Page 34 - HaMizrachi Tisha B'Av AUS 2021

TISHA B’AV READING

Rabbi Dovid Gottlieb

The Importance of

“Seeing” the Churban

minous clouds of destruction and instances when the words of the haftarah their pain. In other words, it was only after
dispersion hang heavily over the define the entire Shabbat. What deeper the true depth of Bnei Yisrael’s suffering was
Three Weeks. On the one hand, message is conveyed by these words? seen that the process of redemption began.
OShabbat Chazon is just one day,
no different than the others during this The Midrash (Shir Hashirim Rabbah 3:2) The Rebbe suggests that it is because of
notes that 10 different expressions are
this dialectic we refer to “Shabbat Chazon.”
period leading up to Tisha B’Av. On the
other hand, an insight of Rav Kalonymous used throughout Tanach to describe the The word chazon gives appropriate
Kalmish Shapiro, the Piaseczner Rebbe, process of prophecy. The Midrash lists expression to the horror of the impend-
suggests there might be more to it than terms such as dibbur, amira and tzivui, but ing destruction and, at the same time,
that. it is chazon which is characterized as ה ֶ ׁש ָק it also indicates that G-d truly “saw” the
ן ָּ ל ֻּ כ ִמ, the most difficult and painful form pain of the Jewish people. As a result, He
The Rebbe, as is well known, delivered of prophecy.
inspirational derashot during the last years was already planning the future redemp-
of the Warsaw Ghetto, a collection of which Rav Shapiro explains this assertion based tion. Thus, the haftarah concludes on a
ִ
ְ
were published as Aish Kodesh. As it hap- on the experience familiar to us all – but high note, ה ֶד ָּפ ּ ת ט ָּפ ׁש ִמ ְּב ןֹוּי ִצ, “Zion will be
pens, the final piece in that remarkable highlighted poignantly by what was occur- redeemed through justice and righteous-
work, the very last derasha Rav Shapiro ring to him and others in the ghetto – that ness” (Yeshayahu 1:27).
delivered, just a few short days before the there is a vast difference between hearing Rabbi Shapiro’s powerful words – inspired
deportations from the ghetto began, took about something and actually seeing it. It’s by a prophecy from the original Churban
place on Shabbat Chazon, July 18, 1942. one thing to hear about a tragedy, but it’s and delivered during the churban of the
quite another to witness it.
Holocaust – articulate a profound principle
Typically, the prophet was told about a of Jewish belief.
future or potential calamity – he heard The arc of Jewish history bends inevitably
the bad news. However, there were rare towards redemption. No matter how diffi-
instances when G-d actually showed the cult or painful it may be at times, the over-
prophet something terrible that was going all direction remains the same – chazon is
to happen to the Jewish people. ּוהָי ְע ַׁשְי ןֹוז ֲח followed by nachamu and galut eventually
– the prophet had a vision, he actually saw leads to geula.
the calamities that would befall the nation,
and that was ן ָּ ל ֻּ כ ִמ ה ֶ ׁש ָק, a uniquely painful A few years after the Piaseczner Rebbe and
experience. millions of others were murdered, we mer-
ited the establishment of a Jewish State!
Nevertheless, continues the Rebbe, it’s
typically from the most intense pain that In the merit of our continued mourning
a glimmer of hope emerges. He notes over the original galut may we soon merit
that when G-d first spoke to Moshe and the complete and final geula.
told him the time of the redemption had
The Piaseczner Rebbe.
arrived, He mentions both that י ִתי ִא ָר הֹא ָר
ִ
ִ
י ּ מ ַע יִנ ֳע ת ֶא and וי ָבֹא ְכ ַמ ת ֶא י ּ ת ְע ַדָי י ִּכ, “He has
Imagine discussing the Churban while seen the affliction of His people,” and “He
living through one: what would you knows of their pain” (Shemot 3:7).
say?
Obviously if G-d sees what’s happening
The Rebbe begins with a simple question. then He knows about it as well; why the
Why is the universal custom to call this need for both phrases?
Shabbat “Shabbat Chazon”? While the
name comes from the opening words of The Aish Kodesh explains that even though Rabbi Dovid Gottlieb is a Ram at Yeshi-
the haftarah, ץֹומ ָא ן ֶב ּוהָי ְע ׁשְי ןֹוז ֲח (the vision there was a higher, positive purpose to the vat Har Etzion and the Rav of Kehilat
ַ
of Yeshayahu), this is insufficient to truly servitude in Egypt, once G-d truly saw, as HaEla in Ramat Bet Shemesh.
answer the question; after all, we read a it were – י ִתי ִא ָר הֹא ָר – the pain of the Jewish
haftarah every Shabbat and Yom Tov and people, then י ּ ת ְע ַדָי י ִּכ, all G-d knew, all He A member of the Mizrachi Speakers Bureau
ִ
yet Shabbat Chazon is one of the very few cared about, was how He could relieve mizrachi.org/speakers

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