Q:
How do we concentrate on the churban but still not cause ourselves to be b’atzvus? We have to be עבדו את ה׳ בשמחה, serving Hashem in happiness.
A:
Let me tell you something. If you have a successful Tisha B’Av, you’re becoming a happy man as a result. It’s גילו ברעדה – you rejoice from your trembling. If you’re able to sit down on the floor – even now you can do it on the floor. You don’t have to wait for Tisha B’av. Sit down for a moment on the floor and think of what we once had. It’s a shleimus. It’s a perfection. It’s a success in you. To sit on the floor for one minute before you go to sleep and say al naharos Bavel sham yashavnu gam bachinu.
You never did it? Oh, do it now. Someone is sitting on the floor right now. Imagine you’re doing it. שם ישבנו גם בכינו. Ah ah ah! It’s a greatness of spirit to mourn for the past.
The more you mourn for the past the more you’re going to rejoice for the rest of your life. Hakadosh Baruch Hu will give you happiness and He’ll give you פאר תחת אפר – glory instead of the ashes (Yeshaya 61:3). Not in the world to come. Right now it will be pe’er tachas eifer.
So you won’t become sad because of Tisha B’Av. Nobody becomes sad because of Tisha B’Av. Tisha B’Av makes you feel that you worked and you accomplished something.
By the way, I want to tell you a little secret. When Tisha B’Av is over and you sit down to eat, make use of the opportunity to see how good it is to eat food. You hear that? You didn’t think about that. When Tisha B’Av is over and you sit down to eat, think how wonderful a gift food is. That’s what fasting has to be bring you to, to be makir the chasdei Hashem.
As long as you have food you ignore it. When you don’t have food then you have a chance to recognize how great food is. Food is the greatest gift of Hashem in the world. You have to understand that. כי הוא א-ל זן. Keil means He is zan. רב להושיע – His greatness is to help. What’s His greatness? משיב הרוח ומוריד הגשם מכלכל חיים בחסד! That’s the greatness of Hashem. He feeds the world. So although Tisha B’Av is for other purposes but agav orcha when you come to eat Motzei Tisha B’Av spend a minute or two thinking what a wonderful gift food is.
Can anybody manufacture food? Nobody. Food is only Hashem. כי הוא א-ל זן. Only Hashem can make food. You can process food but you cannot make food. Milk? Only cows can make milk. Nobody can manufacture milk. There are substitutes but it’s not the real thing. Only a cow can make milk. And who made the cow?
And therefore as you’re eating Motzei Tisha B’Av keep in mind the wonderful gift. Hakadosh Baruch Hu is זן את העולם כולו – He feeds the whole world! ברוך אתה ה׳ הזן את הכל!
TAPE # E-150 (July 30, 1998)
