We find ourselves in a week that is not at all simple, it begins and most of it is in mourning until we reach the bitter day of Tisha B’Av, and immediately afterwards there is a dramatic change when it is already Shabbos and we receive double condolences from Hashem Yisbarach, 'נחמו נחמו עמי יאמר אלוקיכם' – ‘Comfort, comfort my people, says your G-d’ (Yeshaya 40:1). We are sure that if we tried that in our generation, psychologists would scream, “How is it possible to do this!” To act the exact opposite in one week, and even to change so drastically emotionally in one day, from complete mourning to the joy of Shabbos. But Chazal did not think like this, in fact just the opposite, Chazal set this up for us like this, also, all the laws of mourning for the entire year, so that we do not forget for a moment the great loss of the Bais HaMikdash that was destroyed, and we do not have it.
But as for us, in our low and distant generation, we do not comprehend how great our loss is, and with difficulty we succeed in mourning a little during The Three Weeks.
There is a posuk in our parsha that applies to both aspects: 'אעברה נא ואראה את הארץ הטובה אשר בעבר הירדן ההר הטוב הזה והלבנון' – ‘Please let me cross and see the good land that is on the other side of the Yarden, this good mountain and the Lebanon’ (3:25). Rashi explains, ‘And the Lebanon – this is the Bais HaMikdash. The Gemara (Yoma 39b) says, ‘Why is it called Lebanon, because it whitens the sins of Israel’, and in another place Chazal say it is an expression of ‘lev’ [heart] for all the hearts rejoiced in it. This is the Bais HaMikdash that we do not have. We lost the source of our joy. In truth, those of that generation were not able to be joyful at all since they knew what we lost. In the beginning of the posuk, Moshe Rabeinu gives us direction for the days we go out ‘to see the land’. He requests of HaKadosh Baruch Hu, – ‘Please let me cross and see the good land’, he wants to see only the good of the land, for if we go out ‘to see the land’, this does not prove that we only see good things, but Moshe Rabeinu teaches us that before we go out we must pray that we merit to only see good things, and not stumble by seeing prohibited things.
As we have said, we find ourselves in a confusing situation. True, the laws of mourning of The Three Weeks have ended, but to our dismay we still have not been redeemed and we are still in exile. Even if we go out ‘to see the land’, we must first pray ‘to see the good land’, only see good things.
-Tiv HaTorah – Va’eschanan
