21 Jul Parshas Devarim

Had the people living in the era of the churban prayed and beseeched Hashem that the churban and the exile shouldn’t come to be, their prayers would have been answered and the destruction avoided. The Midrash (Eichah Rabba 5:5) states, “The evil Nevuchadnezzer told Nevuzradan (when Nevuzradan was bringing the Jewish people to exile) ‘Their G-d welcomes teshuvah … If they pray, Hashem will save them. Therefore, don’t let them stop walking for a moment, so they won’t have the peace of mind to call out to Hashem.’” Nevuzradan followed this counsel. If any of the exiles stopped walking along, their limbs were amputated by Nevuzradan’s soldiers. This source shows us that even Nevuchadnezzer knew that the Jews could thwart the exile with their tefillos, so he prevented them from praying. Chazal (Taanis 29) teach, “When the first Beis HaMikdash was destroyed it was erev Tisha b’Av, Motzei Shabbos … and the Levi’im were saying shirah … They were up to the words, “Hashem will demolish them,” (Tehillim 94) they didn’t yet say those words, and that’s when the non Jews seized the Beis HaMikdash. The same happened by the second Beis HaMikdash.” The implication is that had they said, “Hashem will demolish them,” the two Batei Mikdash wouldn’t be destroyed. Their tefillah would have prevented the Churban. The Mesilas Yesharim (19) writes, “One should constantly be praying for Bnei Yisrael’s redemption and for the revelation of Hashem’s honor. Perhaps one will ask, ‘Who am I, and why am I important that I should pray for the redemption and for Yerushalayim? Could it be that because of my prayers the dispersed will be gathered and the redemption will come?’ The answer to this question is, as it states in the Gemara, (Sanhedrin 37), ‘Adam was created alone so everyone should say, ‘the world was created just for me.’ Hashem has pleasure when His children pray to Him about this matter. Even if their requests aren’t answered — because the time hasn’t yet come, or for any other reason — nevertheless, they did what they should, and HaKadosh Baruch Hu is happy with that.” Humility is a primary, essential, and praiseworthy trait, but there is also a negative form of humility. That is being humble and not believing that his prayers can make a difference. It seems that Reb Zecharyah had this negative form of humility. He knew with his ruach hakodesh that the Beis HaMikdash would be destroyed, but he didn’t believe that Klal Yisrael has the ability to annul that decree with their tefillos. He didn’t appreciate the greatness of Klal Yisrael, and therefore he kept the information silent. Thus, Reb Yochanan was bemoaning this negative form of humility. This misplaced humility ended up destroying the Beis HaMikdash. The Yaaras Dvash (Drush 5) teaches that the first Beis HaMikdash was destroyed because people weren’t turning to Hashem in prayer. It wasn’t only that they didn’t pray for the redemption; it was also that, in general, people weren’t accustomed to praying to Hashem. That caused the destruction. As it states, “They didn’t pray to Hashem” (Tehillim 14:4).2 The Yaaras Dvash explains that we mourn primarily for the destruction of the first Beis HaMikdash. (The second Beis HaMikdash was only a respite.) Since the destruction came because they weren’t praying, prayer is the way to rebuild the Beis HaMikdash. The Gemara (Yoma 55:) states, “When the gentiles entered the Holy of Holies, they found the keruvim facing each other.” This is surprising, for when the Jewish nation perform Hashem’s will, the keruvim face each other, and in times of sin they turn away from each other (see Bava Basra 99.). So why were the keruvim facing each other at the time of the churban, at a time when there was sin? Reb Chaim Volozhiner (Nefesh HaChaim 1:8) writes, “It is known that one keruv represented Hashem and the other one represented the Jewish nation. According to the degree of closeness and connection of the Jewish people to Hashem — or chas veshalom the opposite — it was miraculously and wondrously seen by the positions of the keruvim. If the eyes of the Jewish nation were turned to Hashem, the keruvim would face one another. But if the Jewish nation turned away, or if they turned slightly to the side, that would immediately be seen by the positions of the keruvim. If, chas veshalom, they turn entirely around, the keruvim would suddenly turn away from each other, and they would be facing back to back.” The question is, therefore, why were they facing each other at the time of the churban? Perhaps, the keruvim faced each other to tell the Jewish nation that if they will turn to Hashem in prayer, Hashem will turn to them. With prayer we have potential to be united with Hashem, facing one another just as it was when the Beis HaMikdash stood. The Midrash Tanchumah (Vayeira 1) states, “Hakadosh Baruch Hu says to Bnei Yisrael, ‘Be careful with prayer, because there is nothing greater than it. Prayer is greater than the sacrifices… Even if the person doesn’t deserve that I should answer his prayers…nevertheless, because of his many prayers, I will do kindness with him…’” The Yaaras Dvash (Drush 5) writes, “Prayer (also called avodah) is all we have left in exile, since we can’t bring the sacrifices. One should pray with humility, bowed, without rushing, and with concentration. Fortunate are those who cry and have a broken heart, for such prayers will certainly be answered. What can we rely on in exile, and what will protect us if not prayer coming from the depths of the heart?’ Woe to us, for it states, ‘A cloud shadows over your prayer to prevent the prayers from going up’ (Eichah 3:44). This cloud is formed from forbidden speech, primarily from words spoken during prayer. However, if one prays with tears and concentration, his prayer will elevate the prayers of many years ago that were weak and didn’t have strength to go up. With his prayer with concentration and tears, they will go up and they will bring us goodness and blessings.” The Midrash states, “When Moshe saw that the Beis HaMikdash would be destroyed and bikurim would cease, he established set prayers three times a day.” The explanation is, bikurim thanks Hashem for the land, for the fruit, and for all the good Hashem gives us. What will remind us to thank Hashem after the churban? Therefore Moshe established set prayers three times a day to remember that everything comes from Hashem; we can’t take anything on our own. About the mitzvah of perikah the Torah states, “If you see the donkey of your enemy crouching under its [heavy] load… help [the owner unload the animal]” (Shmos 23:5). Hashem keeps the entire Torah, therefore when Hashem sees a Jew crouching under the heavy load of exile, Hashem will certainly help him. But the Torah says that the mitzvah of perikah is only when you meet it. As the Gemara states, “The Torah says, ‘When you see [the collapsed donkey].’ Perhaps the obligation to help is even if you see the fallen donkey from the distance? Therefore the Torah writes (one verse earlier) only when you meet up with the animal.” But if you see it from the distance, you aren’t obligated to go there to help the owner unload the donkey. Reb Yehudah of Assad zt’l says, Hashem keeps the mitzvah of perikah, and He helps every Jew who’s collapsing under the heavy load of exile, but the condition is that one has to meet Hashem in prayer. As the Gemara (Brachos 26:) states, the word העיגפ means prayer. Pray to Hashem, meet with Him, and he will relieve you from the heavy load you endure in exile. The Meiri says that the Gemara states clearly that each person should pray for himself. The Meiri writes, “One should always be confident that a proper prayer annuls decrees. Someone who has an ill family member, or any other trouble, should go to a chacham to learn the path of prayer, and then he himself should pray for Hashem’s compassion.” Someone told his problems to the Rebbe of Kotzk zt’l. The Rebbe asked, “Do you pray?” The man replied, “Believe me, I have so many problems, I am not able to pray.” The Kotzker said, “That’s your greatest problem. Why did you tell me your other problems before this one? You should have begun with your greatest problem, that you aren’t able to pray…” The Gemara (Yoma 9) states that the first Beis HaMikdash was destroyed because of idol worship, immorality, and murder, and the second Beis HaMikdash was destroyed because of baseless hatred. Then the Gemara adds the following: “By the first Beis HaMikdash, their sins were revealed, and they were therefore told when their exile will end (that after seventy years they would return to Eretz Yisrael). But by the second Beis HaMikdash, their sins weren’t revealed and therefore they weren’t told when this exile will end.” After the first Beis HaMikdash, we knew that the exile would be for seventy years, but we were never told how long this present exile will be. The Gemara explains that this is because the sins of the first Beis HaMikdash were revealed, the sins of the second Beis HaMikdash weren’t revealed. Rashi explains, by the first Beis HaMikdash it was revealed who was a rasha and who was a tzaddik. The wicked didn’t hide under a cloak of righteousness. In the merit of their transparency, they were told when their exile will end. But by the second Beis HaMikdash, the wicked would conceal their corruption and put on an appearance of righteousness. Since their sins were concealed, the redemption was also concealed from them. Rebbe Yohonoson Eibshitz zy’a explains the Gemara using a different approach. He says that, “By the first Beis HaMikdash, their sins were revealed” means that their sins are clearly stated in the Navi. The verse say they were being punished for idol worship, immorality, and murder. They knew their sins and the cause of the destruction, so they knew what they had to improve. Therefore, it didn’t take them all that long to improve their ways, because they knew exactly what they had to fix. Seventy years later, they were redeemed. “But by the second Beis HaMikdash, their sins weren’t revealed.” In that era, there weren’t prophets to tell them why they were being punished. Furthermore, even when they were told that the second Beis HaMikdash was destroyed because of sinas chinam, it is hard for people to consciously accept that, because sinas chinam doesn’t appear to be a severe sin. Since they didn’t know the reason for their exile and for the churban, it was harder for them to do teshuvah. Nearly two thousand years have passed, and we aren’t redeemed yet.