On Purim after the Megillah, a man went to the baal koreh with a complaint, “Why did you read parts of the Megillah with the Eichah tune? On even the most joyous day of the year you have to remind us of Tisha B’Av?” The baal koreh took out a sefer and showed him that this is the minhag, but the man was not satisfied with his answer, and he continued to insist and ask why do we have to remember Tisha B’Av on Purim? When the baal koreh saw that he was not satisfied with a regular answer, he decided to answer him with a Purim-type answer: “Tisha B’Av is a Yom Tov, as it says 'קרא עלי מועד' – ‘call on Me a set time’, therefore, we do not say Tachnun. If so, then Tisha B’Av and Purim are friends, and it is fitting to mention one by the other.”
After the death of the two sons of Aharon, Moshe Rabeinu tells Aharon, Elazar and Issamar (10:6) 'ראשיכם אל תפרעו ובגדיכם לא תפרומו ולא תמותו... ואחיכם כל בית ישראל יבכו את השריפה אשר שרף ה'' – ‘Do not leave your heads unkempt, and do not rend your garments that you do not die... and your brothers, the entire House of Israel will bewail the fire that Hashem ignited’. Seemingly, there are two teachings that contradict each other, to Aharon and his sons there is a directive that they not mourn at all, as Rashi HaKadosh explains, ‘Do not disturb the rejoicing of the Omnipresent’, but to Klal Yisrael it teaches that are to mourn and cry, and Rashi explains, ‘From here we see that the distress of talmidei chachamim is placed upon everybody to mourn it.’ We must understand, if this is a time of joy why does the assembly have to mourn, and if there is anguish and mourning here, then why were Aharon and his sons prohibited from mourning?
In truth, these are not opposite, rather we have a great foundation here. The death of the two sons of Aharon was not of the aspect of the Trait of Judgment [Midas HaDin] but rather a sanctification of His Name Yisbarach [Kiddush Hashem]. Therefore, the Kohanim had to rejoice and not disturb the rejoicing of the Omnipresent, but the rest of Bnei Yisrael had to mourn for the talmid chacham who died, and this was their command at that time.
Sometimes we may be confused by teachings that seem the opposite, one that we must be happy and the other to cry. The chosson at his chuppah remembers the Churban, and on the Seder night we eat eggs, and one of the reasons is because we mourn the Churban, but we should not be confused, for the Jew must always do the will of Hashem, even if our intellect does not understand it.
-Tiv HaTorah - Shemini
