Dear Friends,
This Sunday, the Jewish people will observe the fast Tisha B'a, the 9th day of Hebrew month of Av, remembering the destruction of the Jerusalem temple on that date (70 CE) and the subsequent exiles.
Here is a story from Talmud regarding the aftermath:
Four Rabbis came to Jerusalem soon after the destruction of the Bais Hamikdash (Temple). They saw a fox emerge from the ruins.When they saw the ruins, three (Rabbi Elazar, Rabbi Yehoshua and Rabban Gamliel) couldn’t contain themselves and they wept. Rabbi Akiva smiled.
The other three asked Rabbi Akiva: Why are you smiling? Rabbi Akiva responded: Well, why are you crying? They replied that it’s obvious why we cry: an impure creature is standing on the spot of the holy Temple of Hashem. But why are you laughing?
Rabbi Akiva explained that there were two prophecies, one (from the prophet Uria) about the destruction of the Temple and one (from Zechariah) that the Bais Hamikdash would be rebuilt. The prophecies are connected. Now that we see that Uriah’s has been fulfilled, we can be certain that the prophecy of Zechariah will also be fulfilled, and Jerusalem and the Temple will be rebuilt. The other three Rabbis were comforted.
This story from the Talmud is quite well known. To understand it more deeply, I would like to share a question and insight from the Lubavitcher Rebbe about one detail.
Why was it only Rabbi Akiva who connected the dots between the prophecies of Uriah and Zechariah? Surely the other Rabbis also knew about the prophecies!
The other three Rabbis were from prominent families and always enjoyed high social status. Rabbi Akiva by contrast was a poor and ignorant shepherd until the age of forty. He started life as an outsider, at the bottom of the social ladder. Yet he threw himself into studying Torah and eventually became the leader of his generation!
Rabbi Akiva knew that it’s not about how things begin, but how they end. As bad as things are, they can always be transformed for the better.
Rabbi Akiva was not in denial. He also mourned and rent his garment. But at the same time he saw the bigger reality beyond the immediate devastation. He saw the destruction as akin to the demolition of a building to be replaced by a larger, stronger, better, permanent structure.
Every crisis is painful at the moment, but the idea is not to be overcome by fear and anxiety; rather to focus on the future and working to get there. The ultimate solution is the Redemption of Moshiach. Every good deed by every person brings that closer.
The Shabbos when we read the Parsha Devorim. It is called Shabbos Chazon, after the first word in the Haftora (reading from the Prophets). Chazon refers to the “vision” of Yeshaya (Isaiah). A great Chassidic leader said that on this Shabbat the soul of every Jew is shown the vision of Redemption and the rebuilt, eternal Temple. So that we should each do our share to make it happen.
Good Shabbos/Shabbat Shalom and I hope you have an easy fast on Sunday,
Rabbi Yitzi Hein