Community members gathered at Congregation Anshei Shalom in Jamaica Estates for a shiur, hosted by Chazaq and featuring Rebbetzin Amit Yaghoubi, well-known speaker on TorahAnytime.
She began by sharing that in 1986, when there was a competition to choose a teaching professional to be the first to go into outer space as part of the crew of the Space Shuttle Challenger, there were 70,000 applicants. In first place was a teacher named Christa McAuliffe. The second-place teacher was a frum woman living in Baltimore. Rebbetzin Yaghoubi shared that the teacher was, of course, disappointed that she got so far but not up to first place. Then, sadly, there was a tragedy, and the Challenger space shuttle blew up, killing everyone on board.
In school, on the next day, one of the Baltimore teacher’s second-graders told her that he wished that she had been on the rocket. Her first reaction was: How could he say such a terrible thing? She held back her disbelief and anger and asked him why he said that. He told her, “Because you are such a tzadekes that if you had been on it, it wouldn’t have blown up.”
Rebbetzin Yaghoubi taught that we are in the month of Tamuz now and during the Three Weeks. Hashem tells us to take a look at our eyes. Eyes refer to our perception of the world. Four people in the same situation will see four different scenes because of what they are focused on. The sin that caused Tish’ah B’Av was perception. Moshe Rabbeinu was sure that when B’nei Yisrael saw the large fruits of the land, brought back by the 12 Spies, they would see how wonderful the land was. However, the Spies brought back the large fruits because they wanted B’nei Yisrael to see this as a negative – that there were giants there. When B’nei Yisrael saw the fruits, they in fact feared that there were giants living in the land and they didn’t see the perspective that Moshe thought they would – that the land was wonderful because of the giant fruit. The fruit caused them to panic. The Spies’ perception was incorrect. What can we do to shift how we perceive things?
These Three Weeks correspond to the 21 days between Rosh HaShanah and Simchas Torah. How is Simchas Torah parallel to Tish’ah B’Av? Sadly, this year, Tish’ah B’Av connected to Simchah Torah. The happiest day of the year became the saddest one.
She spoke about how to turn Simchas Torah of this year into the happy holiday it wasn’t last year. She noted how, when Moshe hit the rock, he missed an opportunity to do kiddush Hashem. Hashem told him to take the stick, but He wasn’t supposed to hit the rock. He was supposed to speak to it. It was the rock from the well of Miriam. Hashem was teaching us a lesson by telling him to take the stick. In this world there are two ways to get what we need. One way is via our mouth. The most powerful tool we possess is t’filah. Then there is another way, which is by force, which is symbolized by the stick. There is motivation and manipulation, and there is a time for both. We want to always first choose motivation.
We want to see our power of t’filah, power of the mouth, and align ourselves to be in the direct flow of the brachah that Hashem is sending. We can say to Hashem: Please guide me in the way You want me to go, in order to pour brachah onto me. Instead of breaking down walls, there’s another way to step under His flow and to receive His blessing. This is the avodah of the Three Weeks. Hashem asks us – both literally and figuratively – to lower the music of the world outside of us. Instead of distracting ourselves, we need to mourn, but not be drawn into depression. Hashem says: If you can receive My discomfort with love, then I can shift you into g’ulah.
She shared how the Chazal teach that the bitter waters in the Midbar were bitter because we were bitter. We ask Hashem that we should not become bitter.
We acknowledge to Hashem that the painful things in the world hurt so much, but we are not going to become negative people. She noted how hurt people hurt people.
Hashem says that He realizes how much pain we still have, and we maintain being able to sanctify His name.
She quoted a Gemara that if you are looking for a lost object, you say the following: “Everything is considered hidden. Everyone is considered blind until Hashem opens the eyes of the Jewish people.” The idea is that something can be right in front of me but I’m blind to it, unless Hashem opens my eyes.
Every morning when we recite the brachah thanking Hashem for opening our eyes, we are thanking Him both for physical eyesight and we are also asking Him to open our eyes to all we have been blind to until now.
“May we see the 21 saddest days culminating to the saddest day of the year correspond to the 21 happiest days of the year culminating in the happiest day of Simchas Torah.”
She shared that Hashem’s focus is on us. We need to ask ourselves if we are focused on what Hashem wants from us.
The Three Weeks is a time of introspection and contemplation.
This shiur can be heard on TorahAnytime.com.
By Susie Garber
