Tisha B'Av Additional Thoughts -- 5779

I've noticed this before, but this year it struck me more strongly.  We speak about Tisha B'Av being more negative and looking at the past in the morning; while in the afternoon the mood lightens somewhat and we start to look at the future, at least for the most part.

But that's not true the the morning Torah reading, D'varim 4:25-40.  The first Aliya is indeed about punishment, but the last two are full of hope already!

Chaz"al could have given us a section of Tochecha as the layning,  but they gave us this.  I think they realized that the Tochecha would be too much.  The first Aliya is enough to remind us of the sadness of the day, and there will be more with the Haftara and the Kinot.  But in the meantime, even early in the morning, we need to remember that it takes positive action on our part, t'shuva and ahavat chinam, to bring us to a successful conclusion.

---------------------------------------------------

Using koveah.org from Yeshiva University, I've added 10 p'sukim per day of Tana"ch to my learning.  It happens that I'm right in the middle of the portions of Yirmiyahu that are permitted on Tisha B'Av.  I noticed something interesting; we always talk about the destruction of the First Temple being because of Avoda Zara.  We know that's not completely true because the N'vi'im DO speak of other things, especially the oppression of the downtrodden, constantly.  But I found another source for that in my learning, Yirmiyahu 7:3-11.  Hashem gives positive advice to B'nei Yisrael how to behave, then condemns their negative behavior.  In each case, Avoda Zara is the last or the second-to-last item mentioned, after the sins bein adam l'chaveiro.

---------------------------------------------------

Since I'm still working on my own Sinat Chinam and anger problems, this year, rather than get all angry and walk out for the "Kina" about the Hitnatkut that I don't like, I decided to finish up my own Kinot a little early and leave before they got to that point.  That let me hear more of the Kinot on the Web from Rav Dovid Gottlieb at YU Israel.  Although I was also in more of a hunger-induced fog than last year, making it hard to concentrate, I did come away with one insight.  From a sefer called Divrei Yisrael, he quotes a chasidic rebbe on Yosef's command to his brothers, "do not quarrel on the way."  It means (at least homiletically), not to argue 'in the paths of Chasidut.'  Up to the point where Yosef's brothers sold him, they had an argument LeShem Shama'im about the derech in which to go.  There are MULTIPLE paths in service to Hashem, and just because someone is on a different path than you, you should not put him down.  That's the point of Ahavat Chinam in a nutshell.

Notre Dame, the Rambam, the Talmud, and Sinat chinam -- Tisha B'Av 5779

One of the Kinot we read today, "Sha'ali S'rufa BaEsh," was written by the Maharam of Rothenburg in mourning for the burning of the Talmud (24 wagonloads of g'marot and other s'farim) in France in 1242.  This brought back for me the events of four months ago (April 15, 2019), when much of Notre Dame Cathedral was destroyed by flames.

Immediately, according to this article, several Charedi publications claimed that the current fire was a punishment for the 777-year old event, and/or a general punishment against Avoda Zara.  In addition, Rav Aviner was quoted in that article and this op-ed as saying he was not sad about the fire, and (this was an inference in the second article), that it is a mitzva to burn churches in Israel but we shouldn't because we'd be forced to rebuild them, which is worse.)

No.

On my way home from my first visit to Israel in 1972, when I was in the midst of t'shuva process but didn't yet know about the issur of going into churches, they 'sneaked' us out of the airport in Paris while waiting for our connecting flight and gave us a whirlwind bus tour of the city.  They broke the rules again by letting us off the bus once (we almost lost one kid who just HAD to buy genuine French bread) at Notre Dame.  I was awed by the interior structure and the magnificent stained-glass windows, and even though I wouldn't do it again I'm glad I had the experience.

So when I heard about the fire I was horrified.  A magnificent piece of architecture that had lasted centuries was going up in smoke...it doesn't matter it's purpose, nor what happened there so long ago.

We are about to read Parhsat Va'Etchanan...right between what we read yesterday at Shabbat Mincha and what we read this morning for the Tisha B'Av layning, in D'varim 4:16-19, it says that Hashem has APPORTIONED images of animals, the sun, the moon, and the stars, to the other nations to worship.  Avoda Zara is not wrong for them!  Even if you hold the opinion that in the time of Mashiach everyone will be Jewish, we are not there yet.  And even though recognition of Hashem is one of the sheva mitzvot b'nei Noach, for non-Jews shituf (believing in multiple gods) is permitted.

So, as far as Avoda Zara is concerned, how can we say Hashem is punishing them for something He said He was allowing them to do?

Also, we don't know for sure if Christianity is Avoda Zara...there have been g'dolim on both sides of the issue from the beginning.  Until a Sanhedrin or a Navi decides clearly on that issue, it is completely forbidden to take any action against churches in Israel.

But the bigger issue is the burning of the Talmud.  Although there are references in Tana"ch that Hashem will punish future generations in some cases, and although I don't believe there has ever been a time without anti-antisemitism in France, I don't think that applies here.  We are not Hashem's CPAs to know for sure, but to me it seems like a very random and unproductive way to punish that act.

The MUCH more important issue is, why was the Talmud burned in 1242?  So far it seems like just another anti-Semitic act on the part of evil goyim.  But that's not so...we did it to ourselves...once again we are our own worst enemy and try to avoid responsibility by blaming others.

The immediate trigger to the burning was a Jew!  An Apostate Jew went to King Louis IX with claims that the Talmud was anti-Christian.  This led to the Disputation of Paris in 1240, which led to the burning in 1242.  If this Jew had not stepped in, it would not have happened.

But there's more...internal Jewish fighting (i.e., sinat chinam) 10 years earlier led to RABBIS condemning the Rambam's works to the church and ASKING the church to ban them.  In 1232 the works of the Rambam were confiscated and burned in France.  Many believe this first burning let to the second, larger disaster a decade later.  Indeed, Rabeinu Yona, one of the instigators of the Ramban burning, publicly took the blame and embarked on a pilgrimage to the Rambam's grave to ask for forgiveness.  (He never completed the trip and parts of the story may be mythical, but there is good evidence for his original public confession.)

We did it to ourselves.  Again.  Yes, the Christians were Hashem's tool for the burning, but as I have said many times, He gave them the opportunity on a silver platter.  If they went too far, He will take care of it.

If we don't do it to ourselves, our enemies can't touch us.  If/when we do, with sinat chinam, we can't stop them.  And as long as that continues, Tisha B'Av will remain a fast and not a feast.