It is axiomatic that every holiday of the year has a specific avodah – a spiritual focus – often with physical actions, but at least conceptually. Each holiday is unique and strengthens a certain component of our religious identity. Our goal is that when the holiday concludes, we feel elevated and with renewed conviction in our faith and religious practice.
Tish’ah B’Av is most unique in that regard. While it is very much not a day of celebration, it does have a unique form of avodah. Tish’ah B’Av teaches us the vital idea of maintaining one’s faith in the darkest of times, of being able to persevere despite anguish and theological questions.
What are we supposed to take out of Tish’ah B’Av? What emotion and spiritual focus should remain with us from the saddest of days?
I’ve seen a few reports from IDF soldiers who related that in every home in Gaza there are pictures of the Har HaBayis – either of the Dome of the Rock or of the Al-Aqsa Mosque. Some of the pictures are passport-size, while others are as big as an entire wall. But there are pictures everywhere.
A mother of a soldier asked her son what the first thing is that he’ll do when he returns from Gaza. He immediately replied that he would hang up a picture of the Har HaBayis in his living room. She expressed surprise that he didn’t say he would take a warm shower or eat a home-cooked meal. He explained that if the residents of Gaza have multiple pictures of the Har HaBayis in their homes, how could we not do the same? We need to learn from our enemies to value and treasure our most sacred place on earth.
Shabbos is not merely a day on our calendar. The Torah instructs “V’shamru B’nei Yisrael es haShabbos,” literally meaning that the Jewish people must guard the Shabbos. The Ohr HaChaim notes that the word shomer can also mean to wait longingly and anticipate. When Yosef shared his fateful dreams with his brothers, the Torah states that Yaakov Avinu yelled at him that his dreams were impossible to come true. The dream showed that Yosef’s mother would bow to him, but Rachel was no longer alive. (It actually was a reference to Bilhah, who became a surrogate mother to Yosef after Rachel died.) Yaakov only yelled at Yosef in an effort to mitigate the brothers’ animosity and jealousy towards Yosef. But, in reality, “v’aviv shamar es ha’davar – his (Yosef’s) father guarded the matter” (B’reishis 37:11). Rashi explains that this means that Yaakov waited and anticipated the fruition of the dreams.
Similarly, when the Torah says that we must guard Shabbos, it means we have to be excited for Shabbos and prepare for it longingly.
In Parshas Pinchas, the Torah teaches about the Korban Tamid. (Rav Chaim Kanievsky zt”l writes that reciting the Korban Tamid in the morning is “like an obligation.”) Regarding the daily obligation to bring the Korban Tamid, the pasuk states: “tishm’ru l’hakriv li b’moado – You should guard (be vigilant) to bring it in its set time.” Rabbi Avigdor Nebenzhal shlita explains that by using the word “tishm’ru,” the pasuk is also telling us that we must anticipate and wait for the opportunity to bring the daily Tamid.
Tish’ah B’Av reminds us that the Beis HaMikdash and daily Avodah performed there must be an ongoing focus in our lives.
The Gemara (Shabbos 31a) states that a Jew is obligated to anticipate and wait for the Messianic redemption every day. In fact, one of the first four questions one is asked after leaving this world is if he fulfilled this obligation.
We should not do less than our enemies, who make the Har HaBayis a central focus of their lives. It should pain us that Muslims are allowed to ascend the Har HaBayis freely today while we can only watch from a distance. We should long for the opportunity to return to where we belong and fulfill the many p’sukim in the Torah that detail the daily and periodic korbanos.
Thinking about the Beis HaMikdash cannot be limited to Tish’ah B’Av. “Tishm’ru l’hakriv li b’moado” is a mandate to remind us to yearn our way home.
Rabbi Dani Staum, LMSW, a rebbe at Heichal HaTorah in Teaneck, New Jersey, is a parenting consultant and maintains a private practice for adolescents and adults. He is also a member of the administration of Camp Dora Golding for over two decades. Rabbi Staum was a community rabbi for ten years, and has been involved in education as a principal, guidance counselor, and teacher in various yeshivos. Rabbi Staum is a noted author and sought-after lecturer, with hundreds of lectures posted on torahanytime.com. He has published articles and books about education, parenting, and Torah living in contemporary society. Rabbi Staum can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. His website containing archives of his writings is www.stamTorah.info.
