Description: Sifsei Chayim - Tisha B'Av 03
Sifsei Chaim
Tisha B'Av 03
The Sifsei Chaim quotes his rebbi Rav Abba Grosbard zatzal, who also used to be a mashgiach in Ponavezh, who explains the connection between leaving Mitzrayim and leaving Yerushalayim on a deeper level. Chazal tell us that originally Moshe Rabbeinu addressed Hashem as we do in Shemonah Esray every day: Ha’keil, Hagadol, Hagibor, vi’Hanorah. Then Yirmiyahu addressed Hashem and left out the word ‘norah.’ Why? How can we see Hashem as ‘norah’ – awesome and fearsome, if the nations are humiliating His Beis Hamikdash? Then Daniel addressed Hashem and left out the word ‘gibor,’ because how can we refer to Hashem as gibor when the nations are oppressing and enslaving His children.
After this, the Anshei Knesses Hagedolah instituted Shemonah Esray and reinserted the words ‘hagibor’ and ‘hanorah.’ Why? They perceived Hashem’s gevurah in the fact that Hashem allows the nations who anger Him to continue, and He holds back His anger. They saw Hashem’s fearsomeness in the fact that one nation – the weakest nation, the Jewish nation continues to survive among the nations of the world.
Why didn’t Daniel and Yirmiyahu understand what the Anshei Knesses Hagedolah understood? Why didn’t they realize that this is the greatness of Hashem – that He withholds His anger? This is His awesomeness that He protects and maintains Klal Yisrael throughout their galus? Rav Dessler explains, based on the next thing the Gemarah says, that Daniel and Yirmiyahu who lived through the destruction of the Beis Hamikdash and Klal Yisrael being oppressed in Bavel, couldn’t truthfully recognize this aspect of Hashem’s greatness, although they understood it. Only the Anshei Knesses Hagedolah, after returning to Eretz Yisrael, could now step back and fully recognize and accept this aspect of Hashem’s greatness, and truthfully say ‘hagibor vi’hanorah,’ and appreciate the strength and mightiness of Hashem in this way.
What this means is, that Hashem displays strength and awesomeness openly, as we saw it when we went out of Mitzrayim. There Hashem dealt with the Mitzrim with an outstretched arm, and openly destroyed them on the Yam Suf. Hashem provided for us in the Midbar, with Mann, with the Be’er, with the Ananei Hakavod – all open displays of Hashem’s presence and love for us. This is the stanza of Bi’tzeisi Mi’mitzrayim – bei’si hiskonen vi’shachan alay ha’anan. The Mishkan was established and we were surrounded by the Ananim.
But what the Anshei Knesses Hagedolah came to recognize is that Hashem displays His presence through hester as well, even when hiding Himself, He demonstrates His power and strength, and His awesomeness. Hashem demonstrated in Galus how He can choose to rule over the nations – Nevuchadnezzar tried to kill Chananyah, Mishael, and Azaryah, and was not able to. Yet, Hashem chose to stand back, and allow Nevuchadnezzar to destroy the Beis Hamikdash. This was a Chillul Hashem, yet Hashem chose to allow this – for our greater good. Hashem demonstrated His strength – something we can’t really comprehend, in withholding punishment from Nevuchadnezzar, because ultimately – that would bring destructive punishment on us. There was a giluy of Kavod Shamayim in the hiddenness itself, and this was the gevurah which the Anshei Knesses Hagedolah understood. They saw how Hashem finds ways to protect the Jews even behind hester panim, and understood this is Hashem’s awesomeness. This is the finishing stanza of ‘bitzaisi mi’Yerushalayim - Va’chamas keil shachnah alay ka’ananah. Hashem’s anger resided upon us like a dark cloud. True, Hashem was angry, yet His presence still resided among us, even with the hester of a dark cloud. This is what this kinah is really coming to demonstrate – Hashem is with us regardless, and this is His strength and awesomeness, whether openly or hidden.
Sifsei Chaim
Tisha B'Av 03
The Sifsei Chaim quotes his rebbi Rav Abba Grosbard zatzal, who also used to be a mashgiach in Ponavezh, who explains the connection between leaving Mitzrayim and leaving Yerushalayim on a deeper level. Chazal tell us that originally Moshe Rabbeinu addressed Hashem as we do in Shemonah Esray every day: Ha’keil, Hagadol, Hagibor, vi’Hanorah. Then Yirmiyahu addressed Hashem and left out the word ‘norah.’ Why? How can we see Hashem as ‘norah’ – awesome and fearsome, if the nations are humiliating His Beis Hamikdash? Then Daniel addressed Hashem and left out the word ‘gibor,’ because how can we refer to Hashem as gibor when the nations are oppressing and enslaving His children.
After this, the Anshei Knesses Hagedolah instituted Shemonah Esray and reinserted the words ‘hagibor’ and ‘hanorah.’ Why? They perceived Hashem’s gevurah in the fact that Hashem allows the nations who anger Him to continue, and He holds back His anger. They saw Hashem’s fearsomeness in the fact that one nation – the weakest nation, the Jewish nation continues to survive among the nations of the world.
Why didn’t Daniel and Yirmiyahu understand what the Anshei Knesses Hagedolah understood? Why didn’t they realize that this is the greatness of Hashem – that He withholds His anger? This is His awesomeness that He protects and maintains Klal Yisrael throughout their galus? Rav Dessler explains, based on the next thing the Gemarah says, that Daniel and Yirmiyahu who lived through the destruction of the Beis Hamikdash and Klal Yisrael being oppressed in Bavel, couldn’t truthfully recognize this aspect of Hashem’s greatness, although they understood it. Only the Anshei Knesses Hagedolah, after returning to Eretz Yisrael, could now step back and fully recognize and accept this aspect of Hashem’s greatness, and truthfully say ‘hagibor vi’hanorah,’ and appreciate the strength and mightiness of Hashem in this way.
What this means is, that Hashem displays strength and awesomeness openly, as we saw it when we went out of Mitzrayim. There Hashem dealt with the Mitzrim with an outstretched arm, and openly destroyed them on the Yam Suf. Hashem provided for us in the Midbar, with Mann, with the Be’er, with the Ananei Hakavod – all open displays of Hashem’s presence and love for us. This is the stanza of Bi’tzeisi Mi’mitzrayim – bei’si hiskonen vi’shachan alay ha’anan. The Mishkan was established and we were surrounded by the Ananim.
But what the Anshei Knesses Hagedolah came to recognize is that Hashem displays His presence through hester as well, even when hiding Himself, He demonstrates His power and strength, and His awesomeness. Hashem demonstrated in Galus how He can choose to rule over the nations – Nevuchadnezzar tried to kill Chananyah, Mishael, and Azaryah, and was not able to. Yet, Hashem chose to stand back, and allow Nevuchadnezzar to destroy the Beis Hamikdash. This was a Chillul Hashem, yet Hashem chose to allow this – for our greater good. Hashem demonstrated His strength – something we can’t really comprehend, in withholding punishment from Nevuchadnezzar, because ultimately – that would bring destructive punishment on us. There was a giluy of Kavod Shamayim in the hiddenness itself, and this was the gevurah which the Anshei Knesses Hagedolah understood. They saw how Hashem finds ways to protect the Jews even behind hester panim, and understood this is Hashem’s awesomeness. This is the finishing stanza of ‘bitzaisi mi’Yerushalayim - Va’chamas keil shachnah alay ka’ananah. Hashem’s anger resided upon us like a dark cloud. True, Hashem was angry, yet His presence still resided among us, even with the hester of a dark cloud. This is what this kinah is really coming to demonstrate – Hashem is with us regardless, and this is His strength and awesomeness, whether openly or hidden.