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.
