Devarim What to Do When Your Life Is One Big Dumpster Fire New Perspectives for Life on the Down

2. Devarim What to Do When Your Life Is One Big Dumpster Fire New Perspectives for Life on the Down

,עדינה בת ר׳ שמעון וקורין Dedicated in loving memory of marking her yahrtzeit, 23 Tamuz.

May the merit of the Torah study worldwide accompany her soul in the world of everlasting life and be a source of blessings to her family with much health, happiness, nachat, and success. [ 18 ]

PARSHA OVERVIEW Devarim

On the first of Shevat and the people’s subsequent (thirty-seven days before his spurning of the Promised passing), Moses begins his Land, so that G‑d decreed repetition of the Torah to that the entire generation the assembled Children of of the Exodus would die out Israel, reviewing the events in the desert. “Also against that occurred and the laws me,” says Moses, “was G‑d that were given in the course angry for your sake, say- of their forty-year journey ing, ‘You, too, shall not go from Egypt to Mount Sinai in there.’” to the Promised Land, Moses also recounts some rebuking the people for more recent events: the re- their failings and iniquities, fusal of the nations of Moab and enjoining them to keep and Ammon to allow the Is- the Torah and observe its raelites to pass through their commandments in the land countries; the wars against that G‑d is giving them as the Emorite kings Sichon an eternal heritage, into and Og, and the settlement which they shall cross after of their lands by the tribes of his death. Reuben and Gad and part of Moses recalls his appoint- the tribe of Manasseh; and ment of judges and mag- Moses’s message to his suc- istrates to ease his burden cessor, Joshua, who will take of meting out justice to the the people into the Land people and teaching them and lead them in the battles the word of G‑d; the journey for its conquest: “Fear them from Mount Sinai through not, for the L‑rd your G‑d, the great and fearsome des- He shall fight for you.” ert; the sending of the spies

TORAH STUDIES / SEASON FOUR 5780 [ 19 ]

I. A TALE OF TWO VISIONS The Vision

TEXT 1 SHULCHAN ARUCH, ORACH CHAYIM 428:8

Rabbi Yosef Caro (Maran, Beit Yosef) מי"ז בתמוז ואילך, מפטירין ג׳ דפורענותא . . . ג׳ דפורענותא: 1488–1575 ״דברי ירמיהו״, ״שמעו דבר ה׳״, ״חזון ישעיהו״. Halachic authority and author. Rabbi Caro was born in Spain but was forced to flee during Starting from the 17th of Tamuz, we begin to read the the expulsion in 1492 and eventually settled in Safed, “Three Haftarot of Rebuke” . . . [namely, the three sections Israel. He authored many beginning with] Divrei Yirmiyahu, Shim’u Devar Hashem, works, including the Beit Yosef, Kesef Mishneh, and a mystical and Chazon Yeshayahu. work, Magid Meisharim. Rabbi Caro’s magnum opus, the Shulchan Aruch (Code of Jewish Law), has been universally accepted as the basis for modern Jewish law.

LESSON 2 / What to Do When Your Life Is One Big Dumpster Fire [ 20 ]

TEXT 2 YESHAYAHU (ISAIAH) 1:1–7

חַ זֹון ְיׁשַ ְע יָהּובֶ ן אָ מֹוץ אֲׁשֶ ר חָזָה עַ ל ְהּודָ יה וִירּוׁשָ לָם, ּבִ יימֵ עֻזִיָהּו, יֹותָ ם, אָחָ ז, ְיחִ ְזקִ יָהּו, מַ ְלכֵ י ְיהּודָ ה: ׁשִ ְמעּו ׁשָמַיִם ְוהַאֲזִינִי ץאֶרֶ ּכִיה׳ דִּבֵר, ּבָנִים גִדַ ְלּתִ י ְורֹומַ ְמּתִ י ְוהֵם ּפָ ְׁש ע ּו בִ י : יָדַע ׁשֹור קֹנֵ הּווַחֲ מֹור אֵ בּוס ְּבעָ לָ יו, יִ ְׂשרָאֵ לֹלא יָדַ ע, יעַמִ ֹלא הִ ְתּבֹונָ ן: הֹוי גֹוי חֹטֵ א,עַ ם דּכֶבֶ עָ ֹון, זֶרַ ע ְמרֵעִ ים ּבָנִים מַ ְׁשחִ יתִ ים. עָ ְזבּו אֶ ת ה׳, נִאֲ צּו אֶ ת ְקדֹוׁש ְיִׂשרָאֵ ל, נָזֹרּו אָ חֹור: עַלמֶה תֻ ּכּו עֹוד ּתֹוסִ יפּו סָרָ ה? לּכָ רֹאׁש לָחֳ לִי ְוכָל לֵבָב דַ ּוָי: מִּכַף רֶגֶל ְעַד ורֹאׁש אֵ ין ּבֹו ְמתֹם, ּפֶצַ ע ְחַ וּבּורָ הּומַּכָה ְ רִ ט יָהֹלא זֹרּו ְֹלא וחֻּבָ ׁשּו ְוֹלא רֻ ְּכ כָהּבַׁשָמֶ ן: ְאַרְצכֶם ְׁשמָמָה, עָרֵיכֶם ְׂשרֻפֹות אֵש.ׁ ְאַד ְמַתכֶם ְל ְנֶגְדכֶם, זָרִים ְאֹכ לִיםאֹתָ ּה ְּוׁש המָמָ ְּכמַ ְהּפֵכַת זָרִ ים:

The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz, which he saw con- cerning Judah and Jerusalem, in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, [and] Hezekiah, kings of Judah. Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth, for G-d has spoken; children I have raised and exalted, yet they have rebelled against Me. An ox knows his owner and a donkey his master’s crib; Israel does not know, Israel does not consider. Woe to a sinful nation, a people heavy with iniquity, evildo- ing seed, corrupt children. They forsook G-d; they provoked the Holy One of Israel; they drew backwards. Why are you beaten when you still continue to rebel? Every head is [afflicted] with illness and every heart with malaise.

From the sole of the foot until the head there is no sound- ness, wounds and contusions and lacerated sores; they have not sprinkled, neither have they been bandaged, nor was it softened with oil. Your land is desolate; your cities burnt with fire. Your land, in your presence strangers devour it; and it is desolate as that turned over to strangers.

A Sad Shabbos

TEXT 3a RABBI ISAAC TYRNAU, MINHAGEI MAHARAK 133:8

Rabbi Isaac Tyrnau d. circa 1425 בגדי שבת: נהגו רבותינו קצת לשנות בשבת חזון, ואין מחליפין כל (Austrian (or Hungarian הבגדים בשבת חזון כשאר שבתות, להראות קצת סימני אבילות. rabbi, born in the late 14th century and active in the 15th century. Little is known about Our rabbis had the custom to adjust their Shabbat dress his life. He is most famous for his Sefer Haminhagim on Shabbat Chazon by not changing into all the typical (Book of Customs), a compendium of halachot and Shabbat clothing. This was done to demonstrate a small customs of various groups sign of mourning. of Ashkenazi Jews, arranged according to the calendar.

TEXT 3b RABBI YECHIEL MICHEL EPSTEIN, ARUCH HASHULCHAN, ORACH CHAYIM 551:11 Rabbi Yechiel Michel Halevi Epstein 1908–1829 ודע, שאצלינו יש שנים או שלושה דורות שאין נוהגין כמנהג Noted author on Jewish הזה בשבת חזון, אלא לובשין כל בגדי שבת. וגדולי הדור שהיו אז law. Rabbi Epstein lived in Czarist Lithuania and was הנהיגו כן, באמרם שזהו כמראים אבילות בשבת בפרהסיא. ולכן, ,chief rabbi of Novozybkov אפילו בשבת שחל בו תשעה באב ונדחה — אנו לובשין בגדי שבת a town near Minsk, and later, of Navahrudak, where מטעם זה. ולכן בימינו אלה, כמעט נשכח הדבר שאין ללבוש בגדי he served until his death. A שבת בשבת חזון. prolific writer, his primary work is Aruch Hashulchan, an expanded and reworked For two or three generations, this has not been the custom code of Jewish law. in our communities on Shabbat Chazon. Rather, we wear all the typical Sabbath clothing. Even the leaders of the previous generations would likewise [wear all the typical Sabbath clothing], explaining that [failure to do so] would be akin to mourning publicly on Shabbat. For this reason, we wear Shabbat clothing even when the 9th of Av itself falls on Shabbat.

A Different Kind of Vision

Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev TEXT 4 1740–1809 RABBI LEVI YITZCHAK OF BERDITCHEV, QUOTED IN Chasidic rebbe. Rabbi Levi FOOTNOTES TO OR HATORAH, NACH 2, P. 1097 Yitzchak was one of the foremost disciples of the Magid of Mezeritch and later went on to serve as rabbi in Berditchev, Ukraine. His משל על זה מאב שיש לו בן יקר, ועשה לו מלבוש יקר להתלבש Chasidic commentary on בו. ומצד שלא נזהר הבן באותו בגד, ועשה מעשים אשר לא יעשו the Torah, Kedushat Levi, is a classic that is popular — קרע אותו לכמה קרעים. ועשה לו פעם שני לבוש, וקרע אותו to this day. He is known in Jewish history and folklore גם כן. מה עשה האב? עשה לו לבוש שלישי ולא נתן לו ללבוש ,for his all-encompassing love אותו, רק גנזו. ולפרקים רחוקים ידועים מראה לו הלבוש, ואומר compassion, and advocacy on .behalf of the Jewish people לו: ראה שאם תתנהג בדרך הישר, ינתן לך לבוש זה ללבוש אותו

)ומצד זה מרגילו לילך בדרך הישר, עד שיוודע בו שנעשה אצלו כמו טבע, אז יתן לו הלבוש להלביש אותו כי אז אינו ירא ממנו פן יחזור לסורו — מאחר שנעשה כמו טבעי׳(. וזה ענין שבת חזון, לשון מחזה, שמראין לכל אחד ואחד המקדש דלעתיד מרחוק כו', וד״ל.

[The theme of Shabbat Chazon is illustrated by] a parable: There was once a father who had a precious child, for whom he made an expensive piece of clothing. The child wasn’t careful with it . . . so it ripped into many pieces. The father made another such garment, which the child ripped as well. What did the father do? He made a third garment, but instead of giving it to the child to wear, he stored it away, only showing it to the child rarely, on special occasions. He would say, “See, if you be- have correctly, you will be allowed to wear it.” (In this fashion, the father was getting his son used to Rabbi Avraham behaving appropriately, until such behavior would become Yehoshua Heschel second nature. Then there would be no reason to worry. . . .) of Apt 1748 - 1825 This is the meaning of Shabbat Chazon—the Shabbat of Popularly known as the Apter the Vision, when every Jew is shown a vision of the Third Rav, Rabbi Avraham was a scion of famous rabbinic Temple from afar. families, and founder of the Mezhibuzh/Zinkover rabbinic dynasty. He studied under Rabbi Elimelech of Lizhensk and Rabbi Yechiel Michel of Zlotchov, eventually becoming one of the foremost TEXT 5 spokesmen of the growing Chasidic movement in Poland. RABBI AVRAHAM YEHOSHUA HESCHEL OF APT, OHEV His outstanding character trait YISRAEL, DEVARIM, SHABBAT CHAZON was his strongly expressed love of the Jewish people, which earned him the title of Ohev Yisrael, “Lover of Israel.” Ohev שבת חזון הוא יותר גדול במעלה מכל שבתות השנה. Yisrael became the title of the published collection of his thoughts arranged according Shabbat Chazon is the greatest Shabbat of the year. to the weekly Torah portions.

II. THE DEMOLITION PERMIT Nebuchadnezzar—G-d’s Servant?

Question for Discussion Who destroyed the Temple?

TEXT 6 YIRMIYAHU (JEREMIAH) 25:9

הִ ְננִי שֹׁלֵחַ ְולָקַ ְח יּתִ תאֶ ּכָ ל מִ ְש ְּׁפחֹות צָ פֹון ְנאֻ ם ה׳, ְואֶ ל ְנבּוכַ ְדרֶ אצַ ר מֶלְֶך ּבָבֶל ְעַבדִי, וַהֲבִאֹתִים עַל הָאָרֶץ הַזֹּאת ְועַל ְיֹשׁבֶיהָ ְועַל ּכָל הַגֹויִם הָאֵלֶה סָבִיב, ְו ְהַחֲרַמּתִים ְו ְשַׂמּתִים ְלשַׁמָה ְו ְלִשׁרֵקָה ְּולחָ ְרבֹות עֹולָם:

“Behold, I send and I will take all the families of the north,” G-d says, “and to Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, My servant, and I will bring them upon this land and upon its Rabbi Moshe inhabitants and upon all these nations around, and I will ben Maimon destroy them and make them for a desolation and for a (Maimonides, Rambam) 1135–1204 hissing and for perpetual ruins.” Halachist, philosopher, author, and physician. Maimonides was born in Córdoba, Spain. After the conquest of Córdoba The Demolition Prohibition by the Almohads, he fled Spain and eventually settled in Cairo, Egypt. There, he became the leader of the Jewish community and served TEXT 7a as court physician to the vizier of Egypt. He is most noted MAIMONIDES, MISHNEH TORAH, INTRODUCTORY for authoring the Mishneh LIST OF MITZVOT, NEGATIVE MITZVAH 65 Torah, an encyclopedic arrangement of Jewish law; and for his philosophical work, Guide for the Perplexed. His rulings on Jewish law are שלא לאבד בית המקדש, או בתי כנסיות, או בתי מדרשות. integral to the formation of halachic consensus.

[It is forbidden] to destroy the Temple, or synagogues, or houses of study.

TEXT 7b MAIMONIDES, MISHNEH TORAH, LAWS OF BUILDING THE TEMPLE 1:17

הַנֹותֵץ אֶבֶן אַחַת מִן ּבֵחַ,ְהַמִז אֹו מִּכָל הַהֵיכָל,אֹו מִּבֵין הָאּולָם ְולַמִ ְזּבֵחַ דֶרֶ ְך הַ ְׁשחָתָ ה— לֹוקֶ ה, ׁשֶנֶאֱמַ ר: ְ"ונִּתַ ְצּתֶ ם אֶ ת מִ ְזְּבחֹתָ ם ְגֹו'", ו"ֹלא תַעֲ ׂשּון ּכֵן לַה' אֱ ֹלקֵ יכֶ ם".

One who demolishes a single stone from the altar; any part of the Temple building; or [the floor of the Temple courtyard,] between the entrance hall and the altar, with a destructive intent is worthy of lashes, as the verse states, “And you shall destroy their altars. . . . Do not do so to G-d, your L-rd.”

The King Who Keeps His Laws

TEXT 8 Shemot Rabah An early rabbinic commentary MIDRASH, SHEMOT RABAH 30:9 on the Book of Exodus. “Midrash” is the designation of a particular genre of rabbinic literature usually forming אין מידותיו של הקדוש ברוך הוא כמידת בשר ודם, מידת בשר a running commentary on .specific books of the Bible ודם — מורה לאחרים לעשות והוא אינו עושה כלום. הקדוש Shemot Rabah, written mostly in Hebrew, provides ברוך הוא אינו כן, אלא מה שהוא עושה — הוא אומר לישראל textual exegeses, expounds לעשות ולשמור. upon the biblical narrative, and develops and illustrates moral principles. It was first printed in Constantinople in 1512 together with 4 other Midrashic works on the other 4 books of the Pentateuch.

The traits of G-d are different than the traits of human beings. A human being instructs others, while he does nothing. G-d is different; what He does, He instructs the Jewish people to do and to guard.

Question for Discussion: It’s strictly forbidden to deface even a small part of the Temple. And now you’re telling me that when the Temples were razed to the ground, it was at G-d’s behest? How can that be? Doesn’t G-d keep His own Torah?

TEXT 9 MIDRASH, EICHAH RABAH 4:14

Eichah Rabah

A Midrashic text on the Book ״מזמור לאסף, אלוקים באו גוים בנחלתך״. לא הוה קרא צריך of Lamentations, produced למימר אלא ״בכי לאסף״, ״נהי לאסף״, ״קינה לאסף״, ומה by the sages of the Talmud in the Land of Israel. Its אומר ״מזמור לאסף״? אלא משל למלך שעשה בית חופה לבנו, language closely resembles .that of the Jerusalem Talmud וסיידה וכיידה וציירה, ויצא בנו לתרבות רעה. מיד עלה המלך ,It was first printed in Pesaro לחופה וקרע את הוילאות ושיבר את הקנים. ונטל פדגוג שלו Italy, in 1519, together with other midrashic works 4 איבוב של קנים, והיה מזמר. אמרו לו: המלך הפך חופתו של בנו .on the other 4 megilot ואתה יושב ומזמר? אמר להם: מזמר אני שהפך חופתו של בנו, ולא שפך חמתו על בנו. כך אמרו לאסף: הקדוש ברוך הוא החריב היכל ומקדש, ואתה יושב ומזמר? אמר להם: מזמר אני ששפך הקדוש ברוך הוא חמתו על העצים ועל האבנים, ולא שפך חמתו על ישראל. הדא הוא דכתיב: ״ויצת אש בציון ותאכל יסודותיה״.

The verse states, “A song of Asaph. O G-d! Nations have come into Your heritage, [they have defiled Your Holy Temple, they have made Jerusalem into heaps].” Shouldn’t the verse have said, “A weeping of Asaph,” “A wail of Asaph,” “A lament of Asaf”? Why does it say “A song of Asaf”? This is analogous to a king who built a nuptial home for his son, and had it beautifully plastered, inlaid, and decorated. Then this son strayed off to an evil lifestyle. So the king came to the nuptial canopy, tore down the tapestries, and broke the rails. The prince’s tutor took a flute and began to play. Those who saw him asked, “The king is overturning the nuptial canopy of his son, and you sit and sing?” He said to them, “I am singing because the king overturned his son’s nuptial canopy, and did not vent his wrath upon his son.” So, too, Asaph was asked, “G‑d destroyed the Temple and Sanctuary, and you sit and sing?” He replied, “I am singing because G‑d vented His wrath upon wood and stone, and did not vent his wrath upon Israel.”

A Lion’s Tale

TEXT 10 MIDRASH, YALKUT SHIMONI, YIRMIYAHU (JEREMIAH) 259

Yalkut Shimoni

A Midrash that covers the אמר רב: עלה אריה במזל אריה והחריב את אריאל. עלה אריה — entire biblical text. Its material זה נבוככדנאצר, דכתיב: ״עלה אריה מסבכו״. במזל אריה — עד is collected from all over rabbinic literature, including גלות ירושלים בחודש החמישי. והחריב אריאל — ״הוי אריאל the Babylonian and Jerusalem Talmuds and various ancient אריאל קרית חנה דוד״. על מנת שיבא אריה במזל אריה ויבנה Midrashic texts. It contains אריאל. יבא אריה — זה הקדוש ברוך הוא, דכתיב ביה: ״אריה several passages from ,Midrashim that have been lost שאג מי לא יירא״, במזל אריה — ״והפכתי אבלם לששון״. ויבנה as well as different versions אריאל — ״בונה ירושלים ה' נדחי ישראל יכנס״. of existing Midrashim. It is unclear when and by whom this Midrash was redacted. Rav said: A lion arose under the constellation Lion, and destroyed the lion of G-d. “A lion arose” refers to Nebuchadnezzar, of whom the verse states, “A lion has come up from his thicket.” “Under the constellation Lion” refers to the fifth month [the month of Av, whose zodiac sign is the Lion], when the city of Jerusalem was exiled. “And destroyed the lion of G-d” refers to Ariel [Jerusalem], the city where David lived. [All this took place] so that a lion will come [in the future], during the constellation Lion, and rebuild the lion of G-d. “A lion will come” refers to G-d, as the verse states, “A lion has roared; who will not fear? [The L-rd G-d has spoken . . . .]” “During the constellation Lion” [refers to the month of Av, for the verse states,] “And I will turn their mourning into joy.”

“And rebuild the lion of G-d,” as the verse states, “G-d is the builder of Jerusalem; He will gather the outcasts of Israel.”

Making Way for the Third Temple

TEXT 11 RABBI MOSHE ISSERLIS, GLOSSES TO SHULCHAN ARUCH, ORACH CHAYIM 152:1 Rabbi Moshe Isserlis (Rama) 1572–1525 ואסור לסתור דבר מבית הכנסת, אלא אם כן עושה על מנת לבנות. Halachist. Rama served as rabbi in Krakow, Poland, and It is forbidden to demolish any part of a synagogue, unless is considered the definitive authority on Jewish law among the purpose is to build a new one. Ashkenazic Jewry. Rama authored glosses (known as the Mapah) on the Shulchan Aruch, and Darchei Moshe, a commentary on the halachic When Demolition Is Building compendium Arbaah Turim.

Rabbi Menachem TEXT 12 Mendel Schneerson THE REBBE, RABBI MENACHEM MENDEL SCHNEERSON, 1902–1994 LIKUTEI SICHOT 29, PP. 13–14 The towering Jewish leader of the 20th century, known as “the Lubavitcher Rebbe,” ”.or simply as “the Rebbe נאך מער, דאס איז דער גאנצער תכלית פון חורבן הבית: דער Born in southern Ukraine, the Rebbe escaped Nazi-occupied אויבערשטער האט געוואלט "מתקן" זיין דעם בית המקדש, אז .Europe, arriving in the U.S ער זאל ניט זיין ווי עס איז געווען פריער, א "בניינא דבר נש" in June 1941. The Rebbe inspired and guided the revival וואס האט ניט קיין קיום, נאר עס זאל זיין בניינא . . . דקודשא of traditional Judaism after ,the European devastation בריך הוא, א בנין נצחי — און דעריבער איז געווען דער חורבן פון impacting virtually every די בתי מקדשות, בית ראשון ובית שני, על מנת לתקן ולבנות Jewish community the world over. The Rebbe א מתוקנ'דיקן בית המקדש, בית המקדש השלישי וואס איז often emphasized that the בנינא דקודשא בריך הוא. קומט אויס, אז דער חורבן פון די בתי performance of just one additional good deed could מקדשות איז גאר א גדר פון "בנין", ניט חורבן וסתירה. usher in the era of Mashiach. The Rebbe’s scholarly talks and writings have been printed in more than 200 volumes.

This was the whole purpose of the Temple’s destruction: G-d wished to “improve” the Temple, so that it would no longer be a “man-made structure,” which eventually ceases to exist. Rather, it would become a divine . . . structure, an eternal edifice. Thus, the First and Second Temples were destroyed as a means to pave the way for building an en- hanced edifice—the Third Temple, which will be a divine structure. It emerges that ultimately, the destruction of the two Temples was an act of “building,” not an act of ruin and destruction.

III. THE OTHER SIDE OF THE COIN Build Immediately

TEXT 13 TALMUD TRACTATE BAVA BATRA, 3B

Babylonian Talmud

A literary work of monumental כי הא דרב אשי חזא בה תיוהא בכנישתא דמתא מחסיא, סתריה, proportions that draws upon ועייל לפורייה להתם, ולא אפקיה עד דמתקין ליה שפיכי. the legal, spiritual, intellectual, ethical, and historical traditions of Judaism. The 37 When Rav Ashi saw cracks in the synagogue of the town tractates of the Babylonian Talmud contain the teachings of Mata Mechasya, he demolished it. He then brought his of the Jewish sages from the period after the destruction bed there [i.e., to the building site, to prevent any delays of the 2nd Temple through the 5th century CE. It has in construction], and he did not remove it until they had served as the primary vehicle [even] affixed drainpipes to the structure. for the transmission of the Oral Law and the education of Jews over the centuries; it is the entry point for all subsequent legal, ethical, and The Cow Brayed Twice theological Jewish scholarship.

TEXT 14 MIDRASH, EICHAH RABAH 1:51

מעשה באדם אחד שהיה חורש, געתה פרתו. עבר עליו ערבי אחד, אמר לו: יהודי, יהודי, התר פרתך והתר מחרשתך, חרב בית המקדש. געתה פרתו שנית, אמר לו הערבי: קשור פרתך ורתום צמדך, שנולד מלך המשיח.

A man was plowing when his cow suddenly called out. An Arab was passing by and [heard the cow]. He said, “Jew, Jew! Unyoke your cow, free the stake of your plow, for your Holy Temple has now been destroyed.”

The cow then lowed a second time. Said the Arab, “Jew, Jew! Yoke your cow, reset the stake of your plow, for the Redeemer has now been born. . . .”

TEXT 15a THE REBBE, RABBI MENACHEM MENDEL SCHNEERSON, LIKUTEI SICHOT 29, P. 14

דער חורבן הבית און די גאולה ובנין בית המקדש זיינען ניט בהפסק זמן, בהפסק רגע ביניהם — נאר תיכף ממש לחורבן איז געווען בעולם הזה למטה בארץ ישראל עצמה — די התחלת הגאולה, נולד מושיען.

The destruction of the Temple, and the Redemption and re- building of the Temple, are not separated by a lapse. Rather, immediately when the Temple was destroyed, the beginning of the Redemption arrived physically in the Land of Israel— “their Redeemer was born.”

Merging the Visions

TEXT 15b THE REBBE, RABBI MENACHEM MENDEL SCHNEERSON, IBID., P. 17

ולפי הנ"ל איז מובן, אז דאס זיינען ניט קיין פירושים הפכיים, נאר אדרבה, זיי האבן א שייכות צווישן זיך; און נאכמער — זיי זיינען בהמשך תיכף ממש זה לזה: אין דעם חורבן ביהמ״ק . . . ״זעט״ מען . . . דעם בנין המקדש דלעתיד. און דאס איז פועל אויפן אידן, אז ער זאל ניט נתפעל ווערן פון אלע שוועריקייטן פון דעם חושך הגלות, ובדרך ממילא — איז זיין עבודה, "מעשינו ועבודתנו כל זמן משך הגלות", אין נאך אין א העכערן אופן.

It emerges that these two aspects [of Shabbos Chazon] are not contradictory at all, but rather go hand in hand and follow one another: in the destruction of the Temple . . . we can “see” the building of the Third Temple. This empowers us to not be fazed by the challenges of the current darkness, but instead to increase our divine service throughout the period of exile.

Glimpse of Redemption

TEXT 16 THE REBBE, RABBI MENACHEM MENDEL SCHNEERSON, LIKUTEI SICHOT 4, P. 1091

זיי זיינען מעין פון דעם ״יום שכולו שבת״, וואט לעתיד וועט מען זאגן ״אודך ה׳ כי אנפת בי״, אז עס וועט נתגלה ווערן די פנימיות המעלה פון דעם ״אנפת״, פון גלות. און אויך דער ענין ווערט מרומז אין נגלה, ביז דאס ווערט אויך אויסגעדריקט אין א הלכה: אין די שבתים פון בין המצרים דארף מען מער ווי אין אנדערע שבתים פון יאר, פארהיטן דעם חשש פון אבילות )איינער וואס פלעגט בשבת טראגן שטעק-שיך אירעו אבל ר״ל. האט ער געפרעגט ביים טאטן, צי ער מעג טראגן די שטעק-שיך דעם שבת וואס אין דער וואך פון אבילות. האט אים דער טאטע גע׳פסק׳נט, אז ער זאל עס ניט טאן, בכדי ניט צו געבן קיין ארט פאר א חשש פון אבילות בשבת(.

These [Shabbats, which fall between the 17th of Tamuz and the 9th of Av,] are a taste of “the day which is entirely Shabbat,” the era of Redemption. At that time we will say, “I thank You G-d because You were angry with me.” In other words, at that time the purpose of exile will be revealed [and we will, in fact, thank G-d for it]. This concept is applied in halachah: the law is that during these Shabbats, we must be extra careful to avoid any forms of mourning. (This idea is underscored by the following story: There was a person who used to always wear slippers on Shabbat. Someone in his family passed away, and unfor- tunately he was cast into the laws of mourning. He asked my father if he could wear his slippers during the week of mourning. My father ruled that he could not, so as not to allow it even to appear that he might be mourning on Shabbat.)

TORAH STUDIES / SEASON FOUR 5780