Tzion Redeemed In Justice

This is the last of the three weeks preceding Tisha B’Av when we mourn the destruction of the Beit HaMikdash, seeking to use the example of this and other historical tragedies to reform ourselves in anticipation of future redemption.

The final sermons that were preserved by the Aish Kodesh, as he and his community experienced unspeakable contemporary tragedy in the Warsaw Ghetto, were delivered on the two Shabbats preceding Tisha B’Av 1942. The final liquidation of the Ghetto would occur the following spring. He points out that prophecy can only be received in a state of joy, and that even Yirmiyahu wrote most of Eicha and his prophecies of the destruction of the Beit HaMikdash prior to those events so that he would be able to achieve the necessary state of mind.

But the Aish Kodesh also took care to distinguish between suffering that is brought on by our own failures and that which we must endure as part of the inexorable process of redeeming the world. He juxtaposes the story of Purim with that of Chanukah, and the difference between how our Sages approached both these events. Regarding Purim, the Sages asked (Megillah 12) what Israel did wrong to bring on such a catastrophe, but they don’t ask this question about the rise of the Assyrian Greeks and their attempt to conquer Israel. When the Sages speak of this event, they refer to “the wicked kingdom of the Greeks.” (See, for example, the text of Al Hanissim.)

Haman arose out of the prevailing culture with the sole purpose of persecuting and tormenting Israel, from which the Sages concluded that some fault in Israel made this necessary. But the Assyrian Greeks sought to conquer the entire Middle East and Israel was just in their way. Thus, all of the suffering Israel was forced to endure in resisting their depredations redounded to our benefit and set the stage for the purification and the rededication of the Beit HaMikdash. When our people are suffering as a mechanism that is essential to the unfolding of the process of redemption, as the Aish Kodesh concluded was the case for his generation, then we can actually derive joy from our misery because we know there is a reward and a positive outcome that awaits us once the suffering has ended.

The key distinction the Aish Kodesh emphasizes is whether our enemies assail us specifically because we are Jews and especially if they seek to cut us off as a people and to eliminate our practices in service of Hashem. He follows the Midrash on Az Yashir in distinguishing between a king and an emperor, who stand or recline respectively. When our enemies are attacking us for no other reason than that we are Jews, then they are also attacking our king, Hashem. Regarding this situation, we receive the prayer for when the Aron is journeying – “Arise Hashem and scatter your enemies…” (Bamidbar 10:35).

Rabbi Itche Meir Morgenstern is a spiritual leader among the chassidic and wider charedi community in Israel today. His teachings are disseminated and read by millions of followers in multiple languages including English, and have been collected into a series of volumes entitled Yam HaChochma, “Sea of Wisdom.” He teaches of the Three Weeks which precede Tisha B’Av that this is actually a time of great spiritual sensitivity and thus an opportunity for growth and effectiveness. Because of the rawness of our souls in this time, those who endeavor to do so will find it much easier to connect with Hashem and to draw inspiration from its highest Source. Regarding the destruction of the Beit HaMikdash and its rebuilding, may it happen speedily in our days, he emphasizes the ancient rabbinic teaching that it hinges on our ability and willingness to fully love and respect one another.

Rav Morgenstern explains in mystical terms, derived from the teachings of the Arizal, that the Beit HaMikdash signifies the “lost” Sefira of Daat (knowledge) and that its destruction means that nobody can actually achieve true knowledge of Hashem, in full synthesis of all its component parts, without tremendous difficulty. The only way for us to overcome this limitation in practice is to learn to transcend our particularity and to think in terms of the universal – whether it be the unity of Hashem or the community of Israel. Rav Morgenstern exhorts us to devote ourselves to the love of Israel in our generation because only by means of dissolving ourselves into the collective and understanding that our true value and strength derives from community can we restore the consciousness that is embodied in the Beit HaMikdash. The destruction of the physical structure is reflective of a spiritual state unsuited to its preservation; should we restore that state, the restoration of the kingdom and the palace of Israel must follow.

He further states that when Avraham was given the prophecy of the future exiles at the covenant between the parts (brit bein habetarim), he also was made to see how he would personally be instrumental in bringing an end to exile and with it the redemption of the whole world. Because Avraham is no longer physically with us in our world, this personal role is fulfilled through the exercise of the divine attribute that Avraham exemplified – that of chesed (kindness). When the power of the kindness of Avraham is made to resonate in the world, then we will know that the redemption is at hand.

In his final remarks on this week’s haftara from which our Shabbat gets its name, Chazon, the Aish Kodesh notes that it’s unusual for a Shabbat to be named for a haftara. In the only other examples from the year (i.e., Nachamu and Shuva), the name reflects some attribute unique to that Shabbat setting it apart from all others. But on the surface, the meaning of Chazon – vision – is obscure as a characterization of this Shabbat. Also, if this Shabbat can be said to have any identifying characteristics, it should share them with the other two Shabbats that preceded it. The Aish Kodesh alludes to the different levels of prophecy that are described in Shir Hashirim Raba (chapter 3) and the words that are used to describe them. The “vision” (chazon) is always the most difficult. This is because the navi isn’t only hearing about or experiencing a premonition of something but he or she beholds the very manifestation of the subject of the prophecy with their visual faculties. The navi sees a vision – and if it is a manifestation of the destruction and exile, as Yeshayahu beheld, then it is particularly horrifying.

This, then, is the superficial meaning of the name of our Shabbat. It is the dreadful premonition of disaster, the Shabbat which is set aside uniquely for envisioning torment, suffering, and destruction. But there is another layer to this story that the Aish Kodesh emphasizes, and with which he concludes his life’s work. He says the torment of the era preceding the coming redemption (and here he is no longer speaking of the destruction of the Temple) is not only beheld by the prophets and by individuals who are spiritually refined. The vision of the torment of Israel is also being witnessed above by the heavenly hosts and by the Lord of Hosts, enthroned upon all of creation. Hashem sees our suffering, He cannot turn away or be blind to it; He must gaze upon us in our misery and degradation. From beholding our suffering, Hashem must be moved to act on our behalf and set in motion the process of our redemption.

Thus, the final words ever written by the Aish Kodesh to have survived are the same as the final words of the haftara for Shabbat Chazon: “Tzion will be redeemed in justice, and her captives will be returned through charity” (Yeshayahu 1:27).