Look Beyond

This week we once again come to Parshas Devarim on the Shabbos immediately before Tisha B’Av, or more accurately on the date of Tisha B’av itself. Whenever a specific Parsha is so closely associated with a particular time of year we must endeavor to understand the connection between the two. In this case, however, perhaps we can also try to understand how we can change the connection: can we find a message in the Parsha that will help us reach the day when Tisha B’Av is celebrated as a Yom Tov rather than a day of mourning?

As we know, Parshas Devarim is the beginning of the lengthy Drasha given by Moshe Rabbeinu to Klal Yisroel prior to his Petirah. This speech, which comprises most of Sefer Devarim not only reviews much of the Torah and Mitzvos but also contains words of Tochacha that we directed at Klal Yisroel in the hopes of helping them avoid repeating their past errors.

The Torah begins by telling us “Ela HaDevarim Asher Diber Moseh El Kol Yisroel.” Rashi explains that Moshe spoke to the entirety of Klal Yisroel because had he only spoken to part, the others would goad them for standing by and taking the Mussar, so to speak. They would say: “Why didn’t you respond to Moshe with such-and-such a response?” To avoid any such discord, Moshe spoke to everyone at once, leaving no one room to criticize the others.

Even taking into account the words of Rashi, however, the inclusion of the word “Kol” is noteworthy: if the Torah had told us that Moshe spoke to “Bnei Yisroel” the assumption would have been that he spoke to the whole nation—when Moshe is told “Daber El Bnei Yisroel” throughout the Torah are we to assume that it was anything but the entire Klal Yisroel? Why does the Torah have to include the word “Kol” in this case?

There is a rather obscure collection of Medrashim, known as Medrash Yelamdenu, that includes a passage which seems to be addressing this point. The Medrash says that in this case there was a Nes and the voice of Moshe Rabbienu carried throughout the Machaneh Yisroel, which was an area of 10 Mil, and every person heard him at the same time. It would seem from this Medrash that at other times the entire nation was informed of Moshe’s words, but perhaps not directly and certainly not simultaneously, but in this case the Nes caused the entire nation, “Kol Yisroel” to hear the message at once.

We may still wonder, however, why this Nes was necessary: why did the entire Tzibbur have to hear Moshe’s voice at the same time? We would assume that all the messages of Moshe Rabbeinu had been disseminated successfully in the past, why was there a need for a change in this case?

Perhaps we can understand this based on the next part of the Medrash. R’ Elazar HaKafar explains that the word “Kol” is also exclusionary: the entirety of Klal Yisroel the Tochacha of Moshe Rabbeinu at once because his voice was amplified via the Nes—but no one outside the Machaneh heard it. The very same Nes that ensured that Moshe’s voice would be heard by everyone in the Machaneh prevented those outside the Machaneh, namely the Umos HaOlam, from hearing it at all. Because Moshe was criticizing Klal Yisroel, and would mention their faults, it would be embarrassing if other nations were privy to the speech, and so they were unable to hear the voice of Moshe no matter their proximity to Machaneh Yisroel. Thus, the Torah tells us “Kol Yisroel” because every single member of Klal Yisroel heard the Tochacha, at the same exact time, but they were the only ones—members of other nations could not hear it at all.

Perhaps, though, we can see something else from this Medrash in regards to the words “Kol Yisroel.”

One can imagine that as Moshe spoke words of Mussar and Tochacha, there were various members of Klal Yisroel that perhaps felt that they were not as deserving of critique as others, and they maybe they were in fact correct. Circumstance may have dictated that some people were not involved in the Aveiros that Moshe Rabbeinu discussed, or perhaps not involved on the same level or to the same degree as others. Nonetheless, each and every person in the Machaneh heard the words of Moshe Rabbeinu at the same time—in this aspect we were equal.

Perhaps the message was meant for those who were on a higher Madreigah, and would look askance at those who they felt were more deserving of the Tochacha. On the other hand, maybe the message was for those that were indeed subject to the words of Moshe Rabbienu, who had been more involved in the incidents he discussed, and may have felt less then worthy of their membership in Klal Yisroel as they heard these words of Mussar. Both of these groups of people would gain by the fact that everyone heard Moshe’s words at the same time, the field was leveled so to speak: we are a Klal, made up of parts, with our respective Ma’alos and Chisronos.

I think this is a very befitting thought as we approach Tisha B’Av and can indeed help us understand an integral aspect of this day.

Chazal tells us that Bayis Sheni was destroyed due to Sinas Chinam, baseless hatred that existed between members of Klal Yisroel. While we all know this, and accept it as fact, it is somewhat difficult to understand why this was the case. We are told that Bayis Rishon was destroyed because people were engaged in terrible Avieros: Shefichas Damim, Avodah Zarah and Giluy Arayos. Sinas Chinam seems like a relatively “minor” Aveirah in comparison. Why then did this cause the Churban?

Perhaps we can understand this based on a thought offered by R’ Shimshon Pincus.

R’ Shimshon notes that if one were to walk into the Bais Hamikdash and witness the Avodah, they would see activities that were related only to Gashmiyus: Shechita of Korbanos, the apparent roasting of the meat and Kohanim eating their portion. There was a lot of hustle and bustle and noise—an altogether busy scene that defys what would might imagine goes on in a “temple.”

We know, however, that this is deceptive: all of these activities were done B’Kedusha UViTahara and were indeed the apex of Ruchniyas. The Avodas Beis Hamikdash accomplished nothing other than forging a connection between us and the Borei Olam—the most lofty goal possible. To someone who does not understand this, however, there would be no value to the Avodah, for it would all seem so basically physical.

When we engage in Sinas Chinam, it is often because we base our opinion of others on that which meets the eye and nothing else. When we look deeper, perhaps get to know them or their circumstances better, the barriers are removed and the Sinah may even be transformed into Ahava. If we refuse to do so, and judge others only by what we see, we are in fact doomed to a life of Sinas Chinam.

Perhaps this is why Aviera of Sinas Chinam, which seems relatively minor, caused the Churban. A person who is unable to look beyond the apparent, to search for deeper connection or the underlying reason for a particular occurrence, cannot have a connection to the Bias Hamikdash. Such a person would be unable to see past the apparent Gashmiyus and connect to the innate Ruchniyas that the Avodah represented.

When we became a people of Sinas Chinam, a nation of those who refuse to look beyond what we can immediately see, we could no longer be Zoche to the Bais Hamikdash because we would be unable to gain from the Avodah. We were not capable of seeing Tahara in the Shechita of an animal, or of seeing the Kedusha in the Zerikas HaDam, because we were conditioned to base our reality solely on what we could readily perceived.

When Moshe was set to deliver his final words of Mussar to Klal Yisroel, he did so in a way that all heard it at the same time in order to remove the barriers that may have existed. One who was less deserving of rebuke heard it at exactly the same time, in the same manner and inflection as those who were the most deserving. No one person could look at another and judge their level of culpability based solely on when or how they heard the Tochacha—only a deeper knowledge of circumstance would enable, or even give them a right, to do so. In doing so, Moshe Rabbeinu taught us that we must highlight our commonalities rather than our distinctions, and look beyond the flaws that we may perceive if we wish to exist as “Kol Yisroel.” We are told that the Bais HaMikdash cannot be rebuilt until we eradicate the Avieros that caused the Churban. Perhaps this is not a punitive punishment, but due to the fact that we will not be able to appreciate the Bayis Shlishi until we are able to look beyond what we can see, to have a more insightful perspective and rely less on our instincts. By trying to eradicate our impulse to judge others and base our opinion of them only on what we can see, we can train ourselves to look beyond the apparent and prepare ourselves to fully appreciate the Bayis Shlishi, and celebrate the day when the words “Korah Alai Moed” are not a dream but a reality.