Rabbi Meir Malka – The Scream of Tisha B’Av Brings Us to the Ascent of Tu B’Av

RABBI MEIR MALKA IN A SPECIAL SHIUR FOR TISHA B'AV AND TU B’AV:

“MOREINU HARAV BERLAND HAS ASCRIBED VERY GREAT IMPORTANCE TO THIS DAY OF TU B’AV, IN WHICH THE SHIDDUCHIM (MARRIAGE MATCHES) OF EACH PERSON ARE DRAWN DOWN, BEZRAT HASHEM.”

“Only a few days ago was Tisha B’Av and now is Tu B’Av, about which it is said in the Gemara that it is one of the two greatest days for the Jewish people.  They were never good days for the Jewish people like the fifteenth of Av and Yom Kippur (Taanit 31): “Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel said: There were never good days for the Jewish people like the fifteenth of Av and Yom Kippur, in which the daughters of Jerusalem would go out in white borrowed clothes, so as to not embarrass those who were lacking, and the daughters of Jerusalem would go out with dancing in the vineyards, and what would they say?: Young man, raise up your eyes and see what you choose for yourself.  Do not put your eyes on beauty; put your eyes on family.  ‘Grace is false, beauty is vanity, a woman who fears Hashem, she shall be praised.’  These are the greatest and happiest days for the Jewish people.

“Rabbi Natan explains that there is a connection between the two times.  On Tu B’Av, the [generation of] the desert stopped dying – the people who were supposed to enter the land of Israel, only that it was decreed on them death because of the sin of the spies, and they could not enter the land of Israel.  During the entire period of the desert, every year those of this generation died on Tisha B’Av.  On that day, everyone would dig graves and enter them at night, and in the morning an announcement would go out about who was alive.  Every year 15,000 would die until that entire generation died.  In the last year also, everyone dug graves, only that an announcement went out that everyone was alive.  They thought that maybe they erred about the date, and also the following day everyone entered graves, only that in the morning they saw again that everyone was alive.  This continued for fifteen days until the moon was full, and it was clear already after Tu B’Av that the decree had been sweetened.

“Rabbi Natan explains that the decree was sweetened specifically on this day, since because of Tisha B’Av comes Tu B’Av.  On Tisha B’Av, we take off our shoes and sit on the ground –this shows our lowliness; we have no importance at all.  This is a great rectification that a person knows his situation, humbles himself and confesses his deeds.  Through this, he merits to an ascent and comes to Tu B’Av, because Megilah Eicha is an aspect of the scream ‘Ayeh’ which Rabbeinu teaches about (Likutey Moharan Tinyana 12).  Rabbeinu says about it, that chas v’shalom that a person has fallen from everything and that no counsel can bring him back to the way of Hashem.

“Rabbeinu begins with the Mishnah from tractate Avot (5:1), which speaks about the Ten Statements with which the world was created.  The Gemara asks that just nine times is it written ‘And God said,’ and answers that also ‘In the beginning…’ is also a statement [to complete the count of Ten Statements], but it is called a ‘concealed statement’ – as it were, covered.  Rabbeinu explains that that statement with which Hashem created the world still continues and shines, and each and every statement gives life to the portion of the creation which was created through it.  Rabbeinu brings the novelty that the concealed statement of ‘In the beginning’ is higher than all other statements, because the statement there is covered and concealed, and therefore, it has the power to illuminate and give life to the most lowly places.  A person for whom no statement gives him vitality says to himself, ‘Where have I come to?  To where have I fallen?’ and this mercy on himself is the scream of ‘Ayeh Makom Kivodo – Where is the place of His Glory?’; then he connects to the highest statement in creation.

“From the lowest situation of a person -- when he feels the pain of his distance, light and vitality are drawn to him from the highest place.  The work of this scream ‘Ayeh’ is not one-time, for every year [events] happen to us – Moreinu HaRav Berland also said that each one of us has big loads that he needs to rectify, whether from this reincarnation or from previous incarnations.  Every time that descents and distancing such as these happen to a person, and he screams to Hashem – he rectifies.  He breaks iron walls with every call and raising his eyes above.

“Moreinu HaRav Berland said that there are no chizzukim like the words of Likutey Halachot of Rabbi Natan, but in the whole book it is not written the expression ‘It’s not so terrible.’  Every action of a person is significant – a thought, a wrong glance, but in one second a person can rectify.  This scream has the power for several things: 1. It nullifies the accusation against a person – if a person is ashamed, his sins are forgiven; 2. It raises that essence of a person – he has a different essence.

“The Kinot which we say on Tisha B’Av are an expression of pain, and in the merit of this, we ascend to the highest place and merit to receive Tu B’Av, a supreme and lofty day in which there is a very strong connection to Hashem.