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We are now at the end of the annual three week period of mourning for the destruction of the Temples. The Torah tells us how to act outwardly during this time - many of the standard laws of mourning apply - but how is a Jewish person supposed to react inwardly to sad events that happen, now or in the past?

The Rebbe of Toldos Avraham Yitzchok tells a story in connection with this week's Torah portion. Rabbi Shmelke of Nikelsberg and his brother, Rabbi Pinchas of Frankfort, the author of the book, "The Hafla'ah," once came to the Magid of Mezrich and asked: How can a person fulfill the requirement of the Mishna to thank G-d for the bad things in life just like you thank Him for the good? The Magid sent them to speak to the famous Rebbe Zusha, and they found him living in extreme poverty. Yet when they asked him this question, he stood up in amazement and said that he couldn't help them because he didn't understand what bad is at all and therefore he didn't understand the mishna. His sincere words were the answer they needed. This is the true meaning of the verse in this week's portion (2/7), "G-d is with you, you will lack nothing." When a person is completely attached to G-d he understands that G-d gives him what he needs, and he does not feel any pain or discomfort because everything he has is good.

But not everyone is capable of reaching the level of seeing everything as good, certainly not at all times. The Holy Ari, whose yahrzeit is the 5th of Av (Thursday evening and Friday) suggests another perspective. The Talmud (Brochos 17a) says, "A man's end is death and an animal's end is slaughter and all will eventually die." This is a pretty morbid statement. The Ari explains: The Almighty created a world composed of four kinds: inanimate, plants, animals and humans. Each of them is elevated by the one above it. The inanimate or mineral world is elevated by the plant world that absorbs it. The plant world is elevated by the animal world that eats it. And similarly the animal world by the humans. This is the meaning of the phrase, "The end of an animal is slaughter." Its end is its elevation. But the system is not completed until man is elevated. Through a person's death the soul returns to its heavenly source and becomes fully attached again to the Almighty, completing the cycle. This is the inner meaning of, "…all will eventually die." Everything's ultimate rectification and completion is through death. From this perspective, bad things do happen, but they are purposeful.

In a talk about the 7th day of Av (the day the Talmud records as the day when the inner sanctum of the holy Temple was defaced and destroyed), the Lubavitcher Rebbe explains how we are supposed to react to sad events. The Rebbe asks, "Why does the Torah even record this tragic day? Certainly not to cause pain and sadness about something that happened almost 2,000 years ago. Rather, tragic events are supposed to push each of us to a higher level of action in our own lives, to work to hasten the final redemption and the rebuilding of the holy Temple. We see this in what the Midrash says: The lion (the Greeks and Romans) rose and destroyed the lion of G-d (the holy Temple)… in order that the lion (the Mashiach) will come and rebuild the lion of G-d (the third Temple).

So it is with remembering the 7th day of Av each year. We see that another year has passed and we still have not merited the final redemption, and worse, that on these days, terrible, tragic things have happened. But this knowledge is only in order to give each person extra strength and power from the depths of his heart to actualize the promise, "the lion will come and rebuild the lion of G-d." Additionally, when we demand the redemption of every single Jewish person, and call out to G-d that enough is enough, we create a unity with all members of Israel. And even more, by doing something, by adding in Torah study and mitzvah observance and the giving of tzedakah, we add to our unity, and in dispelling the very reason for exile (disunity) we will bring about the final redemption.

Shabbat Shalom, Shaul

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For last year's essay by Rabbi Leiter on this week's Reading, see the archive.

from the Chabad Master series, produced by Rabbi Yosef Marcus for

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FROM THE SAGES OF KABBALAH

See our Kabbalah site, KabbalaOnline.org

Specifically, for an overview of the recommended articles in the columns:
Holy Zohar, Holy Ari, Mystic Classics, Chasidic Masters, Contemporary Kabbalists, and more,
click to

Devarim

one sample:

Zohar

Divine Encounter in Egypt

From the teachings of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai; translation & commentary by Simcha-Shmuel Treister

This week's Zohar commentary teaches that from the earliest days that Israel was in the world they didn't recognize G-d's true majesty. This happened only after they were in Egypt and were forced into slave labor, and cried out to Him. Even though they were slaves, they didn't even alter their customs, tested like gold being smelted from its dross in a furnace. Furthermore they were exposed every day to all types of sorcery and similar wickedness designed to lead people astray. Nevertheless, they didn't stray from the path of holiness.

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For another sample of recommended Kabbalah articles on a variety of subjects,
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this week's:

KOL Magazine, Vol. 7, No.47

Sunday night - Monday is "Rosh Chodesh" (New Moon Day of the month of) Menachem-Av, which is also the yahrzeit of Aaron, the brother of Moses and the first High Priest.
This week we begin the final book of the "Five Books of Moses (see articles 5 & 6)
This Shabbat also has a unique name, "Shabbat of Vision" (see article #4), the Shabbat which always precedes Tisha B'Av.
In Tsfat it is also called "Shabbat of the Holy Ari," because Thursday night - Friday
5 Av (August 4 - 5) is the yahrzeit of Rabbi YITZCHAK LURIA, the HOLY ARI, the famous Kabbalist of the golden age of Tzefat [Safed] in the 16th century whose teachings dominate the study of Kabbalah today (see the first three articles & the last) as well as influencing the development of the Chasidic movement.

Sample:

Introduction

By Moshe Miller

Although Rabbi Yitzchak Luria (the Arizal) wrote relatively little himself, as mentioned in the "Works" section, his teachings were nevertheless systematically recorded by his disciples, primarily by Rabbi Chaim Vital. It is from these teachings that the startlingly innovative teachings of the Arizal have been given to posterity.

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