tisha b’av, the fast day in the summer when we pray for the lost temples

8/12/2019 Tisha Bav, the fast day in the summer when we pray for the lost Temples.

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Tisha Bav- The Power of Tears

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Posted byRabbi Yehuda Spitz

July 14th, 2013

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byRabbi Binyomin Radner

The night of Tisha Bavwas enacted to be a night of crying. After the meraglim returned from the land of

Israel and spoke evil about the land, the Pasuk states, The nation cried that night. That night was Tisha

Bav.

Consequently, the night of Tisha Bavwas designated to be a night of crying, as the Gemara, Taanis 29atells that G-d responded. They cried for no reason, therefore I will turn this into a night of crying for all

future generations.

The Gemara, Yoma 9b says that the second Temple was destroyed on TishaBav because of baseless

hatred (sinas chinam). The basic understanding of baseless hatred is unwarranted hatred that people felt

towards their fellow Jews. TheMaharsha there references the story of Kamtza and Bar Kamtza as an

example of baseless hatred that caused the destruction of the Temple.

The Chofetz Chaim,in his introduction to the Sefer Shemiras Halashon, adds that although the Gemara

faults baseless hatred amongst the people for the Churban, the catalyst for it was actually the lashon hora

in addition to baseless hatred. If not for lashon hora, the most natural outgrowth of sinas chinam, the

Churbanwould not have had to come about.

The Gemara, Sotah 35 relates that because themeraglimspoke lashon hora, therefore they were killed

after contracting a horrible disease, Askara, a disease which affects primarily the throat, midah keneged

midahfor lashon horaspoken with the mouth. Askara, a disease associated with diphtheria, is said to be the

worst of all the worlds 903 possible deaths.

Moreover, theChasam Sofer, Parshas Shelach, d.h. Amru Chazal traces the roots of the lashon horaof

the meraglimas follows:

Chazal say, Al ma avda haaretz? Al shelo birchu baTorah techila.Why was Eretz

Yisroel destroyed? Because they did not say birchas haTorahbefore they learned. Although generally

one does not make a brachaon a mitzvahunless he intends to complete doing the mitzvahafterwards, andones learning is not complete until he puts it into action, still a brachais made before he learns. This is

because it is inevitable that one will sin with avak lashon hora,if not outright loshon hora,at some point

during the day. Therefore, one makes a brachabefore learning as a birchas hodaah, a token of gratitude to

Hashem for giving us the Torah which is our only antidote against the evil inclination to speak lashon hora.

So, according to the Chasam Sofer, birchashaTorahis not a birchas hamitzvahrather a birchas hodaah.

Had they appreciated that the Torah is the only antidote to lashon hora and had they recited birchas

hatorah, they would not have spoken evil about the land, Tisha Bavwould not have been designated as a

day of tears, and the land would not have been destroyed. It was because they did not believe that the Torah
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was an antidote to lashonhorathat they did ultimately fall prey to the yetzer horaof lashon hora and spoke

evil about the land.Furthermore, Chazalsay that lashon horakills three people: the one who speaks it, the

one who hears it, and the one about whom it is spoken. This is exactly what transpired in the incident with

the meraglim. The meraglimwho spoke it got killed, the people who heard it were killed throughout the

ensuing forty years in the desert, and the land of Israel about which it was spoken was destroyed as the

Pasuksays in Parshas Nitzavim, 29:22 ,Gafris vamelach seraifa kol artza.Ash and salt will burn the

land.

However, theMaharsha, Taanis29aidentifies the baseless hatred differently:

The baseless hatred under discussion was hatred that the people had towards G-d Almighty, cv. When

Moshe Rabeinu was giving rebuke to the Jewish people in Parshas Devarim, we are informed that the

people had complained, Since G-d hated us, therefore He took us out of Egypt to kill us in the desert.

When the meraglim gave their negative report about the land of Israel, some of the people scornfully

claimed that it was because G-d hated them that He took them out of Egypt in order to kill them in the

desert. Since in general, one naturally assumes that the feelings that he has towards his neighbor are the

same feelings that his neighbor has towards him. Since they felt hatred towards G-d Almighty, and they

complained that G-d had hatred for them, as well. Moshe then rebuked them saying that it was certainly out

of love that G-d took them out of Egypt and that their hatred was indeed baseless.

The Maharsha explains that this baseless hatred is alluded to in the terminology of crying for no

reason.Since they had hatred without any basis, they cried with no basis.

Chazalin many places tell of the tremendous effect that tears can have, both positively and negatively:

The Gemara, Bava Metzia 59atells that one should always be careful to refrain from talking to his wife in

a manner that will cause her pain, for since she is more prone to tears the punishment for causing her to

shed tears is swift in coming.

TheGemara explains, From the day the Temple was destroyed, the gates of prayers were locked, but the

gates of tears were never locked.

The flow of the Gemara seems quite clear that tears constitute a double-edged sword. On the one hand, one

causing someone else pain to the point of bringing him/her to tears can have quite a detrimental and

negative effect, invoking the midas hadin against the perpetrator. On the other hand, one who sheds tears

while praying can invoke the midas harachamimmuch more so than with just prayer alone.

In fact, the Maharam Shif there remarks, that he is somewhat puzzled by why we say in

Selichos, Machnisei dimah hachnisu dimoseinu. Angels of tears bring in our tears. After all, tears are

so powerful and are granted immediate access to Heaven, why should we need to ask the Angels to bring

our tears into G-d?!

The power that tears can have is further illustrated in the Gemara, Kesubos 62bwhich relates the incident

in which Rav Rechumei would learn in the Yeshiva of Rava the whole year and would leave to visit homeonce a year on Erev Yom Kippur. One year, he became so involved in his learning that he delayed in

coming home. His wife was anxiously awaiting his once-yearly visit and when he did not arrive at the

expected time, she shed one tear. As a result, the attic in which Rav Rechumei was sitting at the time,

collapsed and Rav Rechumei died instantly.

Now, surely Rav Rechumeis wife did not want him to die and was certainly much more hurt by her

husband being taken away from her altogether, than by his just coming home later than the usual.


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Nevertheless, R Chaim Shmulevitz, Sichos Mussar: Maamar Zechiras Miriam explains, such is the

power of tears. When one causes another person pain to the point of tears, it is likened to a fire which burns

on contact, regardless of what the intent was. Just as a fire burns on contact, whether it was started

intentionally or not, so too causing another person pain to the point of tears can invoke an immediate and

harsh response from Heaven, even if done unintentionally,Rachmana litzlan.

Additionally, we find that as soon as Bas-yah heard Moshe crying as a baby in the Nile River, she wasimmediately filled with compassion and came to his aid. The Pasuk, Parshas Shemos, 2:6,says Vehinei

naar boche vatachmol olav. Behold the child was crying, and she had pity on him.

The Zohar remarks that this terminology alludes to this concept that crying is very powerful and can

achieve results much more effectively than prayer without tears. Based on this the Ari, zl advised that one

should do his utmost to shed tears during the closing prayer of Neilahon Yom Kippur, since tears are so

very powerful and G-d will certainly not ignore them.

The Yalkut Meam Loez, Toldos 27:38 quotes from the Zohar that in the merit of the tears that

Eisav cried while he was asking Yitzchok Avinu for a bracha, the Jewish nation has been under Eisavs

rule for so long. And they will remain under his control until they do repentance, likewise, with tears

invoking G-ds compassion.

Not only that, but the Medrash, Tehilim 137 says that when Yirmiyahu was being separated from the

Jewish nation right after the Churban, they began crying that they wanted him to stay with them.

Yirmiyahu responded that if they would have cried even one time prior to theChurban, back when he was

imploring them to do teshuva, they would not have gone into exile. Such is the power of crying.

We see from Leah, as well, the power of davening with tears. ThePasuk says The eyes of Leahwere weak

from crying. And Rashi explains that this was so because Rochel was originally supposed to marry

Yaakov and Leah was supposed to marry Eisav.

The Gemara, Bava Basra 123a relates that we see from here how powerfully effective prayer with

tears can be. Through crying, Leah altered the gezairaof bas ploni leploni, i.e. who she was to marry. Not

only that, but she married Yaakov even before his original bas zivug, Rochel, did. Not only that, but

Rochels son Yosef was really supposed to be thefirstborn of Yaakov. Instead, Leah bore Reuven first,making her son the firstborn of Yaakov, as well as the first shevet, a direct result of the power of prayer

accompanied by tears.

The Gemara, Bava Basra 60brelates, Kol hamisabel al Yerusholayim zoche viroeh besimchasa.

Anyone who mourns over Yerusholayim becomes worthy and sees it in its happiness.

The obvious question raised by many of the commentators is why does it say zoche viroeh, which is in the

present tense?

Shouldnt it sayyizkeh viyirehwhich denotes the future? Shouldnt theproper terminology be that anyone

who mourns over Yerusholayim will eventually be worthy to see its resurrection when that happens?

The Sefer Kehilas Yitzchok Al HaTorah: Parshas Devarimoffers an answer to this question in the name

of Reb Chaim of Volozin:

We know from the Gemara, Pesachim 54bthat when one suffers the loss of a loved one, the pain of the

loss is eventually forgotten and he moves on. This is a great kindness from the Almighty for otherwise,

people would not be able to function if they would always have the vivid and painful memory of losing a

loved one distinctly on their minds.


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Rashi, Parshas Vayeishev 37:35 d.h. Vayimoain Lehisnacheim cites the Medrash that this pain is

present only for a loved one who has actually passed on. But for a loved one who is only thought to be dead

but is actually still alive, is not forgotten. This is why Yaakov Avinucould not be comforted over Yosef

since Yosef was actually alive and only thought to be dead.

Accordingly, one who mourns over Yerusholayim demonstrates that for him Yerusholayim is still alive,

similar to Yosef who was not dead but just temporarily missing. Hence, one who mourns overYerusholayim sees immediately that Yerusholayim is not dead, and experiences the joy of realizing that

Yerusholayim is still alive. It follows, then, that the pain of the Churbanis still alive today and has not been

forgotten, because Yerusholayim is still alive. This alone serves as a source of comfort to those who mourn

over Yerusholayim. The Gemarateaches us this idea by putting this passage in the present tense of zocheh

veroeh.

The Aruch Hashulchan, Hilchos Tisha Bav 554:22 was apparently bothered by the discrepancy in

grammar, as well, and records this phrase in the future tense as, Kol hamisabel al Yirusholayim yizkeh

viyireh veyismach bebinyan Yerusholayim.

We also find this concept discussed in the Rema, Sefer Toras Haola cited in the Tallelei Oros on

Megilas Eicha, Page 47as well where the following episode is recorded:

It once occurred that Plato, the great philosopher, came to Yerusholayim together with Nevuchadnetzar

after theChurban. They entered the Temple Mount and found YirmiyahuHanavi weeping bitterly.

Plato addressed Yirmiyahu, questioning his weeping on two counts: a) You, the wise one among your

people, why do you cry over the destruction of mere wood and stones; b) the destruction has already

happened and is in the past. It is not befitting for a wise man to cry over the past; whats done is done!

Yirmiyahu responded to Plato as follows: As a philosopher, you must have man y questions in the field of

philosophy that remain unanswered. Plato agreed that he, in fact, had many questions that were

unanswered and doubted that anyone in the world could answer them. Yirmiyahu then told him to go ahead

and ask him his questions in philosophy and that Yirmiyahu would clarify them. Plato then posed his

questions. Yirmiyahu, obviously well-educated in philosophy, answered every single one of his questions

with no trouble at all, clarifying all of his doubts. Plato, astounded by the sheer brilliance of Yirmiyahuexclaimed, How could a mere human being possess such astounding wisdom? Yirmiyahu responded,

All of the wisdom that you hear from me, I have derived from these stones and wood chips of the Temple.

However to the second question that you asked me about why I cry over the past, this I cannot explain to

you as you will not be able to comprehend the answer.

This is where the story concludes.

The Alter of Kelm explains that the answer to the second question is with the afore-mentioned concept that

we are not crying over the past, but actually in regard to the present and the future. The gates of tears were

never locked, and through mourning and crying over theChurban,we show that Yerusholayim is still alive,

in addition to the promise that if we cry over the Churbanwe will eventually bezocheto see the rebuilding

of theBais Hamikdosh. A non-Jew is incapable of comprehending this idea and, therefore, Yirmiyahu did

not relate it to Plato.

Rav Dessler explains this passage ofKol hamisabelin the Gemaraa bit differently:

The Michtav Meeliyahu 2: 47explains that on Tisha Bav we are supposed to be in pain over thegalusof

the shechina. One who is able to feel this pain to the point that it brings him to tears and is pained that

because of the Churban he cannot be connected to G-d the way he should be, has already reached a high

madreiga and that alone is a cause for comfort. Just being able to realize that one is missing out on

something to the point of tears is a relief and a source of comfort. This is also the purpose of having a


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designated time for crying as a bechiyah ledoros. Although the basic understanding of bechiyah ledorosis

that it is a punishment, it is also meant to be a way for all generations to realize that they are spiritually

lacking because of the Churban, the realization of which will bring them closer to the geula. Hence, this

lesson is mentioned by the Gemara in the present tense.

May we all be worthy to see the fulfillment of Vekara olai moed,when Tisha Bav will be turned from a

day of mourning into a day of rejoicing, bekarov beyameinu, Amein.

Written by: Rabbi Binyomin Radner

For any comments or questions please contact the author [email protected]
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]

tisha b’av, the fast day in the summer when we pray for the lost temples

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