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    TISHA B’AV: REPRESENTING HASHEM

    One of the prohibitions that
    apply on Tishah B’Av is that
    we do not wear normal
    shoes. In the olden days,
    people would walk about
    barefoot on Tishah B’Av,
    whereas nowadays we have
    non-leather shoes or slippers that we
    wear. Fundamentally, though, Tishah B’Av is
    a day when we do not wear shoes. Let’s look
    at the other times when shoes are not
    permitted:
    • Yom Kippur.
    • Kohanim serving in the Bet Ha’mikdash.
    • When Hashem appeared to Moshe at the
    burning bush, He told him to take off his
    shoes, because it was a holy site.
    • When Yehoshua saw an angel, the angel
    told him to remove his shoes.
    If we take Tishah B’Av out of this list, we see
    a pattern: removing shoes is associated with
    holiness.
    Moshe and Yehoshua were told to remove
    their shoes when they were speaking to
    Hashem, or to an angel. The kohanim remove
    their shoes when they serve in the sacred site
    of the Bet Ha’mikdash. On Yom Kippur, we

    achieve a special level of holiness, so we
    keep our shoes off.
    The Rabbis explain that after the sin of Adam
    and Havah in Gan Eden, Hashem cursed the
    ground, and this is why we generally wear
    shoes. But when we achieve kedushah, we
    undo the curse, and so we remove our
    shoes. (This also explains why mourners
    don’t wear shoes – to show that their loved
    one has left this world, and is now in the next
    world, where there is no curse.)
    BUT WHAT ABOUT TISHAH B’AV?
    Why do we take off our shoes on Tishah
    B’Av?
    The answer lies in a basic understanding of
    what Tishah B’Av is, why we mourn, and
    why we look forward to the time
    when Mashiah comes and the Bet
    Ha’mikdash is rebuilt.
    Most people want Mashiah because all their
    problems are then going to be solved. But this
    is not the most important thing that will
    happen when Mashiah comes. At that time,
    the whole world will recognize
    Hashem. There will be a great kiddush
    Hashem. Hashem’s greatness will be seen
    and felt by EVERYBODY. This is what we
    hope for.
    On Tishah B’Av we remove our shoes like we
    do on Yom Kippur and like the kohanim do in
    the Bet Ha’mikdash – because we look
    forward to the time when the earth with be
    filled with kedushah, filled with an awareness
    of Hashem.
    But even while we wait for Mashiah, we can
    start achieving this goal, right now. Today.
    And we do this by realizing that we represent
    Hashem to the world, and that we are able to
    bring glory to Hashem, to make a kiddush
    Hashem, by the way we conduct ourselves.
    It does not matter AT ALL how religious you
    look. They know we’re Jews. And they’re
    watching us. Very carefully. So, the way we
    conduct ourselves is the way Hashem is
    represented to the world.
    Making a kiddush Hashem, acting in a way
    which brings respect to the Jewish Nation
    and to Hashem, is not just about making sure
    the non-Jews like us. It’s so much more than
    that. It’s about being excited and proud about
    who we are, about having a special
    relationship with Hashem. If we are proud
    about our distinction as Hashem’s special
    nation, then of course we want to make a

    good impression. Of course we want to
    conduct ourselves in a dignified, respectable
    manner.
    If an employee goes to a meeting on behalf of
    his company, then assuming his job is
    important to him, he will want very much to
    represent his company in a way which brings
    respect. The same is true of our Jewishness. If
    we are proud of who we are, then we want to
    represent our “company” in a way which
    brings us respect.
    We don’t have to wait till Mashiah comes to
    fill the world with kedushah. We can do this
    right now, by acting in a manner which makes
    a kiddush Hashem, in a manner which brings
    glory to G-d and to His beloved nation.