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Beit Midrash
- Shabbat and Holidays
- The Three Weeks
- The Meaning of Three Weeks
We are now in the midst of the Three Weeks - Bein Ham’tzarim – as we commemorate the dreadful events which resulted in the destruction of both the first and second Temples, along with numerous other tragedies, such as the Inquisition. Yet these misfortunes did not occur haphazardly, in a vacuum. As we recite annually in the prayers of Pesach, Shavuot and Sukkot: "Because of our sins, we were exiled from our land." These sins are catalogued in numerous Talmudic tractates, and they include the neglect of Jewish education, the lack of respect for elders and scholars, and, of course Sinat Chinam, baseless animosity towards our fellow Jews.
All the accumulated flaws in our collective behavior combined to create Tisha B’Av, the "Black Fast" that is considered the low point of our calendar year.
I want to suggest that the underlying causes of the Destruction can be summarized in just one little word: Eicha. This is the title of the book which we read in its entirety on the night of 9 Av – fittingly, it is the only one of the 5 Megilot that is read exclusively at night – as we turn down the lights and sit mournfully in semi-darkness. But "Eicha" is not reserved for Tisha B’Av alone; it reverberates throughout history.
It appears when an overwrought Moses laments to the people: "Eicha - how can I alone bear your struggles?" (Devarim 1:12). Moses was never one to shirk from work or challenge, but he recognizes that, in the final analysis, it is ultimately the nation that must carry the burden, and not the individual. While we are fond of saying that "great leaders make great nations," Moses, in his unparalleled wisdom, knew that the truth is quite the opposite: A great People will invariably cause great leaders to arise.
We failed as a People when we allowed our national institutions to become self-serving, engaging in constant corruption and endless – even brutal – competition and conflict with one faction against the other. We failed when we neglected to call out the evil-doers and demand a high moral standard from our leaders; when we practiced rigidity rather than flexibility in the Law and, of course, when we – awash in our seemingly endless good fortune -showed cynical disdain for "the other." Only when a nation as a whole fails so miserably, says Moses, can a disaster as great as Tisha B’Av occur.
Later, the prophet Isaiah wails (1:21), "Eicha - how has this faithful city (Jerusalem) become as a prostitute!" Lusting after the practices of the nations, desperate to be loved, a harlot sells out her principles to the lover who offers the highest bid. A prostitute has no intrinsic identity; she is a body (politic) for hire, her passions directed solely by those who pay her fee. Isaiah bemoans that in spurning our true benefactor, our eternal soul-mate, Israel compromised its relationship with G-d, leading to our destruction.
He implies that as a nation, we must remain loyal to who we are; we must not allow our desire to find acceptance in the world at large cloud our historic vision and pervert our unique character. To be a leader – as Abraham the Ivri epitomized – you must sometimes stand "on the other side" of the divide, determined to represent a truth and a mission to which the entire world may object.
Finally, Jeremiah, the prophet of the Destruction, cries out in Eicha’s opening verse: "Eicha – how did Jerusalem become so alone, so like a widow?" Just as a woman who has lost her husband feels abandoned, deserted, defenseless, we left ourselves vulnerable to the insidious neighbors surrounding us. With the demise of our relationship with God – and our unwillingness to repent and so rekindle that sacred union - we became prey to our enemies. They sensed that we no longer had our partner to guard and protect us, and so we were decimated.
There is an expectation on the part of the nations that we will be a light, a guide to a more perfect world. That often creates a double – or even triple – standard, but like it or not, that is the creed we live by. If we have skewed all the graphs and survived throughout the ages against all odds, it is precisely due to our adherence to a higher – read: holier – calling.
This year will undoubtedly be known as the Year of Corona. But it should also be called the Year of the Protest. There have been massive demonstrations in Israel and worldwide – even under the ominous cloud of the virus – railing against all forms of hardship and injustice, real or presumed. This, in and of itself, is not a bad thing. The right to protest – along with the right to speak one’s mind and hold one’s own opinion, no matter how unpopular – is a fundamental right of all people.
Yet along with blaming others for our problems, we also have to look inward, at our own behavior. Using the same letters of Eicha (BR. 4:10), God calls out to Adam, and to Man in every generation: Eicha, where are you?!" That first Adam replied, "And I hid." But we know that we cannot escape or hide; we must look in the mirror and confront our actions, recognize our failings, and commit to correcting the national sins which resulted in our dispersion and degradation.
The Talmud (Ta’anit 29a) records that on the eve of the Temple’s destruction young priests ascended to the roof with the keys to the Temple in their hands. "Master of the Universe," they cried, "we did not merit to be faithful keepers of Your house, and so we are handing you back the keys." They threw the keys up in the air, and a Heavenly hand reached out and took them.
It is only when we realize that we hold the keys to our own destiny and the ability to right the wrongs of our society that the dark countenance of the Black Fast will turn into a great and shining light.
Igrot Hare’aya Excitement over a Friend’s New Newspaper – #319
Date and Place: 4 Menachem Av 5670 (1910), Rechovot
P'ninat Mishpat Complaints about Contractor’s Work – part II
(based on ruling 83037.1 of the Eretz Hemdah-Gazit Rabbinical Courts)
P'ninat Mishpat P'ninat Mishpat: Realtor’s Fee on Large Commercial Building – part I
(based on ruling 85031 of the Eretz Hemdah-Gazit Rabbinical Courts)
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Shoftim TESHUVA IN COURT OF LAW?
Parshat Shoftim-Chodesh Elul
Why does parshat Shoftim always come out during Elul? This innovative and central explanation is an eye-opener regarding many aspects of Judaism.
The Month of Elul TESHUVA IS THE ANSWER
The month of Elul serves as a vital time for self-reflection and personal accountability to prepare for true repentance.
P'ninat Mishpat P'ninat Mishpat: Realtor’s Fee on Large Commercial Building – part I
(based on ruling 85031 of the Eretz Hemdah-Gazit Rabbinical Courts)
(based on ruling 85031 of the Eretz Hemdah-Gazit Rabbinical Courts)
P'ninat Mishpat Complaints about Contractor’s Work – part II
(based on ruling 83037.1 of the Eretz Hemdah-Gazit Rabbinical Courts)
(based on ruling 83037.1 of the Eretz Hemdah-Gazit Rabbinical Courts)
Chemdat Yamim Moreshet Shaul: The Goal of an Agricultural Yeshiva – part I
Based on Siach Shaul, Pirkei Machshava V’Hadracha p. 263 (address at the laying of the cornerstone of the Yeshiva Chakla’it in Kfar Haroeh)
Based on Siach Shaul, Pirkei Machshava V’Hadracha p. 263 (address at the laying of the cornerstone of the Yeshiva Chakla’it in Kfar Haroeh)
Chemdat Yamim The Goal of an Agricultural Yeshiva – part II
Based on Siach Shaul, Pirkei Machshava V’Hadracha p. 263 (address at the cornerstone laying for the Yeshiva Chakla’it in Kfar Haroeh – 1938)
Based on Siach Shaul, Pirkei Machshava V’Hadracha p. 263 (address at the cornerstone laying for the Yeshiva Chakla’it in Kfar Haroeh – 1938)
Re'e NEVER EXTREME EXCEPT ISRAEL
Parshat Re'eh
Judaism is against extremism, so how can we understand the seemingly extreme statements found in our sages in favor of living in the Land of Israel and against living in Chutz laAretz? The article deals with the seeming contradiction between the strength of Free-Will and the strength of being influenced by our surroundings.
Ekev DANCE FOR ISRAEL- FOR YOUR BENEFIT
Parshat Eikev
Description: The 7 Haftarot we read after Tisha B'Av ("Shiva D'Nichemta") surely get us excited that they're coming TRUE, and awaken us to yearn, dance & join the return to Zion! The short article also deals with the problems and solutions facing the American Jewish community as discussed at a recent panel, as well as the question why Jews come from America to Israel to help when we face problems, but Israelis don't come to aid Jews in America when they face anti-Semitism.
P'ninat Mishpat P'ninat Mishpat: Complaints about Contractor’s Work – part II
(based on ruling 83037.1 of the Eretz Hemdah-Gazit Rabbinical Courts)
(based on ruling 83037.1 of the Eretz Hemdah-Gazit Rabbinical Courts)
Chemdat Yamim Moreshet Shaul: Twin Foundations
Based on Siach Shaul, Pirkei Machshava V’Hadracha p. 690
Based on Siach Shaul, Pirkei Machshava V’Hadracha p. 690
