The Three Weeks – Designed Emotions
Introduction
Tisha B’Av, saddest day of the Jewish year, destruction of both Batei Mikdashot (Temples,) beginning of WWI (which led to WW2.) etc. What caused the day to be so?
After coming out of Egypt and receiving the Torah, the Jews were on an unprecedented connection level to H’. They were to enter Israel and conquer it without lifting arms and live an ideal life in the land.
They sent in the spies, who came back with a bad report and the people, believing them, cried that night (Tisha B’Av), to which H’ responded that He would give us something to cry about on this day.
The spies with their report and the people in believing them, brought themselves down (created a disconnect) from a level where they were virtually invincible from worldly dangers to a distancing from their purpose so that they now were subject to much more control from lower and worldly powers. So, the consequence is that on this day the foes of Israel are able to succeed in their goal to harm us as our Protection (as it were) was reduced.
H’ doesn’t punish, but metes out consequences that match the sin and are a means to repair. So how does this match the sin and what is the tikkun (repair?) How are the day of crying and the observances of the day a tikkun for the sin?
We will use an analogy of plants and soil through the seasons to explain:
SEASON
PLANT PROCESSES
SOIL STATE
Summer
Full external process mode
Flowers, leaves, pollen
Plant extracting maximum nutrients
Soil being depleted
Autumn
Reduced external process mode
Leaves and flowers falling
Fallen leaves etc starting to decay
Nutrient restoration begins
Winter
Internal process mode
Damp and bacteria turns plant waste into nutrients
Soil is rejuvenated
Spring
Increased production mode
Leaves, buds
Nutrient extraction from soil begins
We can draw a parallel to the human emotional condition in our golus (imperfect) state as follows:
EMOTION
EMOTIONAL FOCUS
SPIRITUAL STATE
Joy
External (social)
Max energy in worldly involvement
Extracting max spiritual resources
Fear
More inward
Realisation that joy is transient and difficulties can arise
Reduction of resource usage
Sadness
Inner
Removal of self from social involvement to introspect
Self-development
Hope
Start external
Renewed energy to socialising
Utilising renewed resources
Addendum – before the flood the world was on a 90 degree axis and was always spring. After flood it shifted to around 23 degrees, causing seasonal change. After Mashiach there will be a return to original and no seasons, no need for extreme emotions…
The Jewish Year incorporates the emotions as follows:
Sukkot/ Purim – Joy
Rosh Hashana/ Yom Kippur – Fear
Tisha B’Av – Sadness
Pesach – Hope
So we see that a time of sadness, rather than being something to avoid at all costs, can be an opportunity for personal growth.
Tisha B’Av is the moment set by H’ for sadness and the chochomim structured the day to maximise the emotion without losing the hope which ensures the sadness does not descend into despair or depression as follows:
3 Weeks
9 Days
No music / celebrations – reduction of external focus towards introspection
No wine / meat / bathing for pleasure etc. – further introspection
Tisha B’Av
5 Depravations
Sitting
Eicha/ Kinos
No Greeting
No regular Torah learning
Mid-day – don tallis and tephillin, sit on chairs
Enhance the inner-self preoccupation
Like mourners on floor – increased sense of being alone
Involve the mind, imagination and heart with tragedy
Minimal social interaction
Remove all distractions from sadness
Hope – realise that sadness is not an ideal or permanent state
So, by observing a day of national mourning through individual sadness we enter a mode of introspection and realisation of the imperfection in our lives compared to the ideal that would have been if not for the spies incident. Sadness where there should have been (and will be) joy (koro Olay Moed –call for Me a festival – Eicha 15:1)
Ideally this would lead to change on our part, but, even if not, it serves as testimony to our understanding of the mistake and hopefully a prayer for our restoration.
Related essays: Tisha B’Av – World in Balance