A point of view: TISHA B’AV by Yehuda HaKohen Throughout most of the year, we are satisfied and grateful as we appreciate the miraculous Redemption taking place before our eyes.
The return of Jewish self-determination following nearly two thousand years of exile, the Land of Israel bearing its fruits after being barren for so long and the revival of the Hebrew language as a spoken vernacular are only three of the many wondrous feats that have graced us in the modern age. And although the re-born State of Israel is still far from perfect and often requires a deeper vision to recognize the Kingdom of G-D developing to fruition beneath the surface despite all of the current problems that exist, our general attitude must be positive as we acknowledge the historic significance of our generation and thank HaShem for the miracles that He performs on our behalf.
But once a year we take time to recognize how much of the Redemption is still incomplete as we mourn the destruction of G-D’s Temple and the Jewish people’s lack of complete national freedom. On the one hand, we see the goal – that amazing revolution in reality that is moving the world towards what it was always meant to be. We see the Divine Ideal from before Creation sprouting forth as Israel experiences a national renaissance on our native soil. At the same time, however, during these sorrowful days, we remember how much of that absolute goal is still missing – how the Temple has yet to be rebuilt, how much of our country has yet to be liberated from foreign rule, how submissive our leaders behave to the demands of foreign powers, how rampant corruption seems in our political system and how many of our people still choose to reside in the exile.
This recognition of what is currently lacking is in itself part of the appreciation we feel throughout the entire year. The true understanding of Redemption can only be perceived when we are able to view where the process is going, what great historic goal is about to be attained and how much we still have to work and pray for its completion. This understanding of the State of Israel’s deficiencies is what gives us the ability to value our achievements – to appreciate the foundations that have already been built. Three weeks, nine days and then finally one day a year we remember and experience anguish for what is still not complete and how much of a struggle still awaits and makes demands on us in the future. Because of how much the world is suffering today and how great and amazing Israel’s complete Redemption will be, we are overcome with grief for what the world is still waiting for – that perfect, ultimate rectification of existence that will bring this world to levels of blessing and harmony beyond what humankind has until now experienced.
In his introduction to Musar Avicha, Chief Rabbi Avraham Yitzhak HaKohen Kook writes that “As long as a person does not learn for himself the lofty essence of the soul of man and the loftiness of the soul of Israel and the elevated value of Eretz Yisrael, as well as the longing and yearning every Jew must feel for the building of the Temple and the Redemption of Israel, it is almost impossible to experience the taste of Divine worship.”
If one does not understand the true essence of Am Yisrael or feel a burning desire for the return of G-D’s Temple, he probably cannot help but find daily prayers somewhat dry. All of the prayers in the Amidah are directed towards superior ideals – the full expression of the Nation of Israel in our land and the entire system of everything in this world as it was always meant to be. But if one does not understand the significance and true grandeur of these things and only says the words because they are written in the book, he may justifiably wonder why prayer feels so monotonous. If he has not learned and clarified for himself the value of these vehicles – what they do for the world and reality and all of humanity, then the words of the prayers will feel meaningless, as they do not genuinely stem from the depths of his soul.
When speaking about serving G-D with all of our hearts, the Torah is referring specifically to prayer. As it would be ridiculous to assume that HaShem actually needs our prayers, the obligation to engage in the activity three times a day is clearly for the sake of something beneficial to us. Prayer serves as a thrice-daily workout for our will power and an examination for the true quality of our lives. It is the essential instrument for measuring how much we link up to the Divine – how much our will is aligned with the will of HaShem.
By exercising our will three times a day, prayer helps us to properly internalize and direct our lives towards the national aspirations of the Jewish people. The true intensity and quality of our lives as Jews can be determined successful when that which we pray for is close to our hearts. When healing for the sick, the ingathering of our exiles, the restoration of G-D’s justice, the rebuilding of the Temple and universal peace are the concerns that regularly occupy our thoughts and deeds, we can be confident that we truly want what G-D wants and we are then able to pray with true attachment and devotion.
Sincere prayer logically stems from the emptiness we feel at the absence of what we pray for. If one occupies himself with deep Torah study and clarifies for himself what is yet to be achieved, he will begin to feel pain for what is missing from the world. He will become thirsty with yearnings for the Redemption and recite the prayers from the depths of his heart. In order to feel this emptiness, however, one must know and appreciate the true value of Israel’s Redemption and what blessing and refinement it brings to Creation.
Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzatto writes in Mesillat Yesharim that a person should feel constant, almost physical pain for the destruction of the Temple and the exile of Israel. How many of us are so consciously unified with Israel’s collective soul that in these days before the ninth of Av we feel the suffering of the Hebrew Nation and what is missing from our world? How many of us are so sensitive to the humiliation of Israel and to the lack of G-D’s honor that we feel this torment in the depths of our being? If only we could understand the reality of what the world is missing, we would not be able to concern ourselves with what we can or cannot eat, buy or listen to during this period of mourning. To truly feel the deficiency in the world around us, we must be able to understand the magnitude of the Redemption unfolding in our generation and be able to appreciate that which we do have. Only with this appreciation are we able to comprehend what is still absent from the process and only through this lofty comprehension can we help to transform the ninth of Av from a day of mourning to unparalleled joy.
With Love of Israel,
-Yehuda HaKohen
Am Segula
