Page 19 - HaMizrachi Tisha B'Av AUS 2021

GLOBAL RELIGIOUS LEADERS

Shira Smiles Rabbanit Yemima Mizrachi

Love is Not

for Free!

hat is ahavat chinam (usually We often have lofty discussions on bring- Rabban Yochanan ben Zakkai did not
translated as baseless love, ing the Geula closer which ignore bringing ‘respond’ to the churban. He initiated. He
or literally, love for free, for the people who are close to us closer. The requested the ingenious start-up of Yavneh
Wno reason at all)? It’s import- future redemption will appear anywhere and its scholars, Rabban Gamliel’s dynasty
ant to note that there is no such phrase there is a current redemption, for those and the healing of Rabbi Tzadok. That’s
in Chazal. walking at our sides. “In a vast throng, exactly how each of us needs to behave.
In the Talmud and the poskim we only find they shall return… the blind and the lame Enough with posts responding to the trag-
edy of Meron, the tragedy of disunity and
sinat chinam, baseless hatred, which caused among them, the pregnant and those in political calamities! Give us Yavneh and
the destruction of the Beit HaMikdash. It labor…” (Yirmiyahu 31:7). Only when we its chachamim! Give us religious thought
seems that Chazal understood (as I do, by come with them, with the weakened, will about a new Beit HaMikdash and not just
the way), that the expression ahavat chinam the Geula come to us. an old one that was destroyed!
is derogatory.
I’ll end with a tip for increasing love
Is there a reason to think we and Jewish unity, a tip Rabbi Nachman
can love a person, espe- requested we use every day, the
cially a Jew, for free, for nekuda tova, the “good point”
no reason? Can we not (Likutei Moharan Torah 282).
find even one spark, Every morning, find a good
one good thing about point, something good in
them? In that sense, someone who may be a
isn’t the expression little difficult to love.
ahavat chinam rather “Through finding
condescending? within him some good
and judging him favor-
The story of Kamtza and ably, through this you
Bar Kamtza, which caused truly lift him to be judged
the destruction of Yerusha- favorably [in Heaven].”
layim, is a story of viability.
Is it viable, is it worthwhile, to This tip alone can enlighten
invite Bar Kamtza to the meal? us now and forever so we
What does Bar Kamtza need to should rid ourselves of the term
pay in order to appease his host? ahavat chinam. It was never free.
Half the price of the banquet? The Only the crying of the Jews on that
price of the whole banquet? first Tisha B’Av in the desert, after the
sin of the spies, is called bechia lechinam,
The Ramban offers a wonderful expla- crying for free, for no reason.
ָ
ָ
ָ
nation on the words ךֹומ ָּכ ך ֲע ֵר ְל ּ ת ְב ַה ָא ְו: “One
should not give measurements to love.” Every single person in our incredible
Love is immeasurable. It is not for pay, and What is nation has a nekuda tova! It’s up to us to
it is not free. Loving fellow Jews is simply the biggest find it!
because of ם ָּנ ִח, from the word ן ֵח, their nat- challenge in bringing the Geula today?
ural grace. So simple and yet so complex. We’ve become a society of reactors as
When we speak of the Geula, the Redemp- opposed to a society of initiators. We’ve
tion, we look forward, to the future. When become accustomed to “like” or “dislike”
we speak of love, we look to the sides, to instead of taking that finger icon and
those walking beside us. When we do this, pointing it in a new direction. It’s so easy
when we see the weak, the distraught and to respond, and it’s so difficult to get up
the lonely at our sides, love will bring the tomorrow morning and sing a new song
Geula. In other words, the Geula will, auto- in one’s heart and teach it over and over Rabbanit Yemima Mizrachi is a popular
matically, be attracted to the love. again to anyone who will listen. Israeli teacher, speaker and writer.

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