Tisha B'Av | Why We Mourn

Torah Thinking

The Bais Hamikdosh was destroyed long ago. There is a more profound tragedy to this event that we can relate to even thousands of years later.

By Rabbi Mendel Kessin
Synopsis is not necesarrily in Rabbi Kessin's own words

5 Things that happened on Tisha B’av

1. The spies that were sent to survey Eretz Yisrael came back and gave a disparaging report
2. The First Bais Hamikdash was destroyed
3. The Second Bais Hamikdash was destroyed
4. The Jewish revolt against the Romans in Beitar was defeated
5. The Har Habayis was plowed like a field

Main themes of Tisha B’Av

• Churban
• Mourning

Questions

• Why are we still mourning if all this happened so long ago?
• Why are we mourning? Our ancestors were the ones who caused the destruction?
• Jews never just commemorate events. There’s always some sort of tikun we need to accomplish that’s related to the theme of the time at hand.

It is our fault after all

• Every year there’s a court case in heaven that considers whether we will merit Mashiach and the rebuilding of the Bais Hamikdosh
• If we have not rectified the problems that caused the destruction, if we continue to exhibit those issues, we are deemed unworthy.
• Indeed, if we have not rectified the issues, we could have potentially caused the destruction in the first place had the Bais Hamikdosh still stood.

We made things worse

• We have not only been found undeserving of Mashiach and the Bais Hamikdosh, we have further empowered the Satan
• This has caused a major catastrophic perversion of the way things need to be in order for the tikun to be done.

A consequence of Adam Harishon’s chet

• Originally, Adam Harishon’s mission was solely to bring down kedusha into this world, thereby being mesaken it and turning it into Olam Haba
• He was to ignore the suggestions of the Satan, embodied in the Nachash.
• When he sinned, the relationship changed.
• Adam now needed to first destroy the Satan and only then bring down kedusha and transform the world into Olam Haba
• To facilitate this, Hashem put them into an inverse relationship.
• Everything needs a shefa - a flow of divine energy - from Hashem to exist (Called yenika)
• Hashem removed the Satan’s conduit from the source and attached it to Adam’s conduit.
• However, only enough shefa for one entity flows through this conduit.
• The acts of man determine the direction this flow will take.
• Satan now has a personal stake in getting man to sin.
• It is now combat.
• This relationship with the Satan carried over from Adam Harishon to the Jews.
• The stronger the Satan becomes the harder it is for us to do the tikun

The strengthening of the Satan manifested in history

• Reality conforms to mirror the balance of kedusha between the Jews and the Satan
• If we show that we don’t want the presence of Hashem through our sinning, He removes it and the high levels of kedusha that come with it and gives it to the Satan
• 2 traits that Hashem bestowed to Jews
  • Tiferes / Beauty which is manifested as incredible wisdom
  • Oz / Might which manifests as incredible success
• When Bais Hamikdos was destroyed, Hashem’s presence left and the Tiferes and Oz went to the goyim as the balance of kedusha shifted.
• Within 100 years after the first Bais Hamikdosh was destroyed, the Greek philosophers grew, various religions grew in the east, and Rome was founded.
• After the second Bais Hamikdosh was destroyed, the tiferes and Oz went to Christianity
• As the Jews kept sinning, the goyim kept becoming greater.

We lost more than just the Bais Hamikdosh

• On Tisha B'av were not only mourning the Loss of connection to Hashem, but that our Tiferes and Oz was given to goyim
• Not only that, but because of this many jews are lost to Yiddishkeit

Tikun through tumah

• Hashem promised that whatever happens, we will accomplish the tikun
• Parah aduma shows that we can still be mesaken even when the Satan holds the majority of the kedusha
• IF need be, Hashem will enable us to accomplish tikun through the greatness of the Satan and his minions. The suffering and agony we endure because of this causes tikun.
• Hashem mourns this state of affairs. 3 times a day he bemoans that this method is necessary.

What our mourning accomplishes

• When we mourn on Tisha B’Av, we show that we want to be reconnected with Hashem’s presence
• We also join the Shechina in pain and mourning.
• This is mesaken as well, removing the need for pain and suffering.

Glossary

• Churban - destruction (often specifically referring to the destruction of one of or both temples)
• Bais Hamikdosh - the holy temple
• Adam Harishon - Adam the First
• Chet - sin
• Tikun - rectification
• Mesaken - rectifying
• Kedusha - Holiness
• Yenika - nourishment