כל העולם כולו גשר צר מאד והעיקר לא לפחד כלל.
"The whole world is a narrow bridge and the most important thing is not to fear at all."
The world is a bridge and there is so much pain and anguish, but we are not afraid, for we have Hashem to protect us.
This narrow bridge of pain has become even more narrow as we have seen recently so much hatred and barbaric acts of violence against our brethren in Israel. Who can not feel the pain of the Salomon family celebrating the birth of a child and being slaughtered as they sat at their Shabbat table in celebration of the occasion? Who can dismiss, with indifference, the violence that is taking place in Yerushalayim, especially on Har Habayit, the holiest place on earth, G-Ds chosen Makom?
Why, we ask in a rhetorical way, are we living in a world with such hatred and enmity against the Jewish People? Are we not the chosen nation of Hashem? Are we not the עם סגולה?
I once posited that so much of the worldly problems and so much of the hatred that exists is primarily because we are experiencing גלות שכינה,
the exile of the Majesty of G-D. Within our Torah Haskafah and spiritual outlook to our world, we see the universe through the vision of morality and purpose. Then, when we experience the failure of morality and the irrational acts of suffering, murder and injustice, we realize that we are viewing our world as a result of גלות שכינה, Hashem is in exile. For many in the world, G-D is just not present. G-D, for them is at a distance, resulting in a world devastated by hatred and violence.
That is why שבת חזון, comes before תשעה באב.
The definition of חזון is vision. Not merely a physical seeing, but more so, to search, to seek out a vision of a moral and spiritual perspective to life, in a positive manner, that will take Hashem out of the Galut and bring Him into a state of גאולה, of redemption.
How poignant is this idea expressed as we recite
the Tephillah ותחזינה עינינו בשובך לציון ברחמים
Herein, we pray, not only, for the return and the rebuilding of Jerusalem, but more so, ותחזנה עיננו. Our eyes should be open to a new vision, "We should see it". We should have a vision of spiritual significance and in doing so, we can remove the moral decadence that exists and replace the גלות שכינה with גלוי שכינה.
We have the capabilities to change the world. To do so we must begin with ourselves.
כל דור שלא נבנה בימיו כאילו נחרב בימיו
"Every generation that doesn't build in his time , it is as if he had destroyed it."
History records that after Napoleon conquered the city of Acre in Northern Israel, he walked through the streets of the ancient seaport. His attention was caught by a group of people wailing bitterly. Incensed at the thought that perhaps they were heartbroken because of his conquest, Napoleon sent agents to investigate. His agents returned telling him that the Jews were mourning. Indeed, their mourning was prompted by a conquest, but it was not Napoleon's victory that they were lamenting. It was the night of Tisha B'Av, the ninth day of the Hebrew month of Av. They were mourning the conquest of the Temple which occurred more than 1750 years, previously, on this date.
Napoleon was moved and stated, "Any nation whose sense of history is so strong to remember something that happened many years ago to the point of tears, will live to see their history become the present once again.
How right was Napoleon? Indeed, our present is much brighter for we have sovereignty over the city of Jerusalem, though we still pine for the building of the Mikdash and the time of the Mashiach, that will herald a time of peace and security for the State Of Israel.
With hope and betachon we will see that glorious day come in our time. We need to realize that our exile is not in itself an end, but a phase in the process of mankind to its ultimate goal, the future redemption.
With these thoughts in mind I am reminded of the famous story of Rabbi Akiva in Gmorah Makos. When Rabbi Akiva saw the ruins of Yerushlayim he mourned , but he also laughed and rejoiced. One wonders how could he act in such a dialectic fashion. Rabbi Akiva was looking with a keener insight into the mournful experience. He not only sees a fox emerging from the Har Habayis, he sees men and women sitting in the streets of Yerushlayim. He sees a rebirth, a rebuilding, a regeneration, he sees the Messiah himself.
That is what Tisha B'av is all about, especially when we say that the Mashiach was born on Tisha B'av.
These are times that we have to be proud of our glorious Jewish State and to appreciate all the Blessings that Hashem has bestowed upon the Jewish People and to bask in its glory and at the same time to say, "What else can we do to assure the growth and security of the State and to help its growth and dedication to Torah and Mitzvot for its citizens?"
These days afford us the opportunity to build wide bridges of hope that will bring us on our journey towards the rebuilding of the Beit - Hamikdash.
שבת שלום ומבורך בנחמת ציון
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