26 July, 2007

Shabbos Nachmu- revised

Nachamu Nachamu ami yomar Elokaichem. On the day of Tisha Bav, as the Bais Hamikdosh is still burning we get up from the floor and just a short day later all signs of mourning are over. And the most sweetest times of the year are approaching. All over the world Jews celebrate Shbbos Nachamu as a Yom Tov for itself. "Lo hoya yomim tovim ki'Tu Bav" There's no other day in the Jewish calendar as great as the fifteenth day of Av. Just a mere six days after the saddest day comes the greatest day. All this is in preparation for the awesome days of Elul and Tishre. What does it all mean? How can we go from the lowest, literally stand up from the floor and go straight into the highest days of the year?
Rav Pam says that throughout jewish history after the biggest destructions came a spark of Geulah. The Navi in Yeshaiyah (21;12) says "The watchman said 'morning will come but also night if you really desire repent and come." The Dubbno Maggid explains it with a parable. There was once this drunkard who partied all night and tired from a whole night of drinking would sleep all day. One night he complained that it's allways dark and he never saw it day light. His friend told him you fool after every night there's a bright day you just get so caught up in the night that you fail to see the day. The same is with us - the Navi told us 'mornig will come after the dark night' but you must want to see. If we just open our eyes, if we really desire it, we will be able to see the bight morning that starts right after the dark. Rav Pam goes through history and gives example after example starting with Sancherev who had conquered all of Eretz Yisroel, but Yerushlayim was saved by a great miracle. Chazal tell us that at that moment Chizkiyahu could have become Moshiach had he sang shira. The possibility for the final yeshuah was there. After the second Bais Hamikdosh was destroyed the story of Bar Chochva played out. Reb Akiva said that Bar Chochva was Moshiach, he wasn't making a mistake. Reb Akiva was right - the spark was there, he could have been Moshiach but it was us down here that weren't ready for it. After the Spanish inquisition came a time period of the Arizal and most probably the biggest revolation of Torah in modern history. The Arizal thought it could lead to the Moshiach. Time and time again after each destruction came a spark of redemtion, the brightest day, but we were still sleeping and couldn't see it.
It's ingrained in our relationship with our father in heaven that we cannot fall too low. (The Ramchal says that right after the second Bais Hamikdosh was destroyed the Bais Hamikdosh shel mallah- the one in heaven which cannot be destroyed, changed from the seconed to the third Bais Hamikdosh. Meaning that as the fire was consuming the Bais Hamikdosh the possibility for the third Bais Hamikdosh was there already.) After the darkest time of our history that is when the biggest light shines forth from Hashem.
So too is true in the jewish year. Tu Bav is that kind of day. After the Meraglim Hashem didnt speak to Moshe for thirty eight years. The day that Moshe got his first Nevuah was Tu bav. About fifteen hundred years later on the same day, the people that were killed in Beitar were given kevura after many years. The connection between these two events is that they were two of the darkest periods of time. Do we realize what it meant to the dor hamidbar that Hashem didnt speak to Moshe for so many years? Then after Beitar was destroyed that was the last hope before the long exile. Can we imagine how the Yidden felt at that time? Yet there was hope - on Tu Bav came a spark of hope, Hashem showed us that we can, that we will rise up from the dark of the night. There is a bright future ahead 'If you desire it you'll find it'.

3 comments:

reb sabra said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
reb sabra said...

to quote the holy reb shlomo "you know the beauty of us yidden are? it's that we can be sitting on the floor mourning and the next minute get up and are ready to reach the highest levels"

Anonymous said...

ok REB Y, i finally got to read your post/dvar torah.

i guess to sum it this post and the next (reb sabra's) when there is darkness, there is always a light around the corner with hashem reaching out his hand for us.
well that is basically the way to stay away from depression (i think that is).. Remember after every girl a guy goes out with and it doesn't work out.. Its one step closer {(or further!!! c"v from)} to the right one..
so keep your eyes open and look even past the tunnel.

thanks for the inspiration and keep it rolling.