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.
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.
posted by meturgeman | 6:27 PM
<< Home