Nachal novea; makor chochma -
A flowing river; the source of wisdom
(Mish. 18:4)
Parshas D'varim 5756
(Deuteronomy
1:1-3:22)
"[In response to the evil
report of the spies,] you slandered in your tents and said, Because of
G-d's hatred for us did He take us out of the land of Egypt, to deliver
us into the hand of the Amorite to destroy us." (Deuteronomy
1:27)
***
Once we, through observing
the Torah, are properly connected to the Tree of Life, then forgetfulness
and the mental confusion associated with the revolving sword will disappear,
causing the world to be at peace.
***
The teachings of the book
of D'varim (Deuteronomy) were transmitted by Moshe (Moses) during the last
five weeks of his life in order to prepare the Jews for their upcoming
conquest of the land of Israel. He reminded them of their past sins to
caution them against overconfidence in the belief that they wouldn't succumb
to the temptations and bad influences of the Canaanites. One of the incidents
that Moshe recounted was the incident of the spies. Moshe had sent twelve
men to spy out the land of Israel, one man from each tribe, all righteous
and distinguished leaders. Ten of the spies returned with a very ominous
and foreboding report which discouraged and demoralized the people. It
caused them to lose faith in Hashem (G-d) and in their ability to conquer
the mighty, Canaanite nations which inhabited the land. As a result, the
entire generation was condemned to wander in the desert for forty years
until those who had participated in this sin perished. The tragedy of their
sin had far-reaching consequences. The nation wept the entire night, which
was an expression of their lost faith in Hashem. Hashem responded, "They
wept without cause; I will establish [this night as a time of] weeping
throughout the generations." That night was the ninth of Av (Tisha B'Av),
the date when both the first and second Temples were destroyed and the
date upon which countless other tragedies have occurred throughout Jewish
history.
The parsha of D'varim
is always read on the Sabbath preceding the fast of Tisha B'Av [which,
this year begins at sundown on Wednesday, July 24 and ends when the stars
come out on Thursday night, July 25]. Since our almost 2,000 year exile
began with the destruction of the second Temple, let us examine, based
on the teachings of Rabbi Nachman and his chief disciple Rav Noson, the
true nature of the sin that was the root of the destruction of the second
Temple and our present exile.
PERCEPTION OF G-DLINESS WITHIN
PHYSICALITY:
IS THE RADIO PICKING UP A CLEAR SIGNAL OR IS THERE STATIC?
Hashem created the molecules
that are the building blocks of the physical universe and contain the spiritual
energies which enable the physical universe to exist and function properly.
Thus, physicality is strongly dependent upon and integrated with spirituality.
The spiritual essence of every object is derived from Hashem, and bridges
the lower worlds to the upper worlds and to Hashem Himself. Therefore,
the more refined the bond between an object and its spiritual essence,
the more Hashem's infinite powers and resources can be accessed through
that thing. Energetically, this works much like a radio receiver. The physical
world was created and established with Hashem's will. Sin is not only a
personal divergence from Hashem's will, but also distances the physical
realm from His will [for the material world is but an extension of His
will]. In other words sin causes physical items to become more remote or
detached from their spiritual essence, making it more difficult for them
to receive the energies from their spiritual essence like a radio which
has poor reception because its receiver is beyond the range of the transmitter.
Sin is just another word for spiritual static, which interferes with the
proper transmission of the spiritual energies that are contained within
each physical item, preventing the affected item from functioning properly.
When there is a strong bond between the physical and its spiritual essence,
the clear transmission enables us to better perceive Hashem. However, when
there is a separation due to sin, it becomes much more difficult to perceive
the G-dliness within the physical.
TO KNOW HASHEM, WE MUST KNOW
THE PHYSICAL WORLD
When intelligence is considered
in absolute terms, it is something purely spiritual, having no connection
at all to physicality. Human intelligence is a spiritual gift bestowed
by the Creator. Hashem gives each person part of His own infinite intelligence,
so that he is better equipped to fulfill his mission upon earth. That mission
is ultimately to discover, acknowledge, and serve Him, using the faculty
of free choice. Since Hashem is infinite, the soul, residing in the upper
realms, could not normally have any real understanding of Him. Therefore,
Hashem concealed and constricted Himself, so to speak, within the confines
of the physical world and placed the soul into this world so that, through
its experience with finiteness, it could better learn about Hashem through
the aspects of Himself that he included in this finite world. Therefore,
every person can learn about Hashem by having an understanding of the physical
world. Rabbi Nachman says that seeking Hashem through the physical world
is imperative for every person. (1
Lekutai MoHaran 1:1)
The human brain is simply
a vessel that accesses and stores the spiritual energies of intelligence
that have been given by Hashem. Before Adam sinned, the human mind was
unblemished. Adam's mind was pure and clear because his brain was so strongly
connected to the spiritual energies of intelligence derived from Hashem.
This is why Adam was able to easily fathom the deepest and innermost mysteries
of the Torah and the universe. Adam's sin placed a barrier between his
brain and the spiritual knowledge that it contained. Thus, man's intellect
became blemished, more coarse and physicalized, making it much more difficult
for him to perceive and establish a connection with the spiritual realms,
to fathom the Torah's inner essence, and to focus on spiritual pursuits.
Since the spiritual essence of the entire universe was connected to Adam,
his sin also caused the everything to become covered over with many layers
of coarse physicality, deeply burying the spiritual essence of each material
item to the point where it became extremely difficult to perceive anything
other than the item's physicality. This made it much more difficult for
Hashem's light, concealed within each object, to be noticed by man.
Isaiah
59:21 alludes to the above concept, "My words (the Torah) that I (Hashem)
have placed in your (the Jews') mouth[s] shall not be removed (yamush)
[or forgotten] from your mouth[s] ["I (Hashem) made a covenant with the
Jews which I will fulfill: even in exile, My Torah will not be forgotten
from them." (Rashi)] The word 'removed', yaMuSh has the same root as MaMawshus,
physical. The verse associates forgetfulness of the Torah (which is true
wisdom) with physicality. The more attached one's intellect is to the physical,
the more Hashem's light is blocked out, leading to forgetfulness and an
insensitivity to the spiritual realms. Rav Noson explains: Spiritual light
is infinite. Therefore, when the mind is linked to spirituality, its capacity
to retain information is unlimited. However, physicality is limited. So
a mind steeped in physicality in turn becomes limited and forgetfulness
sets in. Rav Noson says that this is the key to the great difference between
the human mind before and after Adam's sin.
Before Adam sinned he
resided in the Garden of Eden. Within the garden, the Tree of Life contained
the awesome inner light of the Torah, as it says, "It (the Torah) is a
tree of life for those who grasp [on to] it." (Proverbs
3:18) The Torah's vibrations, derived from Hashem's infinite light,
were emitted from the Tree of Life and exerted their influence upon the
entire garden. Thus, the Garden of Eden, although a physical entity, was
more connected to the infinite than any other place on earth. This meant
that its residents would have endless opportunities for spiritual growth
and happiness, uninhibited by the bounds of physicality. Adam's purified
mind, coupled with living in the pristine environment of the Tree of Life,
connected him to infinity almost to being above the confines of corporeality.
As mentioned above, Adam's
soul was connected to the spiritual essence of the whole universe and his
every act affected the entire cosmos. If Adam could have elevated himself,
he would have elevated every aspect of the universe as well. If he wouldn't
have eaten from the Tree of Knowledge, he would have plugged the entire
physical world into the spiritual energies of the Tree of Life. By resisting
the temptation to eat the fruit, Adam would have brought the physical world
to a near perfect state, practically transcending its finiteness. However,
because of his sin Adam was expelled from the Garden of Eden and descended
from his exalted residence in an environment that was almost above the
physical, to the outside world, a place that reeked with gross physicality.
THE CLOTHES OF MAN AND THE
CLOTHES OF TORAH
Hashem used the Torah as
the blueprint for the universe, therefore everything in the universe is
imbued with the energies of Torah. Man (and everything else) was dependent
upon and attached to it. Wherever man was, the Torah had to accompany him.
So, as man descended to the depths of physicality, so did the Torah. After
Adam's sin, his new circumstances required that the great light of Torah
had to be concealed or cloaked within many layers of physicality so he
would be able relate to and benefit from it. Therefore, many of the commandments
apply to everyday mundane living such as the laws of eating, drinking,
working etc., as in the verse, "And the L-rd, G-d made for Adam and his
wife garments of skin, and He clothed them." (Genesis
3:21) When it says Hashem clothed man with animal skins, it really
means that Hashem took man's true clothing, the Torah, and cloaked it in
physicality, i.e. the commandments are performed within the framework of
physicality, which sanctifies that realm. Man's highest calling is to assimilate
the Torah into his being. We learn this from the requirement to rise in
respect for a Torah sage, and for a Torah scroll. A popular saying goes,
"The clothes make the man." This is even more true when it comes to the
Torah. The Talmud teaches, Rav Chilkiya, Rav Simon, and Rav Elazar said
[since] one rises before those who study [the Torah], how much more so
[should one rise] before [the Torah] itself! (Talmud:
Kiddushin 33b) Man's true clothing is the spiritual garments that are
made from the commandments of the Torah that he performs. By fulfilling
the commandments, he assimilates the Torah into his being and creates spiritual
garments for his soul. Therefore,
this law implies that when we rise for
a sage, we are really rising out of respect for the spiritual clothing
he is wearing.
The above verse also
alludes to the law that the Torah must be written upon parchment made from
the hide of a kosher animal and lays the groundwork for understanding why
Adam had to be expelled from the garden. Man's post-sin attachment to physicality
was reflected by his new clothing made out of skin. Before Adam's sin,
man was so attached to Hashem's light that he could absorb it with little
difficulty and so, the Torah was clothed in pure light, ohr spelled with
the Hebrew letter aleph. Afterwards, it was clothed in ohr spelled with
the Hebrew letter ayin, meaning skin, indicating its lower status. In deciding
to take Adam out from the garden, "(The L-rd, G-d said, 'Behold man has
become like the unique One among us, knowing good and bad; and now, lest
he put forth his hand and take also of the Tree of Life, and eat and live
forever!' So the L-rd, G-d banished [Adam] from the Garden of Eden to work
the soil from which he was taken. And having driven out the man, He stationed
at the east of the Garden of Eden the Cherubim and the flame of the ever-turning
sword, to guard the way to the Tree of Life." (Genesis
3:22-24) The verse, "So the L-rd, G-d banished [Adam] from the Garden
of Eden to work the soil from which he was taken," refers to the requirement
for Adam to work to perfect his body which was formed from the soil. Since
the entire universe is connected to man, and the body is taken from the
soil, one who perfects his body by purifying it to fully resonate with
its spiritual essence perfects the entire world, for everything in the
world is also ultimately connected to and dependent upon the soil. The
body's outer manifestation is skin and so, skin is also strongly connected
to soil. Since the Torah is the tool that can bring the universe to perfection,
it must be made of a bodily form, i.e. skin. By having the holy words and
letters of the Torah written on animal skin, a resonance is established
between Torah and all of the material world. There is a rule that impurity
can only be broken at its source. So, to purify the physical realm, the
Torah scroll must access a physical root by being written with great sanctity
on parchments made from animal skin. In this way, those who observe the
Torah are able to elevate this world from its gross physicality and connect
it to the Tree of Life.
TORAH AND TREE OF LIFE:
ANTIDOTES FOR FORGETFULNESS--THE ULTIMATE PEACE PLAN
As mentioned above, the
more attached the intellect is to materiality, the more one is prone to
forgetfulness. Forgetfulness is associated with the "ever-turning sword".
Once man through observing the Torah is properly connected to the Tree
of Life, then forgetfulness and the mental confusion associated with the
revolving sword disappears, causing the world to be at peace. [Forgetfulness
decreases our sensitivity to the interconnectedness and the unity of all
things. When people become fully aware of the oneness of everything, then
it becomes clear to them that when a person shows animosity towards another,
mistreats animals or pollutes the environment, he is ultimately damaging
himself. So, he becomes much more likely to live harmoniously.] This is
to what the verse refers, "[The Torah] is a tree of life for those who
grasp [on to] it, and its supporters are praiseworthy. Its ways are ways
of pleasantness and all its paths are peace." (Proverbs
3:18, 17)
Rav Noson says that the
more removed we are from the energies of the Tree of Life, the more discord
and lack of peace and serenity we experience. This is because the Tree
of Life helps to expand the mind. An expanded mind helps us realize that
everything and everyone is connected to Hashem and that all occurrences,
even the seemingly bad ones are all for the good. When we are able to perceive
these things, we come to a state of peace and serenity, in which nothing
can arouse our anger or hatred. We feel connected with the infinite, with
Hashem, the source of all joy and happiness. Therefore, the harder we work
to incorporate the essence of the Tree of Life into our being, through
Torah observance and the life-long search for Hashem, the closer we come
to true and eternal peace.
RABBINICAL DISAGREEMENT:
WHICH PATH TO THE TREE OF LIFE?
Regarding the above verse,
"And having driven out the man, [Hashem] stationed at the east of the Garden
of Eden the Cherubim and the flame of the ever-turning sword, to guard
the way to the Tree of Life," (Genesis
3:24) it tells us that as a result of Adam's sin, the pathways that
lead to the Tree of Life became obscured. Since the Torah leads to the
Tree of Life, the only way to connect to the tree is through Torah observance.
It is up to the true Tzaddikim (saints) and the sages of each generation,
who are the spiritual experts, the trail blazers and the path finders,
to help lead the Jewish people on the right trails that lead to the Tree
of Life. However, there are many paths of Torah observance that can lead
to the Tree. Adam's sin camouflaged many of these trails, even for the
sages and Tzaddikim. This is why there were so many disputes between the
sages in the Talmud concerning Jewish Law and why there are disagreements
between the Tzaddikim of every generation. For example, one sage, based
on his understanding of the Torah, might determine that a particular practice
is forbidden, whereas another sage would permit it. The final outcome of
their debates, and all debates of this nature, has a significance which
goes far beyond the determination of what the practical law should be.
It centers around deciding the best path to take to reach the Tree of Life.
A sage who prohibits a certain practice is, in effect, saying that this
is the best path to the Tree of Life, whereas another sage who permits
the practice believes that an opposite path is best. In truth, both paths
eventually lead to the Tree of Life. Therefore, their dispute is really
over which is the most efficient way. Thus, all sages who base their opinions
on Torah are right, as the Talmud teaches, "These [sages, who have a particular
view] and these [sages who have opposing views] are [propounding] the words
of the living G-d." (Talmud: Gitten 6b)
THE REVOLVING SWORD WHICH
BREEDS CONFUSION
AND GUARDS THE TREE OF LIFE
Rav Noson says that all
differences of opinion are rooted in the confusion caused by the, "ever-turning
sword, to guard the way to the Tree of Life." (Genesis
3:24) Through our intelligence, we perceive how to survive in this
world. The Tree of Life provided true and clear wisdom, which was essential
because wisdom is life itself, as in Ecclesiastes
7:12, "Wisdom provides life to those who possess it." All of the suffering
in this world, any lack of peace, and death itself is caused by not knowing
what to do. If we knew how to respond properly to every situation, suffering
would be minimized. Therefore, the energies contained in the Tree of Life
which impart wisdom breed the highest levels of peace. However, the revolving
sword fragmented and scrambled the energies of clear wisdom emanating from
the Tree of Life resulting in confusion which manifested as various inclinations
and points of view. The confusion engendered by the revolving sword and
its concomitant divergent perspectives is an incubator for strife and hatred,
as the verse says, "I [meaning the Jews] am but a rose of Sharon, an ever-fresh
rose of the valleys." (Song of Songs
2:1) The Zohar says this verse portrays man vacillating moods. Just
as a rose contains many different colors and shades, so man has many different
moods. At times, a person is connected to the spiritual energies of harshness
and is overly harsh and at other times he is connected to the spiritual
energies of mercy and shows compassion. The moods of man are thus inconsistent
and always subject to change. Those changes are caused by the [aforementioned]
revolving sword. (Zohar: Parshas Va'yechi
pp. 221) Rav Noson explains that the energies of the revolving sword
thus bring confusion into the world which is how it protects and safeguards
the Tree of Life, preventing anyone from reaching it.
ATTACHMENT TO THE TREE OF
LIFE
IN THE END OF DAYS FOR PERVASIVE PEACE
The Tree of Life contains
the spiritual energies of straight, clear, and unified thought. It is this
type of wisdom that fosters true peace and enables different groups with
divergent interests and views to live together harmoniously. At the end
of time, the world will be reunited with the Tree of Life and the following
verse will be fulfilled, "And a wolf shall live with a lamb, and a leopard
shall lie with a kid... They shall neither harm nor destroy on all My holy
mount, for the land shall be full of knowledge of Hashem [knowledge derived
from the energies of the Tree of Life] as the water covers the sea." (Isaiah
11:6, 9) This means that in the future, the energies derived from the
Tree of Life will draw forth such unity of thought and purpose resulting
is such a pervasive and complete peace that even predatory animals will
live together in harmony with their prey.
THE PROPAGATION OF RABBINICAL
DISPUTE
As knowledge produces peace,
forgetfulness begets strife and was the source of all the arguments between
the holy sages of the Talmudic era, as the Talmud teaches, "Excluding a
few minor exceptions, from the giving of the Torah at Sinai until the building
of the second Temple, the Oral Torah was transmitted from one generation
to the next intact, free of dispute. There was only one dispute over the
law during the first three hundred years of the second Temple era. After
this period, there arose an additional three disputes between Hillel and
Shammai, the two leading sages, who lived three hundred years after the
building of the second Temple. However, after that, there were numerous
disputes between the students of Hillel and Shammai. This is the time when
argument and forgetfulness started to propagate amongst the sages." (Talmud:
Sanhedrin 88b) Rav Noson says that the disagreements between the students
of Hillel and Shammai were due to the Torah becoming more connected to
physicality and the finite. As mentioned above, when the Torah is connected
to the infinite, the mind remembers everything and vice-versa.
The Talmud explains why
the students of Hillel and Shammai began to forget their studies. The students
of Hillel and Shammai were not as diligent in their studies and in serving
their mentors as the students of the previous generations had been. Their
spiritual laxness caused the Torah's essence to become concealed within
more layers of physicality, which led to forgetting their studies. Since
Torah directs people to the pathways of peace, amnesia of it results in
dispute and hatred. Loss of awareness of Torah's pathways caused the breakdown
of society, with discord and hatred flourishing. On this, the Talmud asks,
"Why was the second Temple destroyed? [It doesn't seem to make sense for]
we know that in its time [the Jews] occupied themselves with Torah [study],
[the observance of the] commandments, and the practice of kind deeds!?"
[The Talmud answers,] "Because there was groundless hatred among them."
(Talmud: Yoma 9b) Rav Noson says that
the hatred that led to the destruction of the Temple came from a poor understanding
of Torah which was engendered by the energies of the revolving sword that
guards the path to the Tree of Life.
THE TEMPLE'S DESTRUCTION
AS MEASURE FOR MEASURE FOR THE SIN OF THE SPIES
As mentioned above, the
historical root and ultimate cause of the Temple's destruction and of all
of the calamities throughout time that befell the Jews on the ninth of
Av is the Jews' angry and hateful reaction upon hearing the evil report
of the spies, as recorded in the Torah, "You slandered in your tents and
said, 'Because of Hashem's hatred for us did He take us out of the land
of Egypt..." (Deuteronomy 1:27)
Hashem operates such that the punishment fits the crime, so the incident
of the spies and the destruction of the Temple have to have a common denominator.
All events past and future are concealed within the Torah. Therefore, when
the verse records how the Jews reacted to the evil report of the spies
by slandering Hashem, accusing Him of hating them, it actually alludes
to the cause of the destruction of the Temple centuries later as well,
namely causeless hatred. Therefore, putting together the aforementioned
concepts, one of the main underlying causes for the destruction of the
Temple was that the deeds of man caused the Torah to fall to the level
of physicality, making it harder to understand and practice its teachings.
From that came hatred and strife which brought destruction in its wake.
Therefore, the Holy Ari says that the only way through which the Temple
can be rebuilt is to work as hard as possible to love all Jews and act
friendly towards them, even towards the wicked. (Shaar
HaGilgulim) (Lekutai
Halachos: Yoreh Deah: Hilchot Sefer Torah 3:9, 10)
In summary, our gross
attachment to physicality caused the deterioration of our minds, preventing
us from properly absorbing the Torah's teachings and incorporating them
into our daily lives. This is how, according to Rav Noson, we forgot to
practice the teachings of the Torah that exhort us to act towards others
with love, respect, consideration, brotherhood, and peace. Failure to behave
towards others as the Torah demands generates hatred. This is the true
cause of the Temple's destruction, our inability to rebuild it and one
major reason Hashem loves peace more than anything else. Therefore, we
must work to assimilate the Torah's ideals into every aspect of our daily
lives as opposed to perceiving them as abstract, lofty, untenable tenets
that, since they are unreachable, can be disregarded. Once we truly live
by the Torah, we can draw nourishment from the Tree of Life, which will
help us live at peace with Hashem, our fellow human beings, and ourselves.
Amen!
The moment the Temple
was destroyed the work to rebuild it began. The Temple must first be rebuilt
from within ourselves, through the Tree of Life, the Torah, as the verse
says, "They (the Jews) shall make a sanctuary for Me (Hashem) so that I
may dwell within them." (Exodus 25:8)
The verse associates the building of the sanctuary with Hashem's dwelling
within each Jew. This means for the Temple to be rebuilt we must first
rectify ourselves. Once this is done, then the final redemption and the
rebuilding of the third Temple will soon follow. May it be so quickly in
our days Amen!
STORY
Causeless hatred was responsible
for the destruction of the second Temple and destroys the a person's inner
Temple inside (The holy Rebbe Nachman of Horadenka, the grandfather of
Rabbi Nachman and close disciple of the Baal Shem Tov had a holy sister,
who was named Chaya. She also lived in Horadenka. Her husband, Rebbe Chaim,
was well known throughout the world for his piety and scholarship. Before
the Baal Shem Tov revealed himself to the world, he worked as a teacher's
assistant in Horadenka. Quite often the Baal Shem Tov would be invited
to Rebbe Chaim and his wife Chaya's home as a guest.
Chaya was a very righteous
woman who always invited the poor to dine at her table. At that time no
one was aware of the Baal Shem Tov's greatness, and he blended in unnoticed,
together with the other poor guests that frequented her home. One time
Chaya had to travel to a distant place. Since travel was very dangerous,
she was afraid to travel alone and she asked the quiet teacher's assistant
to accompany her for protection. The Baal Shem Tov agreed to accompany
her.
While they were on the
road, a man riding on a horse came up to their wagon, armed with several
different types of weapons. He stopped and looked at the passengers in
the wagon and realized that they were Jews [whom he hated] and he began
to laugh at them in a loud voice. He then got off his horse, gathered some
stones and began to pelt the Baal Shem Tov's wagon with them while cursing
them in the foulest language. The Baal Shem Tov realized that their lives
were in danger, so he turned to the righteous Chaya and asked her that
she should not reveal to anyone what she was about to see. After she had
given her word, the Baal Shem Tov cast his holy eyes upon the horseman
and suddenly he began to sink into the ground. Little by little, the horseman
sunk into the ground until he was completely swallowed up and disappeared.
From that day on the
Chaya realized that the teacher's assistant was secretly a holy man and
she was one of the first individuals to recognize the Baal Shem Tov's greatness.
She, herself was very holy. Some time after her passing, some Gentiles
came to desecrate her grave and began to dig it up. Suddenly, a loud, powerful,
and frightening voice resounded from out of her grave [and warned them
to stop]. The Gentiles fell to the ground in terror [and stopped]. (Shivchay
Ha'Baal Shem Tov)
HITHBODEDUTH (secluding
oneself)
Rabbi Nachman taught that
as well as reciting the mandatory daily prayers contained in the prayer
book, we should also speak to Hashem, just as we would confide in our best
friend: in seclusion, in the language and style with which we feel most
comfortable. This is based on the advice of our sages, just to mention
two sources: "Rebbe Yitzchak said: 'Why were our forefathers barren? Because
Hashem desires the prayers of the righteous."' (Talmud:
Yevamoth 64a) "Hashem seeks nothing other than to hear the prayers
of Israel." (Medrash Tehillim
116:1) The following is an example of such a session: A fire burns
within me when I am reminded of my departure from Egypt. I will arouse
myself to [uttering] lamentations so that I will be reminded of my departure
from Jerusalem. "Then sang Moshe" a song which will never be forgotten,
when I departed from Egypt. "And Jeremiah lamented' wailing a bitter lament,
when I departed from Jerusalem. My house was prepared and the pillar of
cloud rested [upon it], when I departed from Egypt. However, the anger
of Hashem rested upon me like a cloud, when I departed from Jerusalem.
The waves of the sea rose and like a wall they got up, when I departed
from Egypt . Wickedness poured forth and it covered my head, when I departed
from Jerusalem. The appearance of Hashem like a consuming fire that went
before me, when I departed from Egypt. A sharpened sword and abandonment
to the slaughter, when I departed from Jerusalem. Festivals and Sabbaths,
miracles and signs, when I departed from Egypt. Fasts and mourning and
the pursuit of vanity, when I departed from Jerusalem. Holiness and prophesy
and the appearance of Hashem's Glory, when I departed from Egypt. Desecration
and terror and an impure spirit, when I departed from Jerusalem. Torah,
law, and precious vessels, when I departed from Jerusalem. Gladness and
joy and the escape from sorrow and mourning, when I return to Jerusalem.
(Lamentations for
Tisha B'Av)
HALACHA
Based on the advice of our
sages (Talmud: Megilah 28b), Rabbi
Nachman stressed that everyone should study at least one law from the Shulchan
Aruch (Code of Jewish Law) [or its equivalent, other books which are based
on the Shulchan Aruch] everyday without fail. (Sichoth
HaRan 29) [In observance of mourning over the destruction of the Temples],
in the evening [of the ninth of Av] upon entering the synagogue, we remove
our [leather] shoes. It is customary [as a sign of mourning] to remove
the veil from the Holy Ark, because it is written, "Hashem has done what
He has planned" [This act of mourning expresses our grief that Hashem carried
out His decree of destruction] (Lamentations
2:17), and to have but one light in front of the cantor. The worshipers
seat themselves on the floor or on low stools, and only a few lights should
be used, sufficient only to enable the reading of Lamentations. A man should
deprive himself of some comfort when he goes to sleep on the night of the
ninth of Av. If he is accustomed, for instance, to sleep on two pillows,
he should sleep only on one. It is customary not to sit on a bench or chair,
neither at night nor during the day until noon, sitting only on the floor
[or low stool]. In the afternoon, sitting on regular chairs is permissible.
(Kitzur Shulchan Aruch:
124:1-2, 16)
Volume 4, Issue 39
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