Nachal novea; makor chochma -
A flowing river; the source of wisdom (Mish. 18:4)
One of the events that Moses discussed was the fiasco when the Jews had refused to enter the land of Israel because of the discouraging report from the men whom Moses had sent to spy out the land. This sin occurred on the ninth day of the Hebrew month of Av. The Talmud tells us that their sin was so great, that this day needed rectification throughout the generations to purge the evil spiritual energy that was created. Therefore, G-d chose the ninth of Av as a day of retribution for all future generations, whenever it would become necessary to punish the Jews for their sins. This is why the ninth day of Av was the day of the destruction of the first and second Temples in Jerusalem as well as the expulsion from Spain, the liquidation of the Warsaw ghetto etc.
We have chosen to discuss this topic because of the 25 hour fast (no eating or drinking) on the ninth of Av, which begins Saturday night (7/16/94) at sundown and ends Sunday night (7/17/94) after the stars appear. we ask all Jews to join together and participate in this fast to show their solidarity with all those Jews who suffered and died, not only during the times of the destruction of two Temples, but during the Holocaust and throughout Jewish Fli history as well. (It is not enough to just give lip service, to commemorate the tragic events, we should, at the very least, experience some discomfort, which spiritually binds us to the souls of the departed who had suffered so much. The discomfort we experience on this day will help us to understand the pain of our fellow man, which will help us appreciate and respect others. This will bring us spiritual healing, which will hasten the future rebuilding of the third Temple Amen!)
Each individual is considered to be a microcosm of Jerusalem. We all go through periods of destruction and rebuilding that is on an individual level, comparable to what had happened in Jerusalem and throughout our history on a national level. Jerusalem is the place where G-d's Divine Presence rests. This is synonymous with an individual causing the Divine Presence to rest upon himself, through the performance of a good deed. When this occurs, it is as though he has rebuilt part of Jerusalem, the part of Jerusalem that is found w'Lthin him. The verse tells us that the essential sanctuary is found within a pers,Dn's heart: "They shall make Me [G-d] a sanctuary [in their hearts through the performance of good deeds; (Rashi) ] and t will d-well among them [in their hearts I 11 (Exodus 2 5: 8) . When a person sins, he causes part of the @)i,@ i le Presence found within him to depart. This situation is comparable to the destruction of Jerusalem. For sin brought about the departure of the Divine Presence from Jerusalem, which was the ultimate cause of its destruction, just as the body dies when the soul departs (see the book of Ezekiel). This is what is meant by the Talmudic teaching: "Anyone who does not have knowledge [of G-d and His ways] is as if the Temple was destroyed in his days." "Anyone who has knowledge (of G-d's ways] is as if the Temple was rebuilt in his days-"
Two Temples were destroyed and the Jews have been left stranded in the exile for two millenia, an exile which occurred not only on the national level, but affects the spirituality of each individual Jew as well. Every Jew knows about his own personal, spiritual short-comings - his own personal exile, distant from G-d and spiritual fulfillment. The prophet Daniel had a vision of a man who screamed in agony and complained to G-d about the length of the exile: "How long shall it be to the end of these wonders!? (which refer to the suffering of exile and this world]" (Daniel 12:6). This is not only the cry of the nation, but of every individual who recognizes his lack of perfection and distance from G-d. However, there is no reason for despair or hopelessness. There are many prophecies about the rebuilding of the third Temple and redemption from exile. These prophecies not only refer to the salvation of the entire nation, but to every individual as well. (Lekutai Halachoth: Choshen Mishpat: Hilchos Ai'dus 5:11) As was mentioned above, each sin that one commits causes part of the Divine Presence (the source of life) that resides in each person to distance Itself a little further. This is why committing numerous and major sins can cause death, heaven forbid! Committing a sin brings about the destruction of one's personal residence (Temple) for G-d, within one's heart. This applies on the national level as well. Because the Jews committed so many sins, the Divine Presence departed from them which brought about the destruction of the Temple. The Talmud tells us that there was one sin in particular that caused the Divine Presence to depart from the Jewish People, the destruction of the second Temple in the year 70 CE, and our two millenia of exile. The Sages identified this sin as unwarranted hatred of our fellow man (Hebrew: see'nas chee'num).
The sage Rabbi Akiva taught that the commandment to love one's fellow as one loves himself is the underlying principle behind every commandment of the Torah. This is the basic message that G-d wanted to instill into and convey to each Jew when He demanded that each Jew continuously study and practice the laws of the Torah, with the hope that each Jew would internalize this fundamental principle. Rabbi Nachman explains that G-d wants there to be unity, cooperation, and lines of communication between people. This is the most effective way to grow closer to G-d. Because G-d is infinite, the limitations of each individuals intellect creates a great barrier in discovering G-d. A person can only grow intellectually if he listens to other people's ideas. The chances of spiritual and intellectual growth are greatly enhanced when there is. love and respect between people, fostering greater interpersonal communication and higher knowledge of G-d. Such interactions allow the sparks contained in each person's soul to be transmitted one to another, enabling each person to draw forth the unique form of faith in G-d which one individual has and is lacking in the other. This is the most effective way to find G-d. Therefore, G-d values peace above all else.
Every person has his own unique spiritual and physical needs. We will always encounter situations where the needs of one person are in direct conflict with the needs of another. The two individuals involved must peacefully come to some sort of compromise, such that one person doesn't infringe upon the legitimate rights and needs of the other. The Torah commands: "Do not remove [or violate] the boundary [marker] of your neighbor" (Deuteronomy 19:14). This commandment can also refer to intimidation, where one takes unfair advantage and violates the rights of one's fellow, causing him mental anguish and squashing his ability to assert himself and pursue his aspirations. Such behavior actually causes G-d's honor to be somewhat diminished because the intimidated person is forced to suppress his needs and thoughts, that unique part of G-d's intelligence which would normally be shared with others, is also suppressed, denying the world enlightenment in deeper aspects of G-d. Furthermore, the person who is forced to totally suppress his thoughts and needs is unable to properly function and is thus unable to serve G-d properly. Therefore, the definition of peace, which leads to spiritual and intellectual growth, is compromise, where by both people are able to express their legitimate needs and thoughts without neutralizing one another. The Talmud teaches: "Rabbi Akiva says, ... a protective fence which preserves wisdom is [keeping one's] silence (at the appropriate times, meaning, don't intimidate others and force your will and opinions upon them. Respect and listen to others so you can benefit and learn from them. Silent, reserved, thoughtful, and layed-back people are usually very wise, because they know how to learn from others]" (Talmud: Avoth 3:17). In addition the Talmud teaches: "Ben Zoma says, Who is wise? He who learns from every person ..." (Talmud: Avoth 4:1).
G-d punished the Jews for their unwarranted hatred of each other bv destroying the Temple and by the prolonged exile of the Jewish people. When G-d is forced to mete-out punishment, it is exactly matched to the sin and is meant as correctional instruction. G-d sends us the appropriate punishment to help us understand our short-comings and work to rectify them. Therefore, G-d sent our enemies to do the same to us as we had done to our friends, families, and fellow-Jews. G-d sent enemy armies to invade our land, who violated our borders, restricted and repressed our rights and freedom. Even today, any violation of our property, self-esteem, or body etc. (eg. being robbed, mugged, insulted, attacked by disease, or financial ruin heaven forbid etc.) could possibly be a message from G-d to indicate to us that we have chronically and excessively violated the space and rights of others (in the present or in a previous life).
The only way to rectify this terrible flaw is to love our fellow man and make every effort to understand the motives behind his actions. When someone does something that violates our rights or space, in most cases the wrong was done unintentionally. The other person is merely asserting his needs without realizing that at the same time, he is violating someone elsels space. Therefore, it is one's responsibility to realize this, and in a very nice and respectful way, inform the other person that your needs have been violated and ask the person if he could remedy or correct the situation. The majority of people who are made aware of their mistake would usually apologize and correct what they have done wrong. There is no need to initially get angry and yell at the other person. We are all fallible and we ourselves do such things to others from time to time (the biggest Tzaddik (saint) does this as well) . A little effort in understanding that most people do not intend to inflict harm, goes a long way in preventing fights. There are times when people intentionally violate the rights of others either out of a pressing need or because of human weakness. Still their intent is not to hurt the other person, as much as it is to fulfill their own needs. When made aware of the situation, most people would correct themselves. This is what the Talmud calls "judging everyone favorably." The Torah commands: "You shall not hate your brother in your heart" (Leviticus 19:17). Maimonades explains this command to mean that if someone wrongs you and you feel resentment in your heart toward the perpetrator, you are biblically required to inform him, in a nice way, about your resentment so the other person can try to remedy the situation. This commandment was given for the purpose of avoiding hatred and fights. The Messiah will not come until we correct this flaw within ourselves and show our fellow-man kindness and understanding for the short-comings that are inherent in all of us. The following true story illustrates this point: There was an elderly lady who berated a young, well built, healthy-looking soldier in frort of all the passengers on a Israeli bus for not acting in the accepted Israeli manner by giving up his seat for her. However, she turned red and white with embarrassment when the soldier showed her his severely broken leg that was in a full length cast. (Lekutai Halachoth: Choshen Mishpat: Hilchos Shootlfim Belkarka 5:15).
Sin spiritually contaminates the blood and causes impure fantasies to dominate one's mind, clouding one's perception of reality and truth. The Egyptians clouded their thinking by spiritually:"'polluting their blood through over-indulgence in sin. This was the philosophical basis of their entire culture. one can easily make a mistake about the Egyptians for they were considered to be a highly intelligent and advanced people. With all their advanced knowledge and accomplishments they were unable to discover the true treasure and purpose of this world, G-d. This rendered all their knowledge worthless. True intelligence is knowledge of G-d's ways, which is represented by water: "The earth shall be full of knowledge of G-d, as the waters cover the sea" (Isaiah 11:9). Moses was commanded by G-d to turn the waters of the Nile River into blood. This was done to demonstrate to the Egyptians that all their advanced knowledge was mere foolishness and was founded on mere illusion and fantasy, for it did not lead them to know G-d or His ways. This was a result of their many sins which polluted the blood. The philosophy of their culture was selfish hedonism. (This is similar to today's Western culture).
Unfortunately the Jews were taught the very same lesson on the ninth of Av and throughout the ages, time after time, when rivers of Jewish blood flowed to demonstrate to us that our many sins caused us to become lost in our own fantasies (caused by polluted blood) causing us to become excessively selfish, and to hate our brethren. This is the path of both physical and spiritual destruction. (Lekutai Halachos: Choshen Mishpat: Hilchos Shelluchim 5:19)