[Avodah] Seeing the Simcha of Yerushalayim

[Micha Berger]

On Fri, Jul 12, 2013 at 10:21:08PM +0000, Kenneth Miller wrote:
: There's a famous gemara on Taanis 30b which is often translated as,
: "Whoever mourns for Yerushalayim will be zocheh to see her simchah." But
: I noticed that the last phrase - zocheh v'roeh b'simchasa - is in the
: present tense, not the future.
..
: Rather, the gemara is describing the *current* situation. One who mourns
: properly is not merely affected by the Churban deeply and personally,
: as if he was living through it. More than that, he sees it in its proper
: perspective through all of history. If one can grasp the reality of
: the Churban to that extent, then he can appreciate the reality of the
: Rebuilding just as strongly, and he can share in Yershalayim's joy in
: the here and now, just as surely as Rabbi Akiva did, when he laughed
: upon seeing the foxes on Har HaBayis.

R' Elchanan Adler makes the same grammatical observation. In
<http://download.yutorah.org/2013/1053/Tisha_Bav_To-Go_-_5773_Rabbi_Adler.pdf>
he offers a similar (but lengthier) answer:

    This cathartic experience of "zoche vero'eh besimchasa" -- in the
    present tense -- is closely associated with a phenomenon known as
    "nechama," commonly translated as "consolation." The motif of nechama
    is embedded within Tisha B'Av ritual and liturgy but only emerges
    after midday of Tisha B'Av. This is why after chatzos (midday),
    some of the Tisha B'Av restrictions are lifted. Also, the Mincha
    Amida includes the prayer of Nachem, which asks for consolation;
    a theme that is omitted during Shacharis. Let us understand the
    message of nechama that is inherent in Tisha B'Av.

    In truth, there is something very puzzling about associating nechama
    with Tisha B'Av afternoon. The Gemara (Ta'anis 29a) tells us that
    it was on the eve of the ninth of Av that the Beis Hamikdash was set
    aflame and it was over the course of the next two days -- the ninth
    day of Av through the tenth -- that it was completely consumed
    by the flames. Based on this, Rabbi Yochanan observed that had
    he been present at that time, he would have ordained that the day
    of mourning be the tenth of Av rather than the ninth. The Rabbis,
    however, who selected the ninth of Av, did so because it was on the
    eve of the ninth that the process of destruction had begun. Even
    so, in view of the fact that much of the Beis Hamikdash continued
    to burn throughout the afternoon of the ninth, does it not seem
    incongruous that precisely this period should be designated as
    nechama? The answer may lie in the etymology of the word nechama,
    which, apart from its common meaning, "consolation," also implies
    "reconsideration." For example, in the aftermath of the sin of the
    golden calf we read (Shemos 32:14) "vayinachem Hashem al hara'ah
    asher diber la'asos l'amo," "Hashem reconsidered -- changed His mind,
    as it were -- concerning the evil that he had originally sought to
    do to his nation."

    Why is the Hebrew word for "consolation" identical with that of
    "reconsideration?" The answer is because the essence of consolation
    is the ability to shift perspective -- to look at the same reality
    and to "reconsider," to see it in a different light. While from an
    earlier perspective, a tragedy might be viewed in stark "black and
    white" terms -- as senseless and meaningless -- nechama allows for
    shades of gray, leading one to perceive a silver lining within the
    depth of the suffering. While a painful void and gnawing questions
    still remain, the spirit of nechama begins to uncover Divine grace,
    permitting people to discern the hidden hand of Providence underlying
    the apparent madness, and encouraging them to use the painful
    experience as an impetus to move forward creatively. In short,
    nechama connotes the ability to reconsider. Although externally
    nothing may have changed, and things may, on occasion, even seem
    worse, internally, a transformation has taken place in the meaning
    that one assigns to this harsh reality.

    Shafach Chamaso Al Eitzim Va'avanim:
    Discovering the Silver Lining

    Chazal (Eicha Rabbah 4:14) identify what is perhaps the quintessential
    element in the process of nechama for churban Beis Hamikdash --
    namely, the fact that while the physical structure of the Beis
    Hamikdash was destroyed, the Jewish people, as a whole, survive. G-d
    poured out his wrath on the wood and stones that comprised the
    physical structure of the Temple -- but it could have been far
    worse. The awareness that the Temple was the target of the punishment
    while the people were spared is the theme that lies at the heart
    of nechama. It represents the shift in perspective that brings with
    it a measure of consolation as we come to grips with the tragedy of
    churban Beis Hamikdash.

    It is precisely for this reason, the Gaon of Vilna explains (OC
    555:1), that the period after midday on the ninth of Av was designated
    as a time for nechama. It was then, while the Temple burnt to a crisp,
    that the "silver lining" of "shafach chamaso al eitzim va'avanim,"
    "He poured out his wrath on the wood and stones," became apparent. As
    tragic and painful as things were, a renewed perspective allows for
    some consolation -- in the knowledge that at the height of tragedy,
    Hashem made sure to spare the nation. On Tisha B'Av night and earlier
    on in the day, we do not allow ourselves to take such comfort. We
    feel devastated as we engage in tearful mourning and recite the
    kinos. But somehow, as a result of this process, we are suddenly
    left with a ray of hope -- "zoche ve'ro'eh besimchasa." We begin
    to detect the chasdei Hashem, the Divine grace, within the throes
    of the churban itself -- "shafach chamaso al eitzim va'avanim." This
    sense of nechama gives us the ability to move on.
    ...

-Micha

-- 
Micha Berger             Zion will be redeemed through justice,
micha at aishdas.org        and her returnees, through righteousness.
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