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From
the Chassidic Rebbes
Clouds of Shame and Redemption
Yehoshua Metzinger
In Book
of Eichah read on Tisha B'Av, one can see how judgment is transformed
into redemption. For example, the verse, "G-d, in his anger, shamed
fair Zion" sounds like it is referring to harsh punishment. The word
for "shame", yaiv, brings to mind a thick cloud of negative
energy. Clouds are also associated with the word "av",
since thick clouds of rain are called "avim". Thick clouds
also represent kelipah, concealment of G-dliness.
However,
clouds also have positive associations, just as the curses in Vayikra
and Devarim have the potential to become blessings. Moshe Rabbeinu could
not enter the Sanctuary because a cloud settled on top of it. On the day
the Torah was given, there was so much smoke and so many clouds that the
Jewish People could not approach the mountain further. In one verse, the
flight of angels is compared to thick clouds in the sky. "Mi eleh"
("Who are they") is said in connection with the angels. "Mi"
or who expresses the aspect of concealment, "eleh" or
these, expresses revelation. The connection between the two opposite concepts
comes from a higher level than both of them, but the basic idea is that
the clouds function as a concealment which will eventually be lifted in
the time of revelation.
There is
also a connection between the words "yaiv" and "eika"
which expresses the potential for redemption through progressive teshuvah.
"Eika" is spelled with the Hebrew letters "aleph"
and "yud", and "caf" and hei. The yud of Eika
corresponds to the number ten, standing for the ten commandments. On this
level, the ten commandments are engraved inside out, since the external
aspect of the ten commandments are revealed in the physical world, and
the internal aspect is revealed in the higher worlds. The yud is also
associated with the ten sefirot the way they are rooted in the Infinite
Light, Blessed be He. The aleph is above the 10 sefirot and is
part of the essence of G-d. Caf expresses the quality of kingship.
How are
all of these elements represented by the letters connected? The aleph-yud
combination and the cof-hei are connected through yaiv, the thick
cloud, and av. Even though yaiv and av are associated with descent and
kelipah, the concealment has a significant role to play. Zion had to descend
in order to clothe itself in the kelipah as a first step toward teshuvah.
It is only through this process that the lower elements can be refined.
Av, for instance, represents a sin done intentionally. When the av is
elevated through teshuvah, the sins are transformed into merits. Teshuvah
also balances the gevurah in the verse, "G-d, in his anger, shamed
fair (yaiv) Zion," because the teshuva sweetens the aspect of strict
justice and assuages anger.
From
the Masters of Kabbalah
Why is
Megillat Eicha (Lamentations) - the scroll which is read on Tisha
B'Av to commemorate the destruction of the Holy Temple - not written on
a separate piece of parchment just like Megillat Esther (the Book of Esther)
-- the scroll which is read on Purim?
When Moshiach
comes, Tisha B'Av will be transformed from a day of sorrow into a day
of rejoicing. As every single day we await Moshiach's arrival, making
Lamentations more "permanent" by committing it to parchment
is not really necessary and would imply that we had already despaired,
G-d forbid. Purim, however, will also be celebrated in the Era of Redemption,
and thus the parchment scrolls will also be used then.
(The
Levush)
On
the eve of Tisha B'Av each year Reb Avraham of Chechanov would have to
buy a new copy of Kinos--Lamentations. For every year, as soon as the
mournful service was over, he would stow away his copy in the place where
old and battered sacred books were lodged until they were buried. And
each time he did this he would say: "I am sure that Moshiach will
come this year, and then we won't have any further need for books of Lamentations."
(A Treasury
of Chasidic Tales)
Some Laws and Customs
Tisha
b'Av, the 9th day of the month of Av, is the 24+ hour fast commemorating
when the two Temples were both destroyed. Starting after sunset on August
12, to display our mourning we do not wear leather shoes, act intimately,
bathe for pleasure, or anoint. From the beginning of the fast, until
Thursday "noon" (half the hours between sunrise and sunset),
we sit on low chairs or pillows, do not put on tefillin or tallit
gadol, refrain from learning Torah and certain parts of prayer which
cause or show joy. Also we should refrain from pleasant greetings. On
Wednesday night we read Eicha (Lamentations) which describes the
first Temple’s destruction, and on Thursday it is customary to read special
sad Kinot—prayers concentrating on the destruction. Interestingly,
we do not recite Tachanun—a daily prayer associated with atoning
for sins. This is because, with the arrival of the redemption, the 9th
of Av will be transformed into a tremendous holiday, and on Shabbat, Rosh
Chodesh, and holidays we do not recite Tachanun.
May
this transformation be an immediate reality!
The
ASCENT staff
From Ascent Quarterly #42
"OUR
JET-AGE SOCIETY"
Yrachmiel Tilles
Q
I have several questions based on our jet-age society. Flying from Tokyo
to London, for example, the day is thirty-five hours long. 1) To determine
the proper time for the daily prayers, do you use the sunset and sunrise
of one city or the other, or somewhere in the middle? I've heard many
intriguing arguments, but they can't all be correct!
2) And what if the day is Tisha b'Av? Can a fast be mandatory for
35 hours?
A
This is not an official answer, just another opinion for your collection.
1) On the
plane, daybreak, sunrise, sunset and nightfall times are established according
to the location of the plane. But be careful: these times are all defined
from an earth perspective, not a sky one. When you see light from the
plane, that doesn't mean there is light yet down on the surface.
2) Anyone
who flies from Tokyo to London on 9 Av deserves to fast for 35 hours!
last
year's Three Weeks page
for
more Kabbalah insights on The Nine
Days
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