Rabbi Yitzchak Breitowitz - The Tenth of Tevet

On that very day, the king of Bavl began his siege. So as a result, this is when we first begin chronologically. This is the chronologically first fast day that makes us think about the bik. We know that later on the 17th of Tamuz is when the Romans burst into the city and on tishabove both the bay rishon and the bay sheni took place. One thing that is a bit unique about now again to go back to the indicates that on the eth of much later that is when the Greek translation was completed of the Torah where Talmay wanted a copy of the Torah in Greek and 70 elders were put in separate rooms and they translated and they made various changes and they all came to the same uh conclusions. And even though one might think, oh, a translation should be a cause for celebration, described as as the famous or the infamous Septuagent, the Tarum was considered to number one introduce the ability of non-Jews to distort the Torah, a practice that goes on to this very day. It also discouraged some Jews from becoming literate in the lashes and indeed the Alexandrian communities. We're in fact very ignorant of Hebrew. When the Gmor McGiller talks about writing a safer Torah in Greek and it acknowledges that as a possibility, it is referring specifically to that gahila. And finally, in every translation, there are so many nuances and subtleties that by definition are going to get lost. So although we do acknowledge that art scroll and all of the fine translators have a role in the world, we need them unfortunately but they are in the nature of a crutch and kazal say they were not the best optimal way of learning Torah. That was the tragedy of the eighth of the ninth of tab. Theos tell us that this was the death of Ezra and in many ways Ezra was considered to be the second Mosher Rabenu building up the community of Ami Israel after the 70 years of the Babylonian exile. There was so much intermarriage, assimilation, ignorance of Torah. And Ezra was the one who brought this back to Ami Israel, brought them to Chuva, brought them to learning, created the body of the Ansh Kinesis Abdullah, that reconstituted Jewish society. And although you might say, well, why should we fast when Ezra died if we don't fast when Mosher Rabenu died? But the answer is that although Mosha Rabbena was of course irreplaceable but he left Yahosua and Khazal say if the face of Moshe was like the sun, Yoshua was like the moon that was able to reflect the light of the sun. But with Ezra we have a different problem. The Gammoran says in Migilla Ezra is the same as the prophet Mali. Mali was the last noi. When Ezra died there was also Nva that died from Israel. such a so we have the eighth the translation of the Torah into Greek. We have the ninth, the death of Ezra who is considered to be Mameshaka Mosher Rabeno. Then we have the 10th which is the earliest of those events when the Melik began the siege against Jerusalem. If we focus on the reason why the 10th is the fast and that is the king of Babylon began his siege against Jerusalem. It's very interesting for every other fast the nth of a we think about both the bayas rishon and the bay sheni 17th of tamas is primarily the bay sheni because the Romans broke into on the 17th of Thomas the Babylonians broke into the ninth of Thomas and that we don't observe because khal didn't want to make two tan so close together so tishaba we certainly are connected to the bay sheni shivas or batamas is connected to the Bayi. But as far as we know Assaures does not have any significance visiar to the bias. One might ask a question. Why am I mourning the bay? The bias the bias was destroyed but then it got rebuilt. If it got rebuilt and then it was destroyed later, I'm mourning the loss of the second mish. Am I still mourning the loss of the first mikdash? And the answer is yes indeed we are mourning the loss of the first mikdash because even when we got the second mikdash we never regained what it is we lost in the first mikdash. We lost nua we lost the kodesh and the lris we lost the prophetic communication of the orum. These did not exist in the bay. So even we are mourning not only the mikdashi that gave us something we are even mourning the mikdash that we never got back and that's the of why we are misel over the bay even though we got something back in terms of the bay sh but if that's so this gives rise to an interesting point we know that as the raam tells us the mish brings it down that the purpose of every fast day is not simply to mourn but is to think about the reasons for the and try to resolve in our own lives what steps we can take to rebuild the BA mikdash because the Jewish says that in every generation that the BA mikdash is not rebuilt is as guilty as the generation of the itself. It's not simply, oh, the temple was destroyed and we are not worthy yet of its of its rebuilding. The other way around, it would not be destroyed unless we are guilty of the same aos that were garum. So, this raises an interesting question. Everyone knows the well-known Gomorra in Yuma that says that the first B mikdash was destroyed because of the worst of aos a vodor idolatry gilaraya sexual promiscuity murder the worst of aos the second bas mikdash Jews were more or less keeping the mitzvah why was the second ba mikdash destroyed so the yuma says because of hatred polarization, disunityity. And then the goes on and says, "Come and see how bad is the sin of the the mikdashan that was destroyed because of the whole gulus was 70 years. But the mikdasheni that was destroyed because of almost 2,000 years and and growing was such an a that a small gulus will not be you need such a long long gulus. But here is the question if ones the ais that I'm over is makusher to the first base of mikdash not the second base of mikdash. So there's unfortunately there's plenty to look at. Plenty to look at. I have to do cha for sure. For sure. But does that have a shyness to us? Yes. On one hand, maybe it does. We do live in a world which is filled with in the sense of replacing God by other values. We live in a world of gilarayas. We live in a world of of violence, of promiscuity, of immorality, even of in the sense of money, power, political systems. But do I as an individual have that? Does a look at himself and say for sure most of us have a lot to work on. But one would not think that that would be my and yet is focused on the it would indicate that myesh is not only on the but on the because that is why we lost the mikdash and that is the tragedy that I am focused on in Assara what's the shortest so again I I don't want to spend too much time now but biker let me just say two things or three things three three short nucas nikuda number one is that even if a person is not guilty in any literal sense of there are spiritual analogies that say kal say for example if a person is angry it is The elu oves a zor. Do we have kas? If we have kas, there's a of a that is within our hearts and our souls. You humiliate somebody publicly. We kill somebody. Did I stick a knife into somebody? Probably not. But there are many ways of killing people. And perhaps unfortunately we might have over struck our bounds and perhaps did I'll talk about a things that you see things that you're exposed to one didn't do a but there are of and is understood as anything that replaces Hashem in the centrality of your value system. So even if I didn't do the old-fashioned of taking a statue and bowing down to it, what do I make the priority of my life? If it's my comfort, if it's my power, if it's my influence, whatever it is, then that itself becomes a form of a self-acisement, self- worship. You can worship a political system, an economic system. You can worship a vision of life in which you'll keep the mitzvah but Hashem is kind of in the background kind of a bunch of problems I got to work around to get to what I really wanted to. So on one level therefore does apply to us not in the literal sense that it applied in the mikisha but spiritually it is something we need to make. The second aspect is that even if we are not guilty of particular aas if we live in a world where there's I have to say the anti-semmites are right anti-semmites blame the Jews for everything we also blame the Jews for everything we blame ourselves for everything the kaduca that we create can change the world used to say that The intensity of the learning in Roden would have an effect on its sneas in Paris. It's like an atom bomb in a positive way. You have ground zero where the radiation is most intense rightes or but then your the most intense and then it gradually spreads out spreads out spreads out. So that by the time it gets to Paris, it might be pretty weak, but at least it'll change somebody from doing an So we go in reverse. If we live in a world where there is so much evil, it got to be then our kaduca is not as good as it could be good. I didn't do I didn't do right. I didn't do Gileay. But we live in a world that is sused with that. We should know don't underestimate your power. One person learning ding doing mitzvah at seabore in a book of kadesh the world can be changed and therefore a kadesh can look down at this world and say I see a world of what did we do to change that world in some way. So in a second therefore that is still going to be appropriate even if we could say as an individual I'm not guilty of a particular and the third perspective on this again it overlaps is a thought that offers and saddak says these are the worst of but essentially they are symptoms of defects within character and even if one does not have the symptom, they may have the disease. And he says specifically that these are symptoms of the oft jealousy an excessive lust for the pleasures of the world and is a desire for to be honored, ego gratification and the like. And says that kina jealousy in its extreme manifestation turns into murder. And this is actually absolutely true. If even if you look statistically the vast majority of murders occur because of some envy. I want something you have I whatever it is it is an extreme rage that expresses itself because of an envy. So kina is makushar tya is of course finds its ultimate negative expression in gillarayas and here is a little tricky but he says aara and kavot are connected as well because kavot is when you set yourself up as the ultimate standard and that's aara is the shifa of kavot I don't want the bay it's like the old story of the person who was always hitting the bullseye because he said I first shoot the arrow and then I draw the target. Aidora was a form of religion that was created to let people do what they want without any sense of responsibility. In ancient Greece and Rome, there certainly was no concept of morality based on religion because the gods that were created were just as mushkas, if not more so than the people who supposedly were worshiping them. So what's going on here? You want to create a life that let you do whatever you want. So you create God in your image instead of we being in the image of in some sense create a religion that simply fits your rules. Therefore says is ultimately linked to because the shifa that I want to be in charge of things is the mechanism that lets me do so. So biker the mahal here is this since is makusher not to the bay sheni but to the basish it would stand to reason that the is connected to the question was raised those are not my sins maybe is my sin the answer is there are three ways that these are things we have to look into number one kazal identified includes kas is number two we look at the world and what we have contributed or not contributed to make the world better and number three these three aas their roots are kina jealousy ta let me mention that there is one other aa that kazal say was the sa for the bias reaching And it's the bay not the bay. And this is the famous that says that the didn't even understand of why is so desolate. Why is such a that's the hint that it's bias doesn't say but if the are the ones that are wondering it's the bias not the bi. And answers they abandoned myra. So the gar says if it simply means they weren't learning that would have been the nim would have noticed that. The answer is they were learning but they were not reciting and that was something didn't necessarily observe. So it says that the bias resh not was because So the question is very obvious if the I mean we know that the mikdash was because of so the nim don't know the have a question of first of all what do you mean they have a question the whole books of are telling b is what the are so when it finally happens they don't understand what is it they don't understand and we have to give a terror they didn't make which like most is a and even like the Ramban that it's the and you need to come up to that terret when you have so what is it that they don't understand and why do consider that to be the reason if we have the other so there's a beautiful explanation from a lepan one of the great great Ask Muser where he says that Kazal well understood and the Nim for sure understood that the sin of Ami is gil of course that was the case but they were asking a meta question they were asking a question beyond that and that is since Yidden were learning Tyra shouldn't the Tyra protect them from these aus how is it possible that A person learns morning seder 9 to1 and then on his lunch break uh he murders a few people robs a bank and commits gileas but comes right comes back in time for afternoon s that's their question they're not asking what are the aos that are they know those a but they're asking how could the yidden not be protected why doesn't the gar the garra tells us many times tyra is matsi tyra is a it's from but it's it protects you from you become different you become spiritual. So what's the terrace of the so rebellia brings remember the beginning of the book of malik is cold is uh not able to be warm and he's covered with blankets and it's not helping and the garra says why was David cold why was he shivering because if your maza begs him if you treat clothing with disrespect and David once when uh shaw was pursuing him at one point David cut off a piece of sh's garment to show schol from a distance that I could have killed you that Schol should understand that David was not an enemy but he was mazed. He treated a begged with a lack of regard for what a begged does. So the beget has its revenge so to speak. It doesn't give him warmth. This is even if it's not the same if that if even a physical object you don't treat with respect with regard you look at it as something that's not important it's not going to help you when you need it the hashem itself that if you treat the hashem as a burden as something that's you know just something you got to get over with. It's not going to elevate you. And is a simmon. A person makes what are you doing? You're thanking Hashem. You're saying it's a privilege. It's a gift. Thank you for the gift of your Tyra. If they didn't make even if they learned it, that means they looked at the Tyra as a burden. I'm thanking Hashem. He ought to thank me. I'm taking my time to learn his Torah. Why do I have to thank him? But says that's mazra. If you're maza, then yeah, you'll learn morning seder and then do a few murders in the afternoon. The same way if you're mazadim, the begadim won't help you. The terror won't uplift you. One has to look at the as a gift. So that would be a second. Again if is about the bias. So the two that we should focus on is which is what I said and what is our enthusiasm our isavas and and indeed this is so important that every day not only do we thank Hashem for giving us the but we ask Hashem let us feel the sweetness of the we ask Hashem help me help me help me it's so important that I margish the sweetness of the actually the says a beautiful thought. He points out that why you make after you eat the before food is but is before you learn. So he says like this he says with food when a person is hungry he naturally is grateful to Hashem. So he doesn't have to recite a bra. He feels that after he eats I don't need anymore. So the says after you eat got to thank Hashem with he says it's the opposite. He says after a person learns for sure he's going to feel the sweetness of you don't need to make a this is the ideal world. Granted before you learn no we have a I'd rather do something else. So I got to ask Hashem please Hashem let me feel the sweetness even before I start. He says after you do it already he says tu will take over you don't have to have after you learn. This is what the supra says. But I want to just share with you yet another thought just a few few more moments and that is that is to the bias at least some although there's not a mocker in but some very very very wants to beame that is also musher to the bay sheni and he says this way it's kind of lily he doesn't have a clear makur but he has some some riot that may indicate it that was the day of which was the epitome of sin the hatred of a brother to another brother and the way he develops this it's a long dr but he develops it with the idea that each of the about is musher to an earlier a within Israel so shivas or batamos which is when the Romans broke into the city is makusher to Theel that was the day that broke the day of the isush to the that is when the moraglin they came on the eth of and the night of the tishab was when everybody cried and hashem said this is a of I will make it now we find that the three root of which are all of the gulas of am israel areas And this is the on the three sins of Israel I will eventually forgive them but the fourth will require a so so the medish it says the medish itself says the three p is theel and the moraglin and the fourth is how Kali is took those aos and went with them in a negative way. So ma fischer says it is mistra that if shivasaratamas is makusher to the ego and tishab is makusher to the moragland he wants to suggest that assures might be makush to makas which is actually very fascinating because that assures is musher to the bias but the motif of brings us back to the nephesh of the bas sheni as well was uh was this a similar well okay has a similar thought he doesn't bring in but he talks about the two of Israel is the which is and the I'm sorry no I'm sorry he says yeah and he doesn't bring in the caref which is the and the okay I Just want to end with one one final thought and uh get a pro mentioned to me again it's it's a very well-known cipher there's an Abu Draam one of the rishim that the BF brings that says is a very unique and amazing fast day because if it would fall out on Shabas which according to our calendar so this is an untestable hypothesis because on our calendar it cannot fall out on Shabas but The the Abu Dram says if it would fall out on Shabas you would even fast on Shabas because the fast day is described as this very day that's the same in Shab is making same as Yamipper is Shabas as it is this fast day can fall out on Friday and you will actually fast all the way until Shabas it cannot fall out on Shabas but says would even be shabas and it's a I mean tisha the day of the itself is not if falls out on shabas we fast on Sundays is the beginning of a siege the beginning of the siege should be more than the itself so the actually the says I don't know where the drum gets it from the said it on his own you know which is The mice said we don't have an earlier mak but theam cipher wants to be masbor this way he says you know it's true we don't fast on shabas but there is one fast that you're allowed to do on shabas and that's a tinus a person has a bad dream god forbid that seems like something bad is going to happen so a person is allowed to be mis even on shabas that should know whatever gaz there might be now you do fast on Shabas but because of the sin of fasting on Shabas you have to have another fat as a for fasting on Shabas but you fast a titus and Shabas so the says what's so special about a tinus so he says the is this shabas is not a time of mourning so whenever we are fasting because of the past events because of past tragedies we don't fast on shabas but a titus is not because of something past it is a fear that there'll be a gazer on a person in the future to avert a gaz that's coming al one can fast even on because you're not mourning it's not a ghetto it's to be a negative so every single year every has to be are qual deserving of a basikdash are they not deserving of a ban mikt and just Like yum kipper is the rightem writes down who will live and who will die. Yum kipper it is sealed is the whether the mikdash will be rebuilt this year or will not be rebuilt this year. Now just like yamipper even after aim one can do chuva and one can pray and chuva is even a gazard one never gives up. That's why we pray for the mikdash every single day. But theam says that it's harder to change a gazard than it is to prevent the gazard from coming in the first place. So too he says after if there was a negative it'll take extra to be but this is the forb. So therefore the says it's exactly this is the I'm not mourning because of what did I'm mourning because that was when decided that the mik will be that's what happened then and every single year that pattern is repeated. So this is a very very special opportunity. It's like it's like the yum kipper neon yam kipper. Hashem is going to decide what our fate is going to be the coming year. Today the teaches us is going to decide are we going to be to the bin of the bay or are we not going to be this is our chance to truly beseech for the basia the may it be indeed may these days become as the tells us days of