Come and Hear
Upon seeing me mourning after shiva asar b'Tamuz, my daughter asked me why the Beis Hamikdosh is not here already. The simple answer, of course, is that we do not yet merit the coming of Mashiach. However, this opened up waves of memories and thoughts that I have carried with me for a long time. This changed our aveilus this year and I would love to share it with our great Yeshiva.
Years ago, I was asked to speak at an event about Mashiach in the United States. The Rambam in Hilchos Melochim (perek יב halacho ב) outlines that when Mashiach comes, life won’t be all that different. There won’t be famine or war etc. (halacha ה), we will still go to work, still have shiur to prepare for, but our outlook will be channeled with increased ease towards Hakadosh Baruch Hu.
If so, I asked a simple question: Why were we here (in America I mean)? We have the opportunity to live a life today (through miracles that are beyond anyone's ability to count) in Eretz HaKodesh, doing mitzvos, walking on holy earth and breathing soul-filled air. If we feel we cannot go, are we in mourning that we are being robbed of that opportunity? Do we even want Mashiach? If we don’t want to go now and if things won’t change significantly then, why should he come if so many people just really couldn’t care less? The response was somewhat jarring as I scanned the room to see that people really were unable to respond…..
The Nefesh Hachaim (shaar א) points out that Titus HaRasha could never have destroyed the Beis HaMikdosh if we didn’t destroy the spiritual representation of it in Shamayim first (yes, everything down here is indeed connected up there!). How did our ancestors let that happen?
But on the other hand, Hashem, how are we responsible? We can’t see the Beis HaMikdosh break, we can’t see what our mitzvos or aveiros do in the heavens! The Alei Shur admits that the whole world is one of mirages.
The answer truly lies in three mekoros: Avraham Avinu, Parshas Noach, and Yeshivas Mevaseret.
A common question asked by the Dor Hamabul is how they could be punished so harshly for the issurim relating to arayos if they were not giving any hasraah (warning) or, better yet, a Torah to tell them that what they were doing was assur?
I answer this question with the beautiful words of the Sfas Emes explaining Avraham Avinu’s nevuah that he received to go to Eretz Yisroel in the beginning of Parshas Lech Lecha. The Sfas Emes says Avraham Avinu didn’t just receive that nevuah- every day a bas kol (heavenly voice) goes out and calls to every single Jew to go to Eretz Yisroel. Avraham Avinu just decided to listen to that voice.
Rabbosai, the Dor HaMabul knew what they were doing was wrong. Many aveiros and many mitzvos are logical and rational (Chovos Halevovos Hakdomo)! We know not to embarrass others, we know not to steal, we know to give tzedaka, we know to daven to the Abeishter.
The difference is, we have a holy Torah that puts it right in front of our noses. We have to really stick our heads in the sand to run away from what most of the world knows by nature.
Look at our great Yeshiva! This year was a year full of darkness and death. However, our holy Yeshiva (as well as so much of Klal Yisroel) decided to bring light to the darkness with tremendous limud HaTorah, unparalleled chesed for families and our very holy soldiers in need.
You see, what we mourn during this time is us putting our fingers in our ears. I can tell you that if we learn from the wonderful things that happened in our great yeshiva this last year- if we heed the words of our bas kols, to the words of our neviyim, to the words of our chachochim - then, Rabbosai, this month of Av will be the happiest month of the year! A month that will forever be remembered as the month where every man, woman and child said “Hashem, we hear You! Hashem, we want you!”
And at that point, Mashiach will have no choice but to arrive.
So I guess there is just one question left:
Are we ready to listen?
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