Rabbi Benjamin Yudin Discusses Parshas Devarim and Tisha B'Av (5786)

Good morning, nachum good Shabbos everybody. This Shabbos we have the privilege of beginning the fifth book of the Torah and we follow as taught in the end of the Gamara Megillah that we always read parshas Devarim start the fifth book of the Torah on the Shabbos before Tisha B'Av. Many reasons. Let me just suggest one. Beginning of Devarim Moshe chastises the Jewish people with great dignity reminds them of the sins that they committed along the way including the great sin of Vayam asu ba'aretz chemdah as David says in Psalm 106 they literally ouch despised. It's not a nice word. the promised land and as Rav Krieser, my rebbe, zichrono livracha taught me in the name of the Netzivos in his commentary on Eichah in the second verse vidimu asu al lachyah and the chi- tear is on her cheek we have still forgotten ouch the significance of Eretz Yisrael not too late to rectify that mishap. Let's get to work. Last week we pointed out that during the nine days we're not to have wine. We're not to uh eat meat and Shabbos is the exception. What if I take in Shabbos early this Shabbos right? This afternoon. After plag a mincha I'm going to come home and make Kiddush before they daven Maariv in shul. Well, can I have meat and drink wine? And the answer is yes. Leftovers from the meal on Shabbos day, I can't eat them during the week, but I can eat them for Shalosh Seudos tomorrow afternoon because even though I don't have meat every week for Shalosh Seudos, that's your choice. This week, if you'd like to, you can. Okay. For Havdalah, ideally, if there's a young child to drink the wine, that would be better. And if not, the one making Havdalah can drink the wine or grape juice. Interestingly, I'd like to discuss a little bit about the laws of Tisha B'Av by discussing before, during, after. Tisha B'Av is this Wednesday night, July 22nd, Thursday, July 23rd. So, already on Wednesday, listen carefully, one should preferably eat supper, dinner, prior to Mincha. Okay? The only thing you can't have at this early supper is meat and wine. And then, afterwards, you should daven Mincha, to have a break between this and the next meal called Seudah Mafsekes, the meal that divides between eating and fasting. So, whether you go to shul, which is probably the best thing to do, or dining at home. So you have a pause between the first meal and the second meal. After Mincha, one eats the Seudah Mafsekes consisting of bread dipped in ashes and a hard-boiled egg. This meal is either eaten on the floor, if possible, put a cushion on the cushion on the floor, sit on the bottom step. Basically, you're eating this meal, which is accompanied by plain water. Although, if you need it, coffee and or tea could have. And that's it. And if three men are present, they sit separately and not combine for a zimun. And if one wants to eat or drink after the Seudah Mafsekes before sunset, one has to stipulate out loud or think about it, or else all the restrictions of Tisha B'Av begin with sunset 8:21 in the New York area this coming Wednesday afternoon. The five restrictions of Tisha B'Av are number one, eating and drinking, which means including rinsing one's mouth, brushing one's teeth. Now, swallowing capsules, bitter tablets, liquid medicine without water is permitted. But however, if you need to take certain medications daily and your doctor says no exception, please call your local Orthodox rub who will guide you how to take those necessary pills on Tisha B'Av. Next, el- elderly or ill people should not fast if that's what they're told by their doctors. Don't fast. And secondly, pregnant and or nursing women should drink a lot on Wednesday. However, they should start the fast, but no heroics. And therefore, should they feel sluggish, weak, they could should eat. For those that do eat on Tisha B'Av of unlike Yom Kippur that you ate shiurim, a bite, wait a 10 minutes, a bite, waiting 10 minutes, not so on Tisha B'Av. I don't think you have to have ice cream unless maybe you just had your tonsils out and that's what they told us years ago, but you got the idea. Okay. Next, rechitza, bathing, washing. We refrain from all bathing or washing for pleasure in either hot or cold water for the 25 hours of Tisha B'Av. This includes the hands, face, and feet. However, if you are not washing for pleasure, but parts of your body have become dirtied, uh so you're not washing for pleasure, that you certainly can wash on Tisha B'Av. In the morning, run your hands under the sink, and with your fingers, just rub them through your eyes to take away anything that might have gathered or crusted over your eyes during the night. Okay? Now, we do have negel vasser washing our hands, but to the knuckles before upon waking up in the morning, and interesting, a woman who is going to the mikvah Thursday night after Tisha B'Av, so she can do a thorough preparation this coming Wednesday afternoon for the mitzvah of going to the mikvah. Sicha, which is anointing, we refrain from anointing for pleasure. This includes oil, soap, alcohol, cream, ointment, perfume, okay? Any kind of perfumes and uh you know, lipsticks, etc. However, understandably, if you have a rash and a certain medication, anointing for medical reasons is certainly permitted. And using deodorant to prevent or remove bad odor is also permitted, but not to add a pleasant scent. Marital relations, we refrain from marital relations on Tisha the night of Tisha B'Av. Couples should not touch or sleep in the same bed on Tisha B'Av night. And these additional restrictions of are relaxed in the daytime. Next is wearing leather shoes. We refrain from wearing shoes made even partially of leather. Shoes made of cloth, rubber, plastic are permitted. However, wearing leather shoes for medicinal medical reasons is permitted. And other leather garments such as belts, jackets are permitted. Now, Dovid Hamelech teaches us, as we say in Sukkot is Emrah, every Shabbos and Yom Tov, Pikudei Hashem yesharim mesamchei lev. The laws of God are proper Torah and they gladden the heart. Ah, so if you want to know why so many individuals coming back from their Gemara shear, from their Daf Yomi, from their learning, wow, it's because they've just studied Torah. However, on Tisha B'Av, we are to refrain from happy circumstances and therefore we refrain from Torah study on Tisha B'Av. And there is even an opinion that says that this Wednesday afternoon you should abstain from studying the happy parts of Torah because if you're happy in the afternoon, it's going to carry over to the night. Halavai, that should be our biggest problem. Okay, talk with your rabbi how restricted you have to be. There's plenty to learn of the laws of Tisha B'Av this coming Wednesday afternoon. But you may learn on Tisha B'Av topics connected to the Korban and mourning. So, Megillat Eicha and its commentaries, the book of Iyov, the relevant portions of Yirmiyahu, and other Nevi'im, Iyov, laws of mourning, the accounts of the destruction in the Gemara, specially in the fifth chapter of Gittin, works of Musar, and the Shoah, the Holocaust, to read of the many many many many accounts of survivors and they're able to maintain their faith even after the Shoah. Wow. Regarding sleep on this coming Wednesday night, some reduce the number of pillows. Okay, wait a minute. I believe I forgot something. Yes, let me go back to Wednesday afternoon. Okay? So, I told you that you are to eat your meal, okay, your supper, Dabbin Mincha, and eat the Seudah Mafsekes. What's served at the Seudah Mafsekes? I hope I didn't forget to say this, but a hard a piece of bread, ashes, and a hard-boiled egg. Namely, that which is going to put us into the trajectory of mourning, okay? And we eat this either on the floor, on the first step on the staircase at towards the bottom. You don't have to take off your shoes yet. And if you have said with my this meal, I accept the fast, okay. And if not, you can articulate that I'm not accepting the fast until sunset, which I believe is 8:00 whatever I told you before. Okay. Now, let's go on. When it comes to sleeping this coming Wednesday night, some have the custom of sleeping less comfortably. I usually sleep with two. Tonight I sleep with one pillow. Some even try to sleep on the floor. And this would certainly not apply to pregnant, nursing women, and elderly, and ill people. We don't greet one another with good evening and good morning. And if someone does greet you, you don't answer them softly, politely. We don't want to embarrass somebody. We refrain from sitting on a regular chair until mid the day, which is approximately 1:03 in the New York area. You can sit on a low bench or chair under 12 in or cushion on the floor. But at 1:03, get up, get up. What do you mean get up, get up? Number one, I haven't finished my keynote. Number two, they set the base of Migdash ablaze in the afternoon. Ah, that's just what our rabbis teach us. Unbelievable, said Rabbi Yochanan. If I were there, it would have been only the 10th of Av and not the 9th of Av because it's at the 10th of Av that Hashem took out his wrath and anger on a building and not on the people. Whoa. It's an oxymoron, but it's called a holiday, as we mentioned before. The men are guests to refrain from any time-consuming work that diverts a person's attention from the morning until after hatsos, 1:03. If possible, one could and should avoid working and doing business throughout the day. In our tefillah on Tish'a B'Av, Ashkenazim do not wear tefillin or tallit gadol at shacharit. The tallit katan is donned without a brachah, but tallit and tefillin are donned with a brachah at minchah. And one who doesn't yet wear a tallit gadol should touch the tzitzit of his tallit katan at that time and recite the brachah on the tzitzit at that time. At minchah, the prayers Nachim and Aneinu are added to the Shmoneh Esrei. In the blessing of Uv'nei In the blessing of V'liYerushalayim Ircha, Boneh Yerushalayim, we insert the paragraph of Nachim. And in the next brachah of Shome'a Tefillah, we include the brachah of anenu. Okay. Motzei Tisha B'Av this coming Thursday night so Kiddush Levana is recited number one and basically since as I mentioned before the building what sorry the Beis Hamikdash burnt until midday of the 10th so on a regular year we don't eat meat don't drink wine don't listen to music don't do laundry don't shave or haircut until midday of the 10th but since the 10th is on a Friday what you should not do Friday morning until 1:03 is listen to music. What you should not have for breakfast on Friday early lunch is meat and wine. But you can start to do your laundry when Thursday night after the fast and you can take a shave or haircut Thursday night after the fast. I will try just to end with one thought. Thought. The Talmud ends in Taanis Kol Hamis Abel Al Yerushalayim whoever mourns for Jerusalem Zocheh V'roeh B'vinyana is privileged to build and see Jerusalem. Wait a minute. Why does it say is privileged in the present? It should say whoever mourns for Jerusalem will will, in the future, be privileged to see and build. And one of the many answers given to this is listen carefully explains Rabbi Chaim Friedlander tzal olam habracha in his safer Sifsei Chaim in the third volume of Mo'adim says very powerfully Tisha B'Av is called a holiday. What does that mean, a holiday? Just like Pesach is a holiday where a wow, we saw from the open miracles, wow, that God freed us from Egypt. On Tisha B'Av, we saw from the open miracles, unbelievable. Ask your rabbi what I'm talking about and study the Talmud and you'll see what I'm talking about. That the open miracles that God performed for us at the time of the destruction of the Beit Hamikdash, as I alluded, that he took out his wrath on the building and not on the people and we are still here to tell the story, unbelievable. As we are still here to tell the story, as Rabbi Akiva said to his colleagues, just as the prophecy of happiness that the old men and women will watch the young children play in the streets of Jerusalem, that's going to happen in the future. How do I know? Cuz the prophecy of Jerusalem will be plowed over has fulfilled. Once we've seen the negative, we will surely see the positive. Reminding us annually of the negative, of what we don't have, will help us appreciate today our prayers that we still yearn with more Kavanah, with more positivity the mourning for and please God the expectation of the Moshiach and the building of the third base Hamikdash. Shabbat Shalom and a meaningful fast to all.