LEAD TIDBIT:
Until We Get It Right
Here we go again. It’s a powerful combination. Three Weeks, then the Nine Days, then the week in which Tish’a b’Av falls, then Erev Tish’a b’Av, then Tish’a b’Av itself. Each with its restrictions and with its inducement and inspiration to serious introspection. And let’s not forget Shabbat Parshat D’varim. That too comes every year. And it keeps coming. Moshe is talking to the new generation. The current generation. To the ones who will carry the flag of Torah & Judaism. The current generation. Hey, that’s us! Better listen up. We’re not just hearing a story. Moshe Rabeinu is talking to us. Listen to what he is telling us. He’s talking about Torah and Mitzvot, he’s talking about G-d. He’s talking about Eretz Yisrael. He’s reminding us of the sin of the spies. The calendar is reminding us of the sin of the spies as well. Are we listening? Are we going to do something about it?

Every theme of Tish’a b’Av is related. The Meraglim said, let’s not go into Eretz Yisrael. Let’s stay here in the Midbar. Let’s continue to wander around in Galut. Destruction of the Beit HaMikdash said, you will go into exile, and you will wander around again. You blew it the first time and you blew it again, big time. Now stay in Galut and next time you have an opportunity to come back to Eretz Yisrael, do it the right way.

No, G-d said to us, wrong again. You got some things right, but you messed up big in other areas. Exile. Again.

Now, every single year we say this, we daven that, we read this, we promise that. Each year gives us a new chance to turn back to G-d, to reject the Meraglim’s “nice place to visit” line. Every year, throughout the year, we have it within our power to hasten the Geula.