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Opinion & Comment
Bein Hametzorim

by Rabbi Nosson Zeev Grossman

Shiva Ossor BeTammuz, when we fast because of five bad events that occurred on that day, starts off the period of bein hametzorim that ends after Tisha B'Av. During this time, the Jewish Nation is enveloped in mourning for the destruction of the Beis Hamikdosh — may it be rebuilt speedily in our days! Torah-true Jews follow minhogim of mourning during this interval, minhogim that negate feelings of happiness in the face of our deep sorrow for the golus of the Shechinah and our nation's suffering.

The Kadmonim explain that besides the Beis Hamikdosh being physically destroyed, a tremendous spiritual decline began throughout the world at that time.

"How does the gold become dim, how is the most fine gold changed, the hallowed stones poured out at the top of every street?" (Eichoh 4:1). Talelei Oros, a popular collection of insights on the parshiyos hashavu'a, cites Rabbenu Chaim Vital's explanation for this posuk, and in its light we can comprehend some of the depth of the Churban that befell the whole world in general and Klal Yisroel in particular.

When the Beis Hamikdosh was destroyed, says Rabbenu Chaim, the entire Creation was impaired. Everything in the world decreased in proportion to its previous value. Even gold "became dimmed" — its appearance became darkened. The "most fine gold," of the purest refining also "changed" and appeared different, noticeably not as lovely as before, although still better than ordinary gold. It did not "become dimmed" but it was definitely "changed." About the "hallowed stones," whose value not only is initially less than that of gold but in the course of time naturally decline in value, the posuk tells us that "they are poured out" — later becoming worthless.

This gradual decline that came as a result of the Churban, did not only affect inanimate objects. People declined in an even more radical fashion. Their lofty level plunged downward. "The precious sons of Tzion, comparable to the most finest gold — how are they esteemed as earthen pitchers, the work of a potter?" (v. 2). Bnei Yisroel, who were originally worth more than the finest gold, devalued until they became like "earthen pitchers."

The analogy of the sons of Tzion to the most finest gold shows their original great importance. There are those who adorn themselves with beautiful jewelry but are not deserving of wearing such exquisite items. Such a person is actually humiliating himself when he wears jewelry, for his elegant adornments are like a "golden ring in a swine's snout" (Mishlei 11:22). However, the precious sons of Tzion deserved their title of "the most finest gold." That was their level before the Churban, but they afterwards depreciated tremendously and became as "earthen pitchers."

The Yovin Shemu'ah writes that gold's value becoming reduced and equaling that of silver is possible and sometimes happens naturally. It is, however, unnatural that gold will become as cheap as "earthen pitchers." The value of the precious sons of Tzion, who were like "the most finest gold," can only drop until they are regarded as "earthen pitchers" through "the work of a potter" — through the work of Hashem, Who forms the whole world like a potter forming an earthen pitcher.

This is the primary rationale of our mourning for the Churban: We are mourning because of Klal Yisroel's decline, their plummet from their earlier peak of importance. The mourning for the Churban is not only our mourning and sorrow; HaKodosh Boruch Hu too is as if Himself mourning this.

The Pesichta to Megillas Eichoh (1:1) teaches us about Hashem's mourning: Rav Nachman said in the name of Shmuel in the name of R' Yehoshua Ben Levi: "HaKodosh Boruch Hu called the mal'achei hashoreis and said to them: `What does a mortal king do when his relative dies and he mourns over him?' They said to Him: `He ties sackcloth at the entrance to his house.' [Hashem] said to them: `I do the same, as is written, "I clothe the Heaven with blackness and I make sackcloth their covering"(Yeshayohu 50:3). `What does a mortal king do [when he mourns]?' [The mal'achei hashoreis] said: `He puts out the lights.' [Hashem] said to them: `I do the same, as is written, "The sun and the moon are darkened and the stars withdraw their shining" (Yoel 2:10). `What does a mortal king do [when he mourns]?' They said: `He turns over the beds.' `I will do the same, as is written, "I watched as thrones were set up and the Ancient of Days sat" (Daniel 7:9) — as if they were turned over. `Just as a mortal king goes barefoot, so do I, as is written, "Hashem's way is in the tempest and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet" (Nochum 1:3). `A mortal king tears his royal robes [when mourning]. I do the same, as is written, "Hashem has done that which He devised; He has torn the edge of His garment" (Eichah 2:17, see Torah Temimah, 71). `A mortal king sits silently when in mourning, and I do the same, as is written, "Let him sit alone and keep silence" (Eichah 3:28). A mortal king sits and cries when he mourns, and I do the same, as is written, "On that time did Hashem Elokim of Hosts call to weeping and to mourning" (Yeshayohu 22:12)."

The commentaries ask why Hashem had to ask the mal'ochim those questions. Did he need their answers at all?

Furthermore, what is meant by their answer: "He ties sackcloth at the entrance of his house"? Is that the main minhag of aveilus? Our primary way of practicing aveilus is by removing our shoes, tearing our garments, and crying. This is indeed what the mal'ochim later answered after they were again asked. Why did they not immediately answer that way?

The Alshich explains that this can be understood according to Chazal's statement that the mal'ochim complained when man was created and said, "What is man that you are mindful of him?" (Tehillim 8:5). Again at Matan Torah, the mal'ochim criticized giving the Torah to mortals and declared: "Place your glory on the heavens" (ibid., 2). Moreover, Chazal write that the mal'achei hashoreis wanted to say shirah before Hashem at the time of the Churban but HaKodosh Boruch Hu rebuked them.

It is evident that the mal'ochim maintained that man has neither any power nor any importance. When they saw that Hashem had destroyed His Heichal they interpreted Hashem's anger that caused the Churban as proof of man's insignificance.

Actually, Heaven's sorrow was not for His Beis Hamikdosh that was destroyed; on the contrary, that sorrow shows the great importance of Yisroel. The foremost distress was that Yisroel fell, became trapped by their sins, and were decreed to remain without a Beis Hamikdosh.

This explains the conversation between Hashem and the mal'ochim. It was Hashem's desire to clarify to them the essence of grief. Hashem asked "What does a mortal king do when his relative dies and he mourns over him?" Hashem wanted to convey to them that aveilus and grief are for when "his relative dies" — for the relative that died. This is the main aveilus.

The mal'ochim did not actually comprehend the depth of this sadness. They therefore answered Hashem: "He ties sackcloth at the entrance to his house."

This is surely not a major minhag of aveilus. It merely shows that no one is allowed to approach the king at this particular time. Hashem therefore needed to ask more and more questions until the mal'ochim understood the essence of His aveilus and answered by enumerating the main halochos of aveilus: keri'ah, crying, removing shoes and going barefoot, and sitting silent. Observing these halochos shows aveilus and grief for the death of one's relative.

The Alshich writes that the root of this matter is hinted at in the beginning of the Kinoh about the Churban. It starts with, "How does the city sit solitary" (Eichoh 1:1). The sorrow of losing Yerushalayim and the Churban of the Beis Hamikdosh are not mentioned here. The main sorrow of Yerushalayim sitting solitary without her children who were sent into golus is what is written. This is the main reason for the grief.

As cited in the seforim hakedoshim, the aim of fasts and of bein hametzorim is not to torment our bodies. Our primary duty is to awaken our hearts to mend our sins that caused both the Churban and the golus of the Shechinoh. "Any generation in which the Beis Hamikdosh in not built is as if it was destroyed during its time" (Yerushalmi Yoma 8a). Our mentors, the mussar luminaries, taught us that each person can contribute at least one brick to our spiritual mending. This will be part of the preparation of the building of our Beis Hamikdosh, speedily in our days.


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