SENSITIVITY

The ninth of Av is the saddest day in the Jewish calendar.  It is a day of fasting and mourning which commemorates the destruction of the First Temple in Jerusalem in 586 B.C.E. by the Babylonians and by historical coincidence, also, the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 C.E. by the Romans.

    Just as it is important to encourage everyone to be happy and rejoice on Yom Tov, it is equally important to engender a sense of national mourning on Tisha B’Av.

     The Talmud states that Jerusalem was destroyed because the people did not rebuke one another for their misdeeds.  This was a fundamental cause for the destruction of the Temple, since in the absence of reproach, spiritual progress or correction is impossible.  Beside, the effect on the person who does not receive the rebuke, the person who does not give it shows a failing, which, also, causes destruction.

     The Talmud relates the famous story of Kamza and Bar Kamza which clearly show how lack of reproach contributed, directly, to the catastrophe of our nation.  The story relates that a certain man had a friend whose name Kamza and an enemy whose name was Bar-Kamza.  Some time before this man was to hold a banquet, he told his servant to invite Kamza.  By mistake, Bar-Kamza was invited instead.  When the host noticed his enemy sitting at the feast, he went to him and ordered him to leave.  Bar-Kamza begged to be allowed to, seeing that he was already seated and offered to pay for everything he would eat or drink.  When his host persisted in his demand, Bar-Kamza offered to pay the expense of half the banquet or even the entire banquet, but to no avail and was taken out by force.  Disgusted by the whole procedure, Bar-Kamza said to himself, “Since the Rabbis just sat there and did not object to the way in which I was treated, I am going to slander them to the Roman Government.”  He managed to bring false evidence to the Emperor to show that the Jews were rebelling against him.  This led to the Roman conquest of Jerusalem.

     The entire story speaks for itself.  Here we are being informed of the utter indifference of the people to the feelings of other.  The heartless humiliation inflicted through their silence upon Bar-Kamza merited the penalty of the destruction of Jerusalem and exile.  

      It is well to be sensitive to the feelings of others. Sinas Chinum brought about the Churban Habayis and Ahavas Chinum will bring about the rebuilding of the Beit Hamikdash and the ביאת המשיח in our time. We need to remember the words of the Navi Zechariah.

 

“Thus saith the Lord of Hosts, the fast of the fourth month and the fast of the the fifth month and the fast of the tenth, shall be the house of Judah, joy and gladness and cheerful season, therefore love ye truth and peace.”