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TISHA B’AV READING

Rabbi Zev Leff

A Double

Comfort

“The Jewish people sinned doubly, as
it says, ‘the people of Yerushalayim
sinned a sin‘ (Eicha 1:8). And they were
punished doubly, as it says, ‘She has been
smitten doubly by the hand of G-d for
all her sins‘ (Yeshayahu 40:2). And they
will be comforted doubly, as it says, ‘Be
comforted, be comforted, My nation‘
(ibid.)”
Eicha Rabbah 1:65

t is difficult to explain this doubling perspective and substitutes other causes. intense comfort and joy of Shabbat Nachamu,
of the punishment literally or quan- G-d sought to lead them into recognizing which Rabbi Yehoshua ibn Shuib writes is
titatively. If the Jews sinned doubly,
Ithen the punishment commensurate that the political movements, the secular to be celebrated with the joy of a yom tov.
Mourning usually requires a long transi-
ethical philosophies or economic systems
to double sin is not double but equal to the
sin, and a comfort for a double punishment and isms they had devised and believed in tional period while the sense of bereavement
gradually lessens. The intense mourning of
could not bring them the benefits they had
is not double but equal to it.
anticipated. And it would be from a world Tisha B’Av leads directly and swiftly into the
The Navi says, “My nation has done two that appeared bereft of all rhyme and reason joy and comfort of Shabbat Nachamu. There
evils: they have forsaken Me, the Source of that they would now have to seek out G-d’s is no gradual abatement of the grieving pro-
living water, to dig wells that produced no face in rediscovery. cess. This is because, as our Sages tell us,
water” (Yirmiyahu 2:13). In addition to the “Whoever mourns Yerushalayim merits to
sin itself, a result of desire and emotion, of In the future, G-d will direct world events see its joy.” Mourning over Yerushalayim’s
to show us clearly that all the things we put
impulse, Am Yisrael also formulated philoso- desolation properly – and understanding
phies to justify their sins intellectually and our trust into (in place of Him) are useless the dynamics of what caused the destruc-
and cannot be relied on. We will come to
lull them into thinking that the evils they tion and why G-d dealt with us with hester
were perpetuating were actually virtuous. the realization that we have no one to rely panim – ultimately offers us double comfort.
on other than our Father in Heaven. Ulti-
They devised systems of values foreign to
the Torah and put their trust in a multitude mately, when we choose G-d, He will comfort Through our mourning, we see and under-
us once again and thus compensate for the
stand the entire process. This is hinted at in
of isms that served as the false gods to which dual nature of our punishments. This is the the fact that the Torah reading of Tisha B’Av,
they dedicated their lives.
double comfort described in the Midrash: to םי ִנ ָּב די ִלֹות י ִּכ, is from Parashat VaEtchanan,
In response to this dual sin, G-d punished compensate for the calamities and physical which is also always read on Shabbat
the Jews in kind. To punish the actual acts suffering, the joy and serenity of the Messi- Nachamu. We have to once again learn the
of transgression, He brought calamities and anic era will bring an end to our suffering parasha of Tisha B’Av, but in a different light
tragedies upon them to show them how they in pain. To compensate for the punishment – a light that brings us comfort and joy.
were destroying their spiritual essence. To of hester panim, He will additionally comfort
address the second aspect of the sin, the fact us by clarifying that all the punishments we
they had distanced themselves from G-d by received were His doing and for our ultimate
creating philosophies to justify their sins, benefit. “Anochi, Anochi; It is I, yes, I, who
G-d brought these calamities in a manner comforts you” (Yeshayahu 51:12), says the
of hester panim, in a way that made it appear verse. The Anochi who reveals Himself now
He had abandoned them. is now the same Anochi who directed all the Rabbi Zev Leff is the Rav of Moshav
prior events. Matityahu.
In this manner, G-d sought to teach the
Jews how disastrous the world can be if one This is why we shift immediately from A member of the Mizrachi Speakers Bureau
removes Divine Providence from one’s world the intense mourning of Tisha B’Av to the mizrachi.org/speakers

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