By Rabbi Moshe Pogrow
For the Shabbos preceding the anniversary of the Churban, the haftarah is taken from the first perek of Yeshayahu, which in broad strokes clarifies the calling of Yisrael, its place in mankind, the loftiness of its mission—and the depths to which it had sunk. We are shown its depravity, which made the destruction of the state and Temple necessary as the sole means of saving the nation itself.
The state is referred to as “Yerushalayim,” and the Beis Hamikdash as “Tzion.” Yerushalayim’s destruction is Tzion’s salvation; tzedakah and return to Tzion are Yisrael's cure. With these momentous thoughts, the haftarah comes to its end in verse 27.
The mourning of Tisha B’Av is thereby given sharply defined limits. The Jew does not mourn that thousands of years ago the Temple was destroyed, but mourns that it had to be destroyed. We mourn not for the destruction, but for its cause. Our minds are directed not so much to the past, but to the present. Have these causes disappeared?
If someone you love sends you a special letter, chances are, you will keep it and read it over and over again. The Torah is Hashem’s letter to us. Following the mitzvah to love Hashem with all your heart, your life, and your possessions, comes a mitzvah to keep the words of the Torah in our hearts at all times. We do this by reviewing them over and over so, that they will always be al levavecha. The mitzvah of learning Torah is one of the ways to come to love Hashem. When we see its infinite wisdom, we realize the privilege of serving Him.
We ask ourselves whether obedience to Torah, and the noble humanity that we attain through it, have been realized. If the Temple existed today, would it be doomed to destruction again, to save the nation from complete estrangement and a permanent fall into erroneous ideas, demoralizing concepts, and pagan philosophy?
For it was demoralization, not morality; estrangement from, and not closeness to G-d, that were being brought about by offerings, praying, and festival gatherings. They were practiced not as a means for true avodas Hashem, but as substitutes for it.
Boundless selfishness, greed for profits, abuse of power for their own interests, as well as oppression of defenseless widows and orphans, luxury, and moral degeneration, together with complete lack of understanding of their wrongdoings—these were both cause and effect of the degeneration. These behaviors caused the navi to give the people the sad title of “lords of Sodom and the people of Amorah.”
Therefore, each Tisha B’Av, the question is posed to every generation: Are we so deeply imbued with the Jewish spirit, with knowledge of Judaism, with knowledge of the deep contents of the Torah, that we could have a worthy environment in which to erect the Beis Hamikdash in our midst? Or is the gulf between Yisrael and its G-d wider than ever before?
Based on the commentary of Rav Shamshon Raphael Hirsch zt”l on Chumash, with permission from the publisher.
