9th of Av: I Just Don’t Relate!

Let’s face it, for many of us when it comes to holidays like Yom Kippur, Pesach and Rosh Hashanah we connect to its every fiber, but The Ninth of Av is just one of those days that we are always looking at our watch to see when the fast is going to end.

The Almighty does not create us perfect, we are born with a natural drive for growth because we are expected to grow. Some of you might be thinking , all of those long prayers, written in a language that is over 2,000 years old, destruction of the temple, it happened so long ago, I just don’t relate. I heard someone say that the Ninth of Av reminds him of an old age home, people are walking around in slippers complaining about being hungry. In effort to elevate this monumental holiday I would like to suggest a few points:

· Prepare – The more you prepare for something, the more you are attached to it. Our sages tell us “He who prepares on Shabbat eats on Shabbat”. Don’t wait for the Ninth of Av. Interesting to note that the period is called “The three weeks” a progressive process that starts with the 17th of Tamuz and reaches it climatic point on the 9th of Av. Our sages want to convey the message that it is a package deal you need three weeks of preparation to reach the point where we will feel the 9th of Av.

• Use it-Use what we have to relate. We have all been to the Kotel. The air is different there, you can not explain it. How much more so if you have been there on Friday night! Take a look at the Kotel [even on-line] imagine that the Temple was in its glory; the Western Wall would be accompanied by the Eastern, Southern and Northern Wall’s. What we have now is but a remnant of the real thing. In a spiritual sense this is all the more true. Spiritually, if the Temple was re-built our spiritual level would be in a different galaxy! There would be full clarity in life no confusion, decisions would be easier to make.

• It is in our hands-R.Yehezkel Levenstien,the venerable Mashgiach of Ponevizch Yeshiva had removed cushion on the back of his chair. When asked as to the reason behind it he replied” Our sages tell us that the Almighty’s throne is not whole as long as the Temple is not built, how can I sit on a chair that is fully intact when the Almighty’s is not?” Why is His throne not whole? As long as the Jewish People are not one, the baseless hatred exists in all circles; as long as we do not acknowledge God’s sovereignty, there are 1 million children in Israel alone that do not know how to say the Shema; As long as we are not setting an example and acting as a light unto the nations – How can it be whole? On the Ninth of Av ,pause for a moment ; take sometime out of your day , think about the world, think about what you can do to make it a better place ; a place that is more Godly.

• Look ahead- The Almighty is true to His word. On this solemn day, the Jewish People read Eicha , Lamentations. After talking about the destruction and hardships it ends of with the following verse: Ch.5 Vs.21 “Bring us back to You, Hashem and we shall return, renew our days as of old.” We must see forward to the time when the Almighty will shine His will to all of the nations. The Ben Ish Hai writes, based on the verse in Isaih 63:9 “In all of their troubles He (God) was troubled”. The prophet uses two words for He –One with the letter Aleph and one with a Vav. One translates as “In all of their troubles He was troubled” and one as “In all of their troubles There Was Not trouble”. Both are true. From our perspective we see trouble we do not understand many of the challenges in the world, but there will come a time, when the Temple is rebuilt that it will be “There was not trouble”, we will understand the challenge and the reality behind it, a tool for growth for our place in World History. We shall see the good in everything.