It’s about time.<\/p>\n
Megillas Esther is all about\u00a0time<\/i>. It’s all over the entire sefer, the whole book is chock-full of\u00a0times<\/i>. Everywhere you look in the Megillah, there is another referent to\u00a0time<\/i>.<\/p>\n No question about it,\u00a0time<\/i>\u00a0is of importance in the Megillah.<\/p>\n I\u2019M LATE! I\u2019M LATE! FOR A VERY IMPORTANT DATE!!!<\/strong><\/p>\n Now, it is\u00a0time\u2026<\/i>\u00a0to play a little game. This is a game of creativity, feel free to use your imagination to fill in \u2018the gaps\u2019 with logical conclusions, but extra points are awarded if you can cite some written reference that substantiates your submission with even the barest of hints.<\/p>\n Let’s pretend that\u00a0you<\/i><\/b>\u00a0<\/i>are Achashverosh.<\/p>\n You have conceived your grand and brazen plan to throw a huge public celebration regarding the failure\u00a0of the implications<\/i>\u00a0of Yirmiyahu’s prophecy that God would return the Jewish people to the Land of Israel after 70 years of exile. Yirmiyahu had correctly predicted that the Babylonian supremacy would endure exactly 70 years before God exacted retribution upon that nation[4]<\/a>, but it was not exactly a fait accompli that the second 70-year prophecy\u2014the return to Tzion\u2014 would come to fruition. [Also notice, as I am quite sure Achashverosh did, that Yirmiyahu does\u00a0not<\/i>\u00a0exactly foretell the rebuilding of the Beis Hamikdash, he simply prophesies that HaShem will bring His children back to the Land of Israel after 70 years\u2014IF<\/i>\u00a0they behave and seek Him out[5]<\/a>, but stops short of explicitly stating the widely perceived understanding that the Beis Hamikdash would indeed be rebuilt at the end of that 70 year interval. Remember as well that Haman is not the only rasha in the Purim story; we know very well that Achashverosh was a more than willing accomplice to Haman’s perfidy[6]<\/a>\u00a0regardless of the fact that Mordechai must be very PC as he is penning the Megillah from the king’s palace.]<\/p>\n So\u00a0you<\/i>\u00a0are Achashverosh.\u00a0Time\u2026\u00a0<\/i>to send out the invitations to your sumptuous ball, the ball that celebrates the failure of the rebuilding of the Beis Hamikdash, as implied in Yirmiyahu’s prophecy. Let’s see\u2026 How will the invitation read?<\/p>\n Well, Roshey, what’s your\u00a0real<\/i>\u00a0goal?<\/p>\n Your real goal is to stick it to the God of the Jews, and to the Jews themselves\u2014 how they have all failed failed failed, and how you have won won won, isn’t it[7]<\/a>? So every detail in the execution of your grand ball must be squarely aimed at reinforcing that precise focus over and over again.<\/p>\n So let’s see,\u00a0Where<\/i>\u00a0is this gala event to be celebrated? That\u2019s a pretty easy one. Surely on your home turf, your magnificent capital city,\u00a0Shushan \u2018Habira\u2019<\/i><\/b>– \u2018The Palace\u2019\u00a0<\/i>(1:5)[8]<\/a>. No coincidence that the only other edifice in all of Tanach graced with that descriptor is\u2014the Beis Hamikdash itself[9]<\/a>. After all, Glory has passed eternally from Yerushalayim and now adorns\u00a0your<\/i>\u00a0precincts, doesn\u2019t it Roshey? In fact it is to take place in your personal Royal Palace Gardens (not coincidentally the exact same place where you will go to compose your thoughts nine years later just before you will catch Haman \u2018in bed\u2019 with your queen [7:7-8]).\u00a0[Choose your dagger carefully, make sure the point is razor-sharp, but don\u2019t make the cutting edge of the blade itself\u00a0too<\/b>\u00a0sharp. It\u2019s not supposed to be a painless surgery, is it?]<\/i><\/p>\n Next, Roshey, what should the dinnerware look like? Well that’s obvious isn’t it, the words fairly jump off the parchment of the Megillah:\u00a0V\u2019cheilim mikeilim shonim<\/i><\/b>, chanted in the haunting melody of Eichah; golden vessels, the K\u2019lei hakodesh, sacked from the Beis Hamikdash 70 years earlier[10]<\/a>.\u00a0[Approach your victim, grasping the hilt of your 10 inch bodkin hidden within the folds of your tunic]<\/i><\/p>\n Okay Roshey, now for the banquet hall. What kind of decorations?<\/p>\n Well again, the Megillah practically shouts it-“white fine cotton, and turquoise wool, held with cords of fine linen and purple wool (ie the materials of the Mishkan, cf. Sh\u2019mos 36), upon silver rods and marble pillars (amudei SHEISH<\/b>,\u00a0<\/b>cf. the Beis Hamikdash\u2019s pillars of Yachin and Boaz, \u2018Ha\u2019amudim<\/b>\u00a0ma\u2019aseh\u00a0SHUSHAN<\/b>\u2019 [Melachim I, 7:19\u2014How interesting that Achashverosh\u2019s and Shlomo\u2019s edifices seem to reference\u00a0each other<\/i>!]\u2026 On a pavement [“Ritzpha<\/b>s[11]<\/a>\u201d!] of variegated marble” (1:6).<\/p>\n In other words, everything decked out like the Azarah of the Beis Hamikdash itself!<\/i><\/p>\n [Unsheath your blade, and place its point gently below the fifth rib of your victim, slightly to the left. Smile, always smile, don’t forget to smile]<\/i><\/p>\n And the ball’s theme? -Needs to be in keeping with the decorations, doesn’t it. Aha, a\u00a0costume<\/i>\u00a0ball, of course! What a grand idea! The guests can come however they like, as long as they are in a disguise which reflects the\u00a0Churban<\/i>‘s theme: no doubt many will choose to be olei regel, pilgrims ascending to the Temple Mount for holiday; others will dress as historical figures– Nevuchadnetzar, Nevuzaradan (well, he eventually converted to Judaism \u00a0but not before he\u00a0did<\/i>\u00a0manage to slaughter nearly\u00a0one<\/i>\u00a0million<\/i>\u00a0Jews[12]<\/a>\u00a0), Zechariah ben Yehoyada Hakohen, King Tzidkiyahu, Sancheiriv, and I’m sure costumes of Yirmiyahu Hanavi will practically fly off the shelves!<\/p>\n The orchestra? Hmmm, how about 71 master musicians, dressed as levi’im, for your guests’ listening pleasure! But there’s only\u00a0one<\/i>\u00a0Kohen Gadol, and that would beeeeeeeeee\u2014\u00a0YOU<\/i>, wouldn’t it Roshey[13]<\/a>? (\u201cHmm, we\u2019ll have to get the Royal Tailor to let the waist of the michnasayim out a tad, but the rest of the outfit is loose enough fitting\u2026\u201d)<\/i><\/i><\/p>\n [Slip the point of your knife ever so slowly under that fifth rib, vibrating just enough so that your victim feels the bite of the slightly dulled blade]<\/i><\/p>\n And now for the menu. Our sources don\u2019t exactly tell us, but they do drop a few hints. Allow me to present the following scenario:\u00a0A waiter, dressed in the bigdei lavan of a kohen hedyot approaches the likeness of Yechezkhel, a patron.<\/i>\u00a0\u201cFor the appetizer, sir, might I suggest fine\u00a0Solless<\/i>\u00a0flour dumplings baked or fried in any of 5 delicious recipes, all with delectable spices? For the entr\u00e9e, your choice of lamb, goat, ram or bull, roasted to perfection; or turtledove or pigeon if you prefer lighter fare. We have a wide selection of 70+-year-old wines,\u00a0(I’m afraid I’ll need some ID sir\u2014not because I suspect that you are \u2018under age\u2019, but simply because I am enjoined to ensure that the wine exceeds your honorable self in years\u00a0[14]<\/b><\/a>)\u00a0<\/i>direct from the winecellars of the Beis Hamikdash, may I-umm-pour<\/i>\u00a0for you[15]<\/a>? And for dessert, field\u2013ripened\u00a0bikurim<\/i>, first-fruits from the Judean hills, freshly picked and trucked in by\u00a0Achashteran<\/i>-mule[16]<\/a>\u00a0just this morning! What\u2019s that, sir?\u201d intones the kohen-waiter unctuously as he silently bemoans the sudden loss of his gratuity, \u201cOh, no, I\u2019m so sorry sir, there is\u00a0no fish platter whatsoever<\/i>\u00a0at this banquet!\u201d\u00a0[Good, Roshey, good! Advance the blade with aaaagoniiiizing slowness directly toward your victim\u2019s heart, and don\u2019t lose your smile, while pink-tinged froth bubbles across his lips]<\/i><\/p>\n So that\u2019s a wrap. All we need is the guest list, and the invitations are off! Right, Roshey?<\/p>\n Wait a sec, Roshey, not so fast. You forgot something\u2014something verrrrrry important, indeed.\u00a0What\u2019s missing from your invitation?<\/i><\/p>\n The time, Roshey, the time!\u00a0<\/i>What\u00a0DATE<\/i>\u00a0are you inviting your guests for, to start off your slamdunk grand finale, celebrating the non-rebuilding of the Beis Hamikdash?<\/p>\n Aww shucks, Roshey, for a thinkin\u2019 man like you that\u2019s the easiest part of all! There\u2019s only\u00a0one<\/i>\u00a0date<\/i>\u00a0that will do, better than\u00a0ANY<\/i>\u00a0other day on the Jewish calendar, better than Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, any of the pilgrimage holidays, or the minor fasts.<\/p>\n The celebration is to start promptly at sundown\u2014on the night of Tisha b\u2019Av,<\/i>\u00a0of course, The ninth of Av, anniversary of the destruction of the Beis Hamikdash. The night decreed as a night of weeping for generations after the generation-of-the-desert indulged in a night of needless self-pity, rejecting a life of intimacy with the Almighty within the Land of Israel.\u00a0[Oooooo, REEEALLY GOOD ONE, Roshey! SLAM the knife with all your strength right though your victim\u2019s left ventricle, twisting the blade all the while. Back and forth, back and forth. Keep your eyes glued to his face so you don\u2019t miss one moment of his shock, horror, and pain! Let your smile morph slyly into an all-out guffaw\u2026]<\/i><\/p>\n How curious! All those dates in the Megillah, some seemingly irrelevant\u2014and yet\u00a0no mention at all<\/i>\u00a0of a date for the party that starts off the whole story–neither in the Megillah, nor in the Midrash or Gemarah. Why would Chaza\u2019l\u00a0actively suppress<\/i>\u00a0such a crucial and central detail?<\/p>\n But they do, don’t they?<\/p>\n SO we don\u2019t know, not for sure. But it\u2019s a hypothesis, and a darn good one. Let\u2019s see if we can develop some independent corroboration for it by relating it to surrounding dates or to statements from the Talmud.<\/p>\n MERE COINCIDENCE?? \u2013 I DON\u2019T\u00a0THINK\u00a0SO!!!<\/strong><\/p>\n Let’s start by trying to pinpoint the relationship of the first day of Achashverosh’s grand finale weeklong celebration to the only other two fixed times that are established in the Megillah. As we pointed out in our opening paragraph:<\/b><\/p>\n While it is true that in the time of the Megillah the Jewish months were set by proclamation of the Sanhedrin on the basis of eyewitness testimony of the new Moon, nevertheless their calendar would have closely paralleled our current “fixed” calendar sanctified by Hillel II in the fourth century CE. Therefore, for the purposes of this discussion we will use the current version of the Jewish calendar.<\/p>\n In none of the time referents included within the Megillah is there any mention whether events take place within a leap year–i.e. a year that contains an interpolated 13th month, Adar II. On the assumption that they do not, then it is a reasonable assumption that the preceding year may have indeed been a leap year. If so, then 180 days before that year’s Tisha b’Av falls out on the sixth day of the previous year\u2019s Adar I. Further, if Tisha b’Av fell on Saturday[17]<\/a>\u00a0(as it in fact does in roughly one third of the years), then the actual fast would have been “nidcheh”, i.e. “pushed off” by one day until Sunday, the 10th of Av, secondary to the prohibition against fasting on Shabbos; that would make 180 days prior fall out precisely on the seventh day of Adar I. Again, as noted above, their calendar may not have corresponded precisely to our current calendar, but no matter how you slice it, 180 days prior would have come out very close to the seventh day of Adar.<\/p>\n Well! We know from the Gemarah[18]<\/a>\u00a0that the seventh of Adar was a very important date in the evolution of the Purim story:<\/p>\n \u201c\u2026there was cast a\u00a0pur<\/i>, that is the lottery\u2026\u201d (3:7). We learned in a braisah: when the\u00a0pur<\/i>\u00a0fell in the month of Adar, [Haman] rejoiced with a great rejoicing, saying \u2018the\u00a0pur<\/i>\u00a0fell for me in the month that Moshe died!\u2019 \u2013but he did not know that on the seventh of Adar [Moshe] died AND on the seventh of Adar [Moshe] was born\u2026\u201d[implying that it was not simply a good omen or matter of \u201cluck\u201d that the lot fell when it did, but that HaShem was in charge, consciously directing events!]<\/p>\n Well well well\u2014perhaps Haman was not so smart after all! Perhaps he was simply parroting the same calculation that his royal mentor and role model had made 10 years earlier. Food for thought, but if it is not true then that 180 day interval from Adar 7 to Tisha b\u2019Av seems like a rather striking coincidence, not unlike all of the other “coincidences” that fill the entire Purim story.<\/p>\n SHIDDUCH DATE! \u2013 SOMETHING OLD, SOMETHING NEW, SOMETHING BORROWED\u2026 OR SOMETHING MORE??<\/strong><\/p>\n On the other side of the start of Achashverosh’s grand finale, we have its dramatic finish, one week later. If the first day of the final celebration was indeed the ninth of Av, then the last day of the celebration falls out on none other than\u2014Tu b\u2019Av, the 15th day of Av.<\/p>\n Tu b\u2019Av is widely understood as a sort of Jewish Valentine\u2019s Day or Sadie Hawkins Day, on the basis of the Mishnah in Ta\u2019anis 26b:<\/p>\n Said Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel: there were not days of Yom Tov in Israel comparable to the 15th of Av and the Day Of Atonement, on which days the daughters of Israel would go out dressed in borrowed white garments (so that those who did not have their own would not be embarrassed), all of which needed ritual purification [to purify them in case they had been worn by a niddah rendering them\u00a0tamei<\/i>], and the daughters of Israel would go out and dance in circles in the vineyards. And what would they say? “Young man, set your eyes and see that which you would choose for yourself; don’t place your eyes on physical beauty, rather focus on family issues. ‘False is Grace and vanity is Beauty, rather a woman who fears HaShem\u2014she is praiseworthy’ [(Mishlei 31:30)\u2014this and the next posuk are the last 2 verses of the familiar \u2018Eishes Chayil\u2019 sung at Friday night dinnertables worldwide]. And say ‘Regarding the fruits of her hands should you set [your eyes] upon her, and her deeds will praise her within the city gates [i.e. the place of the Beis Din, where matters of marital status were legally confirmed[19]<\/a>]’ (Mishlei 31:31)”. And in like fashion, he [the young man] would say ‘Go forth and gaze, O daughters of Tzion, upon King Shlomo wearing the crown with which his mother crowned him, on the day of his wedding and on the day of the rejoicing of his heart’ (Shir HaShirim 3:11).\u201d<\/p>\n [Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel understands this posuk as an allusion\u00a0kavyochol<\/i>\u00a0to God:] \u2018On the day of His wedding\u2019\u2014this is the giving of the Torah, \u2018And on the day of the rejoicing of His heart\u2019\u2014this is the building of the Beis Hamikdash, speedily in our days\u2026<\/p>\n At first blush, that understanding of Tu b\u2019Av certainly seems to apply here too, on multiple levels. By digging her own grave on that day, Vashti opened the playing field for Achashverosh to wed his\u00a0new<\/i>\u00a0wife, Esther, four years later. So in a way, that day\u00a0was indeed\u00a0<\/i>Achashverosh’s “Valentine’s Day”. In addition, don’t forget that Chaza\u2019l point out that there was a re-acceptance of the Torah in the aftermath of the Purim events that was on par with the original acceptance of the Torah at Har Sinai[20]<\/a>. And Esther’s ascendancy certainly did lead to the building of the Beis Hamikdash, authorized by her son, Daryaveish. Those points connect quite nicely with Rabban Shimon\u2019s comments at the end of the Mishnah!<\/p>\n But it actually goes much deeper than that, because Tu b’Av is actually\u00a0much more<\/i>\u00a0than simply a Jewish Valentine’s Day. Let\u2019s try to understand the essence of the day.<\/p>\n The Gemarah\u00a0[21]<\/a>\u00a0fleshes out our understanding of the Mishnah, by revealing other events that took place on that same day. That was the day on which:<\/p>\n What all of these events share in common, and hence what the essence of the day represents, is not so clear from the above Gemarah. In order to fully appreciate that, we need one more piece of information regarding\u00a0the very first<\/i>\u00a0Tu b’Av that is brought down not in the Gemarah, but in Midrash Eichah Rabbah. Says the Midrash, the Slain of Beitar, [and Vashti\u2019s] were not the only graves that were addressed that day:<\/p>\n Said Rabbi Levi: On the day preceding every Tisha b’Av Moshe would bring forth the proclamation throughout the camp “Go forth to dig!” and [the entire camp] would go out and dig graves and sleep in them. In the morning Moshe would bring forth the proclamation “Arise, and separate the dead from the living!”, and they would discover approximately 15,000 missing, [deceased] of the [initial] 600,000. And on the 40th year [of their sojourn in the desert] the last of them did so, and they found themselves complete [without any deceased]. They said “We must have erred in the calculations [of the date]!”, and similarly did they do on the 10th, the 11th, the 12th, the 13th, and the 14th [of the month]. When [they saw] the full moon [and finally were certain that Tisha b\u2019Av had come and gone without any deaths], they said \u201cIt is as if The Holy One Blessed Be He has nullified that decree from upon us\u201d and they returned and made that day a Yom Tov[24]<\/a>\u2026<\/p>\n Therefore, the generation-of-the-desert understood on Tu b’Av that the decree against them had been lifted “early”. The original decree upon the return of the spies was for 40 full years, dating from the sin of B’nei Yisrael’s weeping in response to the spies\u2019 report. “According to the number of the days which you surveyed the land, 40 days, a day per year, a day per year, shall you bear your iniquity, 40 years, shall you know your straying from Me[25]<\/a>“. However, HaShem in His mercy chose to “back-date” the decree to the time when they first entered the desert after leaving Egypt, thus lopping off almost a year and a half from the punishment.<\/p>\n \u00a0Now we can see the whole pattern<\/i>! Tu b’Av is a day when we appreciate that we have [re-]established\u00a0connection to<\/i>, and\u00a0closeness with<\/i>\u00a0the Shechinah\u2014for that is\u00a0exactly<\/i>\u00a0what occurred on this day to:<\/p>\n And finally, it applies equally well to the last day of Achashverosh’s gala celebration\u2014at least to the extent that if one were paying attention and could anticipate future events. The Gemarah[29]<\/a>\u00a0entertains the premise that all of B’nei Yisrael were decreed for destruction at the time of their participation in Achashverosh’s celebration:<\/p>\n The students of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai asked him “For what reason were the enemies of Israel [i.e. a euphemism for the Jewish people] of that generation guilty of total annihilation?” He told them “You say [the answer to me].” They said to him “Because they received benefit from the feast of that evil one [Achashverosh].”<\/p>\n Thus, according to this understanding in the Gemarah, the heavenly court sat in judgment on that entire generation at the very moment that their representatives in Shushan sat down to party in Achashverosh’s Royal Palace Gardens. And by the\u00a0end<\/i>\u00a0of that celebration on Tu b\u2019Av, it had become clear that the heavenly verdict had been rendered: in effect, “I will make them sweat, but because of their repentance, I will\u00a0not<\/i>\u00a0exterminate them.” As far as HaShem was concerned, it was all over but the shouting, and the rest is simply history. Vashti would be killed, Achashverosh would wed Esther, and the seeds of redemption had\u00a0already<\/i>\u00a0taken root. God weighed whether His stance in the coming years would be one of\u00a0distance<\/i>\u00a0or\u00a0closeness<\/i>\u2014and had voted resoundingly for closeness. All at the very beginning of the story, nine years before events came to a head.<\/p>\n It is this day on which we perceive that any Divine Decree\u00a0distancing us<\/i>\u00a0from the Almighty has finally been lifted. A good day for us to approach God with our spiritual shopping lists in hand, full of pleas to bring us closer to Him\u2026<\/p>\n SHOPPING FOR A FEAST\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n Shopping lists. Spiritual shopping lists.<\/i><\/p>\n The davening is\u00a0chock-full<\/i>\u2014of \u2018shopping lists\u2019. You know what I mean. Phrases in the davening that have multiple repetitive elements. All too commonly our response to such sections is either one of annoyance [Ya\u2019aleh, v\u2019yavo, v\u2019 yagi\u2019a, v\u2019yeira\u2019eh—yeah yeah yeah, why don\u2019t they just get to the point, then this whole exercise would be a lot more efficient!<\/i>]\u00a0<\/i>or simply boredom and inattention [\u2026v\u2019yeiratzeh v\u2019yishama\u2014\u2018be heard\u2019? That reminds me, I have an important presentation at work today\u2026Hmmm, How should I start it off so that I\u2019ll grab their interest\u2026.<\/i>and off you go to the office until you suddenly become cognizant of your lips mouthing \u2026Ha\u2019mevareich es amo Yisrael bashalom<\/i>.]<\/p>\n But that\u2019s an unfortunate mistake. Chaza\u2019l don\u2019t just draw out the davening to torture you in shul a few moments longer. Rather, every word is carefully crafted to perform a purpose, and there is always a method to their\u00a0shopping<\/i>\u00a0list<\/i>\u00a0madness. Sometimes with a bit of focused attention you can catch a glimmer of that purpose, and when you do, your davening takes on a whole \u2018nother dimension. The first step is to\u00a0notice<\/i>\u00a0when you stumble upon a repetitive pattern, and then simply\u00a0count<\/i>\u00a0the components of the \u2018list\u2019. Often it\u2019s a number you will instantly recognize; perhaps a seven or an eight (especially on Shabbos), or maybe a seven and then kinda sorta an eighth, too (what might\u00a0that<\/i>\u00a0mean??\u00a0Va\u2019akmal<\/i>). Or a three, or five, or ten, or thirteen. Or perhaps a less obvious number, but that gets you thinking along the\u00a0right<\/i>\u00a0lines<\/i>\u00a0as to what it is you are\u00a0really<\/i>\u00a0saying\u2026<\/p>\n Let\u2019s illustrate with an example. In the central brachah of the Rosh Chodesh Mussaf Sh\u2019moneh Esrei, we have a\u00a0shopping<\/i>\u00a0list<\/i>, asking Hashem to renew each New Moon for blessing:<\/p>\n \u05d0\u05b1-\u05dc\u05b9-\u05b5\u05d9\u05e0\u05d5\u05bc \u05d5\u05b5\u05d0-\u05dc\u05b9-\u05b5\u05d9 \u05d0\u05b2\u05d1\u05d5\u05b9\u05ea\u05b5\u05d9\u05e0\u05d5\u05bc. \u05d7\u05b7\u05d3\u05bc\u05b5\u05e9\u05c1 \u05e2\u05b8\u05dc\u05b5\u05d9\u05e0\u05d5\u05bc \u05d0\u05b6\u05ea \u05d4\u05b7\u05d7\u05b9\u05d3\u05b6\u05e9\u05c1 \u05d4\u05b7\u05d6\u05bc\u05b6\u05d4\u00a0\u05dc\u05b0\u05d8\u05d5\u05b9\u05d1\u05b8\u05d4 \u05d5\u05b0\u05dc\u05b4\u05d1\u05b0\u05e8\u05b8\u05db\u05b8\u05d4. \u05dc\u05b0\u05e9\u05bc\u05c1\u05b8\u05e9\u05bc\u05c1\u05b9\u05d5\u05b9\u05df \u05d5\u05bc\u05dc\u05b0\u05e9\u05bc\u05c1\u05b4\u05de\u05b0\u05d7\u05b8\u05d4. \u05dc\u05b4\u05d9\u05e9\u05c1\u05d5\u05bc\u05e2\u05b8\u05d4 \u05d5\u05bc\u05dc\u05b0\u05e0\u05b6\u05d7\u05b8\u05de\u05b8\u05d4. \u05dc\u05b0\u05e4\u05b7\u05e8\u05b0\u05e0\u05b8\u05e1\u05b8\u05d4 \u05d5\u05bc\u05dc\u05b0\u05db\u05b7\u05dc\u05b0\u05db\u05bc\u05b8\u05dc\u05b8\u05d4. \u05dc\u05b0\u05d7\u05b7\u05d9\u05bc\u05b4\u05d9\u05dd \u05d5\u05bc\u05dc\u05b0\u05e9\u05c1\u05b8\u05dc\u05d5\u05b9\u05dd. \u05dc\u05b4\u05de\u05b0\u05d7\u05b4\u05d9\u05dc\u05b7\u05ea \u05d7\u05b5\u05d8\u05b0\u05d0 \u05d5\u05b0\u05dc\u05b4\u05e1\u05b0\u05dc\u05b4\u05d9\u05d7\u05b7\u05ea \u05e2\u05b8\u05d5\u05b9\u05df<\/i><\/b>. (\u05d1\u05e9\u05e0\u05ea \u05d4\u05e2\u05d9\u05d1\u05d5\u05e8 \u05e2\u05d3 \u05d7\u05d5\u05d3\u05e9 \u05e0\u05d9\u05e1\u05df\u00a0\u05d5\u05bc\u05dc\u05b0\u05db\u05b7\u05e4\u05bc\u05b8\u05e8\u05b7\u05ea \u05e4\u05bc\u05b8\u05e9\u05c1\u05b7\u05e2<\/i><\/b>). \u05db\u05bc\u05b4\u05d9 \u05d1\u05b0\u05e2\u05b7\u05de\u05bc\u05b0\u05da\u05b8 \u05d9\u05b4\u05e9\u05bc\u05c1\u05b0\u05e8\u05b8\u05d0\u05b5\u05dc \u05d1\u05bc\u05b8\u05d7\u05b7\u05e8\u05b0\u05ea\u05bc\u05b8 \u05de\u05b4\u05db\u05bc\u05b8\u05dc \u05d4\u05b8\u05d0\u05bb\u05de\u05bc\u05d5\u05b9\u05ea. \u05d5\u05b0\u05d7\u05bb\u05e7\u05bc\u05b5\u05d9 \u05e8\u05b8\u05d0\u05e9\u05c1\u05b5\u05d9 \u05d7\u05b3\u05d3\u05b8\u05e9\u05c1\u05b4\u05d9\u05dd \u05dc\u05b8\u05d4\u05b6\u05dd \u05e7\u05b8\u05d1\u05b8\u05e2\u05b0\u05ea\u05bc\u05b8: \u05d1\u05bc\u05b8\u05e8\u05d5\u05bc\u05da\u05b0 \u05d0\u05b7\u05ea\u05bc\u05b8\u05d4\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u05d9\u05b0-\u05b9\u05d5\u05b8\u05d4. \u05de\u05b0\u05e7\u05b7\u05d3\u05bc\u05b5\u05e9\u05c1 \u05d9\u05b4\u05e9\u05bc\u05c1\u05b0\u05e8\u05b8\u05d0\u05b5\u05dc \u05d5\u05b0\u05e8\u05b8\u05d0\u05e9\u05c1\u05b5\u05d9 \u05d7\u05b3\u05d3\u05b8\u05e9\u05c1\u05b4\u05d9\u05dd:<\/p>\n What\u2019s all that hoopla about anyway, buried in this brachah sanctifying the renewing of each month of the year?<\/p>\n STOP!<\/i><\/p>\n Count<\/i>.<\/p>\n How many elements?<\/p>\n Twelve. Twelve blessings. Count \u2018em, twelve. Except in a leap year. Then it\u2019s thirteen.<\/p>\n Oh.\u00a0Sudden dawning. Flash of insight. Earth moving. Paradigm shift. Light bulbs. Epiphany<\/i>. Oh.\u00a0Why didn\u2019t I ever see that before?<\/i><\/p>\n Of course! HaShem presents us with a year full of changing seasons, each t\u2019kufah with its own unique hashpa\u2019ah, each month showcasing its own special brachah to take center stage for that month until ushering in the next. Quite literally A Moveable Feast for all of His children. Since the thirteenth blessing is only present during leap years it obviously corresponds to Adar II, making the first one the brachah of Nissan, and so forth.<\/p>\n So, let\u2019s look at some of the individual months. We all know what the brachah for Adar needs to be, right?\u00a0Mishenichnas Adar marbim b\u2019Simchah<\/b>[30]<\/b><\/a>! SIMCHAH sounds like the perfect blessing for Adar!<\/i><\/p>\n And\u2014Chaza\u2019l\u2019s answer\u2026<\/p>\n Huh???<\/i>\u00a0 S\u2019lichas avon??\u00a0 Kaparas pasha?? That can\u2019t be right, that sounds like Yom Kippur\u2014Chaza\u2019l must\u2019ve gotten it mixed up with Tishrei!<\/p>\n Oh wait\u2014what did we just say up above? That entire generation was \u2018suspended in judgment\u2019 at the time of Achashverosh\u2019s feast and could easily have been earmarked for total destruction on the Thirteenth day of Adar. [What would\u2019ve happened if Haman and Achashverosh would\u2019ve won???] \u2018Forgiveness<\/i>\u00a0of<\/i>\u00a0iniquity\u2019<\/i>\u00a0is\u00a0exactly<\/i>\u00a0what we needed for Adar\u2014and it was that precious blessing which we were indeed granted for that month!!<\/i><\/p>\n Yom Kippur \u2014 Yom Ki-\u00a0Purim<\/i>?<\/p>\n That connection didn\u2019t start with the Ariza\u2019l. Mordechai and the rest of the Men of the Great Assembly who coined the t\u2019fillos\u2014\u00a0and<\/i>\u00a0the\u00a0name<\/i>\u00a0for the holiday of\u00a0PURIM<\/i>\u2014 they got there some 2000 years earlier!<\/p>\n How about Tammuz and Av, the months of our greatest National tragedies, the months that bracket the sad\u00a0Bein Hamitzarim<\/i>\u00a0period? They must have some pretty bittersweet, muted brachos. Let\u2019s see: Tammuz is the fourth month counting from Nissan making its brachah\u2014\u00a0Simchah<\/i>.<\/p>\n Excuse me?? SIMCHAH?<\/i>\u00a0!<\/p>\n Chaza\u2019l\u00a0really<\/i>\u00a0goofed that one up!<\/p>\n But a little contemplation brings clarity.\u00a0Minor epiphany<\/i>.<\/p>\n There\u2019s no such thing as a \u2018bad\u2019 month. They\u2019re\u00a0all<\/i>\u00a0good months, filled to the brim, no,\u00a0overflowing<\/i>\u00a0with HaShem\u2019s shefa\u2014straining to burst forth and shower us with brachah every single day of every single month throughout the entire year\u2014our Moveable Feast, remember?<\/p>\n But\u00a0WE\u00a0<\/i>have to be willing to accept those brachos, yearn for them, EARN them. If we don\u2019t, if we reject them, then we don\u2019t get them, the brachos simply pass us by. Our\u00a0isarusa<\/i>\u00a0d\u2019l\u2019tata<\/i>\u00a0must be fully receptive to half-way meet HaShem\u2019s ever present\u00a0isarusa<\/i>\u00a0d\u2019l\u2019eila<\/i>. The\u00a0ABSENCE<\/i>\u00a0of\u00a0simchah<\/i>, shared communal and universalistic joy, is\u2014shared communal\u00a0sadness<\/i>,\u00a0aveilus<\/i>[31]<\/a>. Aveilus is not a \u2018punishment\u2019<\/i>\u2014it simply is the\u00a0lack<\/i>\u00a0of the brachah that\u00a0should<\/i>\u00a0be there, which HaShem built into the very essence of Tammuz.<\/p>\n And Av?\u2014Yeshu\u2019ah<\/i>. Of course. By now it\u2019s second nature and not even a surprise. For what is\u00a0Yeshu\u2019ah<\/i>\u00a0but being\u00a0ne\u2019eneh<\/i>\u00a0miziv<\/i>\u00a0HaShechinah<\/i>\u2014nourished by the Presence of God himself? \u2014 i.e. it is\u00a0d\u2019veikus<\/i>, connection and unity with the Almighty[32]<\/a>. And Yeshu\u2019ah\u2019s absence?\u00a0Galus<\/i>, separation from God. The removal of His abode from our midst.<\/p>\n \u2026OR SHOPPING FOR A\u00a0SE\u2019UDAS HAVRA\u2019AH<\/i>, THE \u2018MEAL OF CONSOLATION\u2019\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n NOT a punishment! But how bitter. How terribly tragic.<\/p>\n A brief anthropomorphism: every year in late summer, HaShem takes His two most precious Blessings\u2014Simchah<\/i>\u00a0and\u00a0Yeshu\u2019ah<\/i>\u2014and proudly offers them to Israel His firstborn son[33]<\/a>, with the broadest of smiles, warm as the Sun; gifts for the taking. And year after year, for such a long, long time, He’s received the same reply: “Thanks, Dad, but no thanks\u2026\u00a0I’m good<\/i>\u2014just the way I am. Really.”<\/p>\n The broad smile freezes into an icy masque, hiding the hurt and rejection beneath the sparkling fa\u00e7ade. God turns aside, his shoulders\u00a0kavyochol<\/i>\u00a0sagging ever so slightly as if they were suddenly burdened with the weight of the entire universe\u2014 the universe He Himself had built. Slowly\u2026 painfully\u2026, He takes His two precious Blessings, lovingly crafted with great effort and exquisite detail, and places them tenderly back upon the shelf, unused and unappreciated.\u00a0 A single tear escapes the corner of His right eye, pauses briefly on His cheek before plunging, almost in slow motion, to the shelf below, where it craters the thick dust (the shelf is\u00a0very dusty<\/i>\u00a0after 2000 years). There it joins uncountable myriads of similar pockmarks left from previous years, the whole telling a tale as lonely and barren as the face of the moon[34]<\/a>.<\/i><\/p>\n Eichah yosheiv badad<\/i>.<\/p>\n At the end of a full year’s time, He dusts off those two\u00a0wonderful<\/i>\u00a0Blessings and offers them again in the same spirit of\u00a0boundless<\/i>\u00a0love<\/i>, a Father who wants nothing but the Best for His son (knowing all the while that the one thing He is\u00a0utterly powerless<\/i>\u00a0to control is His own son\u2019s decision[35]<\/a>) \u2014 in the hope that\u00a0this<\/i>\u00a0time they will meet with a more welcome reception.<\/p>\n That wasn\u2019t the way things were supposed to be. God was\u00a0supposed<\/i>\u00a0to have an intimate and exclusive partner\u2014\u00a0US<\/i>! His firstborn nation, His son, Israel, remember?<\/i><\/p>\n HaShem BADAD yanchenu v\u2019ein imo eil neichar[36]<\/b><\/a><\/i>\u2014\u201cHaShem\u00a0ALONE<\/i>\u00a0will lead them [Israel], and there is not with Him any foreign [idolatrous] power.\u201d<\/p>\n If we but allow HaShem to shower us with the blessings that He pines to give us then no longer will He and Tzion sit separate and alone. Instead they will dwell together in harmony:\u00a0Vayishkon Yisrael betach BADAD, ein Ya\u2019akov el eretz dagan v\u2019sirosh, af shamav ya\u2019arfu tal<\/i>[37]<\/a>\u2014\u201cAnd Israel\u00a0ALONE<\/i>\u00a0[unique amongst the Nations] will dwell [together\u00a0with<\/i>\u00a0HaShem] in security, the eye of Jacob gazing toward a land of grain and wine, nourished by His [HaShem\u2019s<\/i>!] heavens dripping with dew [of blessing]\u201d.<\/p>\n Being God must be very lonely and heartbreaking at times, I think. They say it\u2019s lonely at the top. How terribly, terribly lonely it must be at the Very, Very Top\u2026<\/p>\n But so it seems to be, at least for the present.<\/p>\n It is not proper to exit on such a sad note. Chaza\u2019l would never, never allow it. Before we leave the months and their blessings, one last look\u2014at the\u00a0next<\/i>\u00a0month after Av, Elul.<\/p>\n What is Elul\u2019s special brachah?<\/i><\/p>\n Nechamah<\/i>.<\/p>\n Certainly we do need consolation in the aftermath of our\u00a0contemporary<\/i>\u00a0Av experience. But, as always, there\u2019s more to it than that. As SR Hirsch points out,\u00a0nechamah<\/i>\u00a0does\u00a0NOT<\/i>\u00a0mean solace or consolation. It can\u2019t possibly. How would you translate the following two p\u2019sukim?<\/p>\n [HaShem witnessing the downward spiritual spiral of Man prior to the Flood, contemplating Man\u2019s destruction]<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n \u05d5\u05b7\u05d9\u05bc\u05b4\u05e0\u05bc\u05b8\u05d7\u05b6\u05dd<\/i><\/b>\u00a0\u05d9\u05b0-\u05d5\u05b8\u05d4 \u05db\u05bc\u05b4\u05d9-\u05e2\u05b8\u05e9\u05c2\u05b8\u05d4 \u05d0\u05b6\u05ea-\u05d4\u05b8\u05d0\u05b8\u05d3\u05b8\u05dd \u05d1\u05bc\u05b8\u05d0\u05b8\u05e8\u05b6\u05e5 \u05d5\u05b7\u05d9\u05bc\u05b4\u05ea\u05b0\u05e2\u05b7\u05e6\u05bc\u05b5\u05d1 \u05d0\u05b6\u05dc-\u05dc\u05b4\u05d1\u05bc\u05d5[38]<\/a>\u05b9:<\/p>\n \u00a0[HaShem relenting in His decision to destroy B\u2019nei Yisrael after the golden calf]<\/p>\n \u05d5\u05b7\u05d9\u05bc\u05b4\u05e0\u05bc\u05b8\u05d7\u05b6\u05dd<\/i><\/b>\u00a0\u05d9\u05b0-\u05d5\u05b9\u05b8\u05d4 \u05e2\u05b7\u05dc-\u05d4\u05b8\u05e8\u05b8\u05e2\u05b8\u05d4 \u05d0\u05b2\u05e9\u05c1\u05b6\u05e8 \u05d3\u05bc\u05b4\u05d1\u05bc\u05b6\u05e8 \u05dc\u05b7\u05e2\u05b2\u05e9\u05c2\u05d5\u05b9\u05ea \u05dc\u05b0\u05e2\u05b7\u05de\u05bc\u05d5[39]<\/a>\u05b9:<\/p>\n \u00a0Rather, the verb\u00a0nacham<\/i>\u00a0means \u2018to have a change of heart<\/i>\u2019. When we accept nechamah after a personal loss, that is exactly what happens. The external reality has not changed; our loss is\u2026still missing. Only our\u00a0attitude<\/i>\u00a0has changed, softened, and now we understand that we can continue our lives\u00a0in spite of<\/i>\u00a0our personal tragedy. Not\u00a0forgetting<\/i>\u00a0about our loss, but\u00a0carrying<\/i>\u00a0it<\/i>\u00a0with<\/i>\u00a0us<\/i>, maybe even being strengthened by it.<\/p>\n In the p\u2019sukim above, HaShem, too, kavyochol had a \u201cchange of heart\u201d in some fashion, regretting that He had made Man prior to the Mabul, and softening His anger at the eigel hazahav incident, willing to extend opportunity for forgiveness after Moshe\u2019s compelling arguments.<\/p>\n Thus Elul is a\u00a0month<\/i>\u00a0of<\/i>\u00a0transition\u00a0<\/i>between the months of Av and Tishrei. A month when we can pause, reassess, and perhaps have a\u00a0change of heart<\/i>. A month for teshuvah. A month when we can learn from our past mistakes and construct a better future for ourselves, starting anew with Rosh Hashanah. Perhaps HaShem, too, can have a change of heart when He sees our resolve, and create that better future in conjunction with us.<\/p>\n A FRESH LOOK AT A \u2018SAD\u2019 MONTH<\/strong><\/p>\n Armed with our new perspective on Av, let\u2019s reexamine the nature of Tu b\u2019Av and Tisha b\u2019Av one last time.<\/p>\n Is Tu b\u2019Av the day when HaShem actually issues His Divine Dispensations for good?<\/p>\n Most assuredly not! For instance, for those dancing maidens it was not really the day when their mates were chosen. According to the Gemarah, that actually occurred years earlier, at the moment of their conception:<\/p>\n Said Rav Yehudah omar Rav : 40 days before the formation of the embryo, a\u00a0Bas<\/i>\u00a0Kol<\/i>\u00a0goes out, stating \u201cthe daughter of so-and-so is [mated] to so-and-so\u201d[40]<\/a><\/p>\n Rather, Tu b\u2019Av was simply the day on which those maidens first became aware of the\u00a0details<\/i>\u00a0of the Divine decree\u2014the decree that had been issued many years earlier.<\/p>\n Similarly this was\u00a0not<\/i>\u00a0the day that The Decree of the generation-of-the-desert was reversed. That must have occurred at some earlier time; rather on Tu b\u2019Av they first\u00a0appreciated<\/i>\u00a0the goodness that HaShem had\u00a0previously<\/i>\u00a0done for them\u00a0[41]<\/a>.<\/p>\n Tu b’Av, then, is that day on which Man\u00a0appreciates<\/i>\u00a0that he has received a Good Judgment from on High, generally in reversal of a prior Judgment-for-Guilt.<\/p>\n And on which date was that Good Judgment actually issued\u2014both at the end of 38 years in the desert and for the Jews of ancient Persia? Well, there are a number of possibilities. It could have been on Rosh Hashanah. It could have been on Yom Kippur. However, most likely the Decree was issued\u00a0on Tisha b’Av itself[42]<\/b><\/a><\/i>. That embodies a sense of Divine symmetry (remember the Lesson of Moshe\u2019s Birthday?) and that is most in keeping with the sense of the Tisha b’Av\/Nacheim addition to our Sh\u2019moneh Esrei\u2014what was destroyed with\u00a0\u00a0fire<\/i><\/b>\u00a0\n
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