3 Weeks – Shiv’ah Asar B’Tammuz & Tisha B’Av


Rav Avigdor Miller zt”l
in his preface to the Gate of Bechina in Chovos Halevavos says, “One of the main purposes of praying is to stimulate our minds to think. But what are the thoughts that we should have? They are not in the prayers themselves. However, proper use of the regular prayers can serve as a table of contents and an index to almost all the general principles of the Torah, especially the duties of the mind, including love and fear of Hashem.”

My Rosh HaYeshiva, Rav Henach Leibowitz zt”l, has a shmuz about the impact of deep, heartful prayer and how it could have prevented the destruction of the First Beis HaMikdash. Melachim Beis (22:14-20) relates: “And Hilkiah the priest and Ahikam and Achbor and Shaphan and Asaiah went to Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum the son of Tikvah the son of Harhas, the keeper of the raiment, and she was sitting in Jerusalem in the study-hall, and they spoke to her. And she said to them, ‘So has Hashem, G-D of Israel spoken, ‘Say to the man who sent you to me, ‘So has Hashem said, ‘Behold I bring calamity to this place and upon its inhabitants-all the words of the scroll that the king of Yehuda read. Because they have forsaken Me and have burned incense to pagan deities, in order to provoke Me with all the deeds of their hands, My wrath is kindled against this place, and it shall not be quenched.’ And concerning the king of Yehuda who has sent you to inquire of Hashem, so shall you say to him, ‘So has Hashem, G-D of Israel said, ‘The words are what you heard. Since your heart has become soft, and you have humbled yourself before Hashem, when you heard what I spoke about this place and about its inhabitants, to become a desolation and a curse, and you rent your garments and wept before Me, I, too, have heard [it],’ says Hashem. Therefore, behold I gather you in to your forefathers, and you shall be gathered into your graves in peace, and your eyes shall not see any of the calamity that I am bringing upon this place.’ And they brought back word to the king.”

There was a delegation that went to Chulda the prophetess, asking that she pray on behalf of the Jewish People to try to stop the upcoming destruction and exile threatened by the Babylonian forces. Rashi addresses why they went to Chulda the Prophetess and not to Yirmiyahu, who was a great prophet in that day and age: “Our Rabbis said that because a woman is more merciful than a man, he, therefore, did not send to Yirmiyahu. “

This Rashi is based on a gemara in Megilla14b that says: “Huldah was a prophetess, as it is written: “So Hilkiah the priest and Ahikam and Achbor and Shaphan and Asaiah went to Huldah the prophetess” (II Kings 22:14) as emissaries of King Josiah. The Gemara asks: But if Yirmiyahu was found there, how could she prophesy? Out of respect for Yirmiyahu, who was her superior, it would have been fitting that she not prophesy in his presence. The Sages of the school of Rav say in the name of Rav: Huldah was a close relative of Yirmiyahu, and he did not object to her prophesying in his presence. The Gemara asks: But how could Josiah himself ignore Yirmiyahu and send emissaries to Huldah? The Sages of the school of Rabbi Sheila say: Because women are more compassionate, and he hoped that what she would tell them would not be overly harsh.” The Maharsha on this gemara adds that women are compassionate and will beseech mercy in order to change bad to good.

The Rosh HaYeshiva zt”l, in summary, put into perspective the situation. Yirmiyahu was the leader of the generation and a greater prophet than Chulda. He was extremely compassionate and had all the other pristine attributes of a righteous and modest leader. He clearly understood the state of emergency and the dire state of Jewish People, for he was the one who wrote Megillas Eichah, Lamentations. If that was the case, then why in fact did the delegation not go to him? The gemara answers because Chulda was a woman, someone who has more of a natural tendency to be compassionate, even more than the greatest prophet and leader of the generation. Although he was proven to be compassionate and very merciful, on some miniscule level the delegation believed Chulda would muster more kavana, intent, in her prayers because of the natural, inborn feelings of compassion that any woman has, especially such a prophetess as her. That is why they went to her as opposed to Yirmiyahu to pray on behalf of the nation to save them from destruction. It would seem that it would have worked if she had prayed on their behalf, but prophecy said they were doomed as mentioned in the pesukim.

The Rosh HaYeshiva zt”l concludes by saying that the destruction of the Beis Hamikdash was an incredibly great tragedy for the Jewish people, which we have been mourning for over 2000 years. It is apparent from what we just discussed that the little bit more of intent that Chulda would have had over Yirmiyahu in her prayers could have prevented the destruction of the Beis Hamikdash. From all this we learn how much we must invigorate and focus our emotions in order to add to our prayers more intentionality, since kavana, intent, is what tips the scales for our prayers to be answered. Indeed, even a minimal amount of additional kavana might cause a change to the decree of Hashem in matters that can be world changing. (Chiddushei Halev Megillas Esther 5:8 see the second part). The attitude towards prayer mentioned above by Rav Avigdor Miller might help with expounding on kavana.

The mussar sefer, Menoras HaMeor (5:3:3:1), discussing fast days, says that fasts are a great help in repentance for two reasons:
1. To weaken one’s body and break one’s haughty heart which sinned.
2. To squelch one’s physical desires and to clear one’s fats and blood according to one’s guilt and feel as if one is offering his body as a sacrifice to Hashem.
Just as when one has a physical ailment, such as a stomachache, the way to heal it is to stop eating, so too it is it beneficial for a spiritual ailment. But the opposite is also true; for one who is not sick, or if he is sick and his whole body is weak, then if he does not eat he will get sicker and weaker. So to mistreat your body without reason will also harm you.

 In the next chapter the Menoras HaMeor quotes a gemara in Taanis 26a which says there were 5 things that happened on the 17th of Tammuz:
1. The luchos, tablets were smashed,
2. The Daily Offering was suspended due to a decree by the enemy,
3. The walls of Yerushalayim were ruptured open by the enemy,
4. Apostumus burned a Torah scroll, and
5. In the days of the evil king Menashe he set up an idol in the heichal, sanctuary of the Beis Hamikdash.

On Tisha B’Av 5 things also happened:
1. It was decreed the Jews in the desert would not enter The Land,
2. The first Beis Hamikdash was destroyed,
3. Also the second,
4. Beitar was captured,
5. The city of Yerushalayim was plowed like a field.

After discussing how Tisha B’Av is the most severe fast, the Menoras HaMeor quotes another gemara in Taanis 30a in the name of Rebbe Akiva which says that whoever works on Tisha B’Av will never see a sign of blessing from that work, whoever  eats on Tisha B’Av will not see Yerushalayim in its joy, but whoever mourn over Yerushalayim will merit to see Yerushalayim in its joy as the pasuk in Yeshayahu (66:10) states: “Rejoice with Jerusalem and exult in her all those who love her: rejoice with her a rejoicing, all who mourn over her.” (Click here for Hebrew text)

There is an imperative concept to mourn over the destruction and exile; however that obviously isn’t the ideal. Men, especially women, and children have the ability to potentially get us out of this exile by mustering up heartfelt prayers like never seen before, so that instead of mourning over Yerushalayim we will rejoice!

There is a lot to daven for, in general for the physical safety of the world and the moral fabric of society but specifically for the safety of the Jewish people and ultimate peace in Eretz Yisrael may it come speedily in our days.

Pray well,
Rabbi Dovid Shmuel Milder
Dovid Shmuel ben Sarah Leah 
I am having surgery on my shoulder in a couple of weeks, and this will be the last dvar Torah indefinitely until I recuperate enough to get back into the swing of things.