, wash, wear shoes, put on lotions, engage in marital relations, and work should be avoided.
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.
This year the date of Tishah B'Av falls on Shabbos. Thus the date usually associated with mourning and catastrophe is celebrated as a day of pleasure and the fast is postponed until the following day. This encourages our hopes that Mashiach will come and the fast will be postponed indefinitely and indeed, be transformed into a day of rejoicing and celebration.
In a similar vein, the Rebbe has also recommended that we use the days preceding Tisha B'Av 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.
He has also 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, marking 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 positive feelings at this time of year when the natural tendency would be otherwise.
Other Dates in Av
Rosh Chodesh 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. Centuries 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.
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 Tisha B'Av (this year it is on Tisha B'Áv itself). 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 Tisha B'Av.
Literally the name means "the Shabbos of comfort." It is called so in connection with the haftorah which speaks of the comfort G-d will give His people for their suffering.
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 Tisha 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 Tisha B'Av and its consequences.
AV 20 - the yahrzeit of the Rebbe's father, Rabbi 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.
The Month of Menachem-Av - A Month of Destruction and Rebuilding
The mention of the Hebrew month of Av brings to mind the destruction of the Temple which took place on Tishah B'Av, the ninth of that month. Indeed, that tragedy is so identified with this month that our Sages teach: 'When Av enters, we reduce our joy." This raises an obvious question: The cycle of the months is a Divinely ordained pattern, established before the creation of man. Was it intended that there be a month of sadness? Is man's suffering G-d's desire?
Conventional Replies Over the ages, the answers to these questions can be boiled down to either of - or a combination of - two general constructs. a) It's not G-d's fault at all. Leave Him out of the picture. He created the natural order and pain and suffering are part of that gestalt. Worship Him because He is great, so great that He transcends all worldly concerns. And because He is so great, don't get hung up on those concerns when relating to Him. Do not pay any attention to suffering, look past it, for no matter how great the suffering, there is a certain pettiness to it. Focus on Him instead. b) G-d's harsh judgment is man's fault. If man had not sinned, G-d would not punish him. G-d has established standards of good and justice. Man has violated them and must bear the consequences. If man would not sin, he would not be punished.
Logical Advantages and Disadvantages There is an advantage to the first approach, because it focuses our attention on G-d as He exists in His transcendence and makes us aware of how genuinely small and petty our worldly existence is. This said, the very advantage becomes a disadvantage, because to a certain extent, it makes our existence otherworldly. When we look past the material circumstances in which we live, there is a tendency to disregard them entirely, to focus on the spiritual and pay no attention to the material. This runs contrary to G-d's intent in creation. He placed us in this world to sanctify its material substance, not to ignore it. He desired a dwelling within the mortal plane, that the material become a vehicle for the expression of the spiritual, not that it be neglected and discounted. If we do not feel pain when we or other people suffer, to a certain extent, we deny our humanity. There is an advantage to the second approach because it makes us appreciate the importance of our conduct, to realize that whatever we do has consequences and that therefore we must take responsibility for our conduct. On the other hand, there is a certain arrogance in maintaining that our conduct causes G-d to do things which He does not desire to. If it is wrong for a Temple to be destroyed, for people to be killed, and for lives to be filled with suffering, why does He allow it? Man cannot make Him do anything that He would not do otherwise. The question is not why do the righteous suffer? But rather, why should anyone suffers? Why should He allow suffering in the world at all?
Reorienting Basic Premises The resolution of these questions depends on a fundamental change of perspective. We are used to living in the world, taking our lives for granted, expecting that we receive goodness and prosperity. This is more than slightly presumptuous. One of the fundamental principles of the Jewish faith is that G-d created the world yesh me'ayin, something from nothing. That means that essentially there is no reason for ourselves and the entire framework of existence in which we are found to be. We exist only because G-d brought us into being. Therefore anything He gives us is generous. There is nothing which is due us. We have nothing to complain about. It is not that material existence is not significant and therefore we should overlook any privations. It's that the very fact of being alive is itself an act of generosity far greater than anything we could possibly fathom. Therefore we should be thankful for anything and everything we receive.
Appreciating New Vistas Explanation is still required. There is no reason why G-d must give us beneficence. Nevertheless, since He is the ultimate of generosity, it would seem appropriate that He grant us only good and wellbeing; not for our sake, but for His. We have no right to expect anything. Yet since He is the ultimate of good, seemingly, He should give us nothing but good. The resolution of this question depends on our conception of good. A young child's conception of good is sweets, swings, and slides. As a person grows older and more mature, his tastes become more sophisticated and his horizons broaden. Good takes on different definitions. He learns to appreciate music, art, emotional contact with others, and interesting ideas. All of these definitions of good, however, focus on the person taking - receiving something from others or from the world at large. There is a higher level of good - that a person's conduct reflect that of G-d Himself. Just as G-d gives and does not take, so too, a person can become G-d's partner in creation, contributing to others and to the world at large. When a person appreciates what it means to give, that becomes the focus of his life. All other factors pale in importance to the contribution to the world he can make. When a scientist is involved in an experiment, he does not eat or sleep - he is simply not concerned with such matters. Similarly, when a person understands what it means to give, he is willing to undergo all types of difficulties to make this contribution.
Fathoming His Purpose In a way which only His wisdom can comprehend, G-d guides the growth and the development of the Jewish people as a whole and every individual Jew in particular. Every person has his or her contribution to make to bring the world to its ultimate purpose: the Era of the Redemption. Through unique Divine providence, every person is given the opportunity to augment and enhance the creation as a whole. When a person gains an awareness of this motif, this becomes his primary goal and all other motivations become eclipsed in its pursuit. The only real suffering and privation he feels is his failure to achieve this purpose.
The Consummation of His Intent Every endeavor has an endpoint. Similarly, the goal is not merely to
strive to contribute, but to see those contributions realized. That is the
essence of the Era of the Redemption, that the contributions which the Jewish
people have made over the centuries blossom into fruition and we appreciate
the G-dly intent of our existence. In that era, the month of Av will no
longer be a month of sadness and mourning, for we will understand how every
phase in our history - even those which presently appear tragic - was necessary
to enable our people to transform this world into a dwelling for G-d. And
then Tishah B'Av will be a day of celebration and rejoicing, a time when
we treasure the manifestation of G-d's presence in our world. |
The Torah Portions of the Month
Parshas Mattos-Masei - These two Torah readings each contain significant messages for our Divine service. Parshas Mattos begins with the concept of vows, restrictions which a person accepts upon himself. It also alludes to hataras nedarim, the release of those vows.
A person may feel a need to take vows to make sure that he does not become overly involved in worldly matters. Ultimately, however, he will realize that the purpose is release of those vows, to appreciate the Divine purpose of material reality, not to ignore it.
Parshas Masei recounts the journeys of the Jewish people through the desert. According to Chassidus, these journeys are metaphors for the life trek of every individual. Similarly, they serve as analogies for the journeys of the Jewish people throughout the ages until in the future we again "cross the Jordan" and enter Eretz Yisrael.
Parshas Devarim - This Torah reading begins Mishneh Torah, the review of the Torah, when in the last five weeks of his life Moses began recapitulating the teachings of the Torah. Why was this necessary? And why was this included in the Torah?
So that G-d's word would include man's word. To demonstrate how a mortal has the potential to speak the words of G-d. This teaches us that the Torah we study is not merely our way of understanding G-dly wisdom, but His word.
Parshas VaEschanan - This Torah reading contains the Shema, a Jew's statement of faith and belief in G-d. When a Jew says "G-d is one" in the Shema, he is not merely stating that there is one G-d. He is affirming that all existence is one with Him.
Parshas Ekev - This Torah reading contains the second passage of the Shema. Our Sages explain that this passage is significant, because it communicates the principles of reward and punishment. Our Sages explain that one of the fundamental principles of Jewish faith is that our actions have consequences. A person receives just recompense -both positive and negative - for every act which he performs. Since the inner motivation for all our deeds is good, the ultimate recompense for our deeds will be the Era of the Redemption when the positive purpose of everything which we accomplished will be expressed.
Parshas Reeh - This Torah
reading focuses on the building of the Temple, the sacrifices to be offered
there, and the pilgrimage festivals of the Jewish people. The Temple is
not merely a centralized place of worship for the Jewish people. It is "the
place that He will choose to rest His name," the place where G-d's
presence dwells. This reflects the ultimate purpose of our Divine service
- that G-dliness become manifest in our world. This intent will be consummated
in the Era of the Redemption, when "the world will be filled with the
knowledge of G-d as the waters cover the ocean bed."