14 Jul DEVARIM: SHABBOS CHAZON

The Shabbos
before Tisha b’Av
is called Shabbos
Chazon because
the haftarah begins
with the words
Chazon Yeshayahu,
“Yeshayahu’s
vision.”
Nevertheless, the
name is surprising
because why
should we name
the Shabbos after
the haftarah that

discusses the Churban?
As the Kedushas Levi (Eichah) asks,
“Why is this Shabbos called Chazon if it
isn’t praise for Yisrael?!”
The Kedushas Levi answers (Drushei
Tzemech Tzaddik, Eichah) that Chazon
means a vision, and on this Shabbos,
Hashem shows every Yid the vision of
how the world will appear when the third
Beis HaMikdash is built.
The Kedushas Levi tells the following
mashal:
A king granted his son a present, a gift

that befits a prince. It was an expensive
suit. But the prince played outdoors and
ripped and soiled his clothing.
The king ordered another set of clothes,
but the prince ruined those too.
The king saw that his son was too young
to wear these expensive clothes, so he
ordered a third set of royal clothes, and he
told his son, “When you mature and I see
that you can take care of your clothing, I
will give it to you.”
Once a year, the king would take out the
beautiful garments and show them to his
son. He did this so his son would desire
them and improve his behavior. The king
would tell his son, “When I see that you
are responsible and ready, I will give it
to you.”
This is what occurs each year on Shabbos
Chazon. Hashem shows us the third Beis
HaMikdash and what life will be like at
that time. Hashem tells us, “I am showing
you the future era on this Shabbos, so you
will desire it and yearn for it. When I see
that you are ready for it, I will give it to
you.”
The Tzaddikim of Bobov zt’l would
advise their chassidim to bring in Shabbos

early on Shabbos Chazon, to turn some
of the mourning of the Nine Days into a
time of joy.
The Ohev Yisrael writes, “We can say that
Shabbos Chazon is the greatest Shabbos of
the year.” The Gemara (Yevamos 62) says
that the love between people increases
right before their separation. The Ohev
Yisrael explains that at the time of the
Destruction, the love between Hashem
and the Jewish nation was at its peak, as
it was a moment before a separation. This
is the uniqueness of this Shabbos, the
greatness of such an uplifting Shabbos.
It is a time of incredible closeness with
Hashem.
The Midrash says, “There wasn’t a
holiday for Yisrael like the day the
Beis HaMikdash was destroyed.” Ohev
Yisrael explains that this is because
of the closeness with Hashem that we
experienced before the separation.
The Gemara (Bava Basra 99.) teaches
that when the Yidden served Hashem,
the keruvim in the Beis HaMikdash faced
each other. When the Yidden didn’t serve
Hashem, the keruvim turned away from
each other. They were gold figures, yet

they miraculously moved on their own,
in accordance with the extent of the
connection between Hashem and the
Jewish nation. Chazal (Yoma 54:) say,
“When the goyim entered the Kodesh
Kadoshim, they found the keruvim
embracing one another”! The Rishonim
ask, that at this time of the destruction,
when the nation was guilty of the three
cardinal aveiros, idolatry, murder, and
adultery, the keruvim should have been
turned away from each other! Why were
they facing and embracing one another?
Ohev Yisrael answers that this was the
love that preceded the separation.