Introduction: Contrasting Two Generations of Destruction
The Gemara famously outlines the respective sins that led to the destruction of the two Batei Mikdash.[1]
- The First Beis Hamikdash was destroyed on account of the three cardinal sins — idol worship, adultery, and bloodshed.
- The Second Beis Hamikdash was destroyed on account of sinas chinam (baseless hatred).
The Gemara remarks that we may conclude from this that sinas chinam is equal to the other three sins combined, seeing as it single-handedly led to the same destructive result. Indeed, the Gemara states further that sinas chinam is worse than those three combined, citing as proof the fact that the first exile lasted for seventy years, while our exile is still going.
Needless to say, this matter needs to be understood. Although sinas chinam is clearly a terrible thing, how can it be worse than the most severe of sins?
In Search of the Reason for Something with No Reason
As we are seeking to bring an end to our exile, we naturally turn toward eradicating sinas chinam from our midst. How exactly are we meant to do that? To solve a problem one must first understand what that problem is and where it came from. In our case that seems, by definition, impossible, since we are dealing with something that is explicitly described as having no basis! It seems that all we are left with is to say, “Let’s stop hating each other for no reason,” yet who among us actually thinks he does that?
In truth, however, everything has a cause, and so does sinas chinam. It is called “chinam — baseless” because it has no real basis, but it has a cause, nonetheless. Let us try and uncover that cause.
In fact, the cause for sinas chinam can be inferred from the very Gemara quoted above. It is actually from a section a bit further on that is not typically quoted from in these discussions, probably because it is so unexpected that we don’t really know what to do with it.
Regarding the generation of the first churban, the Gemara there states:
They were wicked people, but they placed their trust in the Holy One, blessed be He.
This is a most startling statement. We are dealing with people involved in the most egregious of sins — idolatry, adultery, and bloodshed — in light of which they receive the designation of “wicked people,” and yet we are told that they placed their trust in Hashem! It is fair to say that we would not have expected the Gemara to speak positively about them, given that their actions contributed to the destruction of the Beis Hamikdash. And indeed, the Gemara fully acknowledges their three major transgressions — yet it emphasizes that they still possessed bitachon.
But if they had bitachon, how did they then come to commit all these grievous sins?
Apparently, the Gemara is saying that nevertheless, under all their wrongdoing was an attitude of trust in Hashem. The core issues at that time were behavioral in nature. There was a disconnect between their beliefs and their actions. At their essence, they never truly lost their bitachon. While their actions did not always reflect this trust, to say the least, it nevertheless remained in their hearts.
This is a truly remarkable statement.
However, as much light as this statement sheds on the generation of the first churban, it sheds infinitely more light on the generation of the second churban, which the Gemara is contrasting with the first.
For if the first generation is defined by doing everything wrong but still having bitachon, then the second generation — about whom the Gemara says they were involved in Torah and mitzvos — is contrasted by the fact that they did not have bitachon inside.
Yet why are we looking to find an additional fault with the second generation, seeing as we have already identified their issue as sinas chinam?
The answer, says the Vilna Gaon, is that this is not an additional flaw.[2] Lack of bitachon is where their sinas chinam came from!
Bitachon and Sinas Chinam
To understand how bitachon and sinas chinam are connected, we must ask the basic question: Why would someone hate another for no reason?
Why would you naturally harbor ill will toward someone simply because he exists? The answer lies in the perception and suspicion that the person might be taking something from you. We live in a world with finite resources, and the more people there are, the greater the chance that someone in your sphere of activity could be claiming something that might have otherwise come to you. This anticipation of loss can lead to resentment, which is where the concept of sinas chinam originates.
The Vilna Gaon teaches that if a person were to have bitachon, he would not feel this way. Bitachon is, above all else, a mood born of a certain understanding. When you possess a sense of trust — which is what bitachon means — you understand that your actions and endeavors are being overseen from on high, and that ultimately, you will receive what is rightfully yours. The existence of others suddenly becomes less of a threat. When you have bitachon, the pressure that can lead to sinas chinam dissipates.
What is amazing about this is that we often look at the two categories of mitzvos — bein adam laMakom (between man and Hashem) and bein adam l’chaveiro (between man and his fellow) — as being basically distinct from each other, both important but not really connected. Yet here we see how integrally they are bound up with each other. It doesn’t get more bein adam laMakom than bitachon, and there is no more bein adam l’chaveiro concern than sinas chinam, and yet here they both are, essentially connected, with one being the direct product of the other.
Roofs and Foundations
This idea will lead us to a deeper understanding of why the second exile has lasted so much longer than the first one did. Commenting from the perspective of the second churban, the Talmud Yerushalmi states:
Our fathers [the first generation] removed the roof [of the Beis Hamikdash with their sins], while we have uprooted its very foundations.[3]
What is the meaning of this contrast?
The idea of bitachon exists at the heart of Judaism. Indeed, one could say that it is the heart of Judaism. It reflects a fundamental sense of connectivity between Hashem, the world, and me. Mitzvos and good deeds should naturally flow from this attitude. In the first generation, they sadly did not, leaving us as a heart without effective limbs. A terrible state indeed, but with the core intact, it was possible to “recover from within.” By contrast, the second generation was involved in good deeds, but the people were without a heart. In the expression of the Yerushalmi, in that generation, the very foundations of the Beis Hamikdash were uprooted, much as they had been uprooted from Judaism itself through lack of bitachon and through sinas chinam.
The Road to Recovery
Having identified the underlying cause for sinas chinam as a lack of bitachon, we now turn our sights to seeking to recover from it. How are we to develop the mood of bitachon? We can certainly try thinking about it, but thoughts are often abstract and difficult to harness.
The truth, however, is that the antidote is at hand with something we do every day — if we allow it to be.
The idea of bitachon is a central pillar of tefillah. When we pray and ask Hashem for our personal needs, for the needs of the Jewish People, and for the needs of the world, we are acknowledging that He is the only one who can truly provide for us.
The Gemara states that prayer is akin to a korban, a sacrifice. How is this so? Seemingly, the way we pray does not reflect the essence of bringing a korban! What is it that we are sacrificing in our prayers?
When we pray — if we pay attention to what we are saying — we are shifting our perspective on one fundamental idea: the belief that we are in sole control of everything that happens to us. This is a myth, and it is dispelled every time we ask Hashem to provide our sustenance. In so doing, we realign ourselves with the understanding that Hashem is the one who guides and controls all things.
To remain focused throughout all of tefillah is indeed a lofty goal — as well as a worthy aspiration. But even while attaining that level is a work in progress, it is certainly the case that each tefillah deserves a moment of bitachon reflection. If we truly absorb the message that Hashem, not we, runs the world, and that if we act responsibly and diligently, the presence of others will not interfere with us receiving what is meant for us, suddenly, there is space for other people in our lives and room for them in our hearts — and we are on the road toward rectifying sinas chinam.
Good Shabbos and besoros tovos be’karov!
[1] Yoma 9b.
[2] Vilna Gaon, Peirush al Kamah Aggados, s.v. “aisi budiah.”.
[3] Yoma 5a.