Devarim. The worse things are the better. Rabbi Tuvia Bolton, Yeshiva Ohr Tmimim, Kfar Chabad,

Parshat Devarim

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This Torah reading is always read on or directly before the tragic fast day of Tisha B'Av:

On this date, the ninth of the Jewish month of Av, many tragedies occurred; some 3,300 years ago, the entire Jewish nation refused to enter the land of Israel and was punished with 40 years of wandering in the desert. Then, on the same date some nine hundred years later, the First Temple was destroyed and 490 years thereafter so was the Second Temple; millions of Jews died, the rest were driven from the Holy Land and Jewish identity was confused till this very day almost 2000 years later. 

This Shabbat, Shabbat Chazon, also features a Haftorah containing the harsh Vision (Chazon) from prophet Isaiah (1:1-27) that reminds us (as does the majority of our Torah reading) that ALL the misfortunes and disasters that befall the Jews are SOLEY because of our sins.

For example, (Isiah 1:4): 'Ho! A nation of sinners, a people laden with sin, an evil seed, criminal children that have abandoned G-d, scorned the Holy One of Israel and turned their backs!" 

Nevertheless, this Shabbat is supposed to be the happiest of the year! We are supposed to eat meat, drink wine and be especially joyous, as though nothing ever happened. 

In fact, the famous Chassidic Rebbe, Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Breditchev said that this Shabbat is called Shabbat Chazon because we can actually see a 'VISION' of the Third Temple!! 

This is all very hard to understand and even more difficult to actually do; if one feels the awesome horror of these days then how is it possible to be happy on Shabbat and sad again on Tisha B'Av? 

To understand, here is a story that happened some 300 years ago in Russia to the holy founder of the Chassidic 'movement', Rabbi Yisroel Baal Shem also known as the Baal Shem Tov. 

The Baal Shem Tov (Besh't for short) had many pupils and one of them was a great and holy man by the name of Rabbi Wolfe Kitzes. 

This Rab Kitzes was a truly humble man, a servant of G-d, a genius and a genuine pauper without a kopek to his name which made life difficult and marrying off his daughter impossible. 

One day the Besh't called Reb Kitzes to his office, and he arrived to find the local matchmaker (shadchan) standing there with a list of names in his hand. 

Pick one," said the Besh't to Reb Kitzes. "The time has come for your daughter to marry." 

Reb Kitzes looked at the list and his eyes widened in horror.

"But, but..." He stammered as he looked up in disbelief. "These are the wealthiest families in the…"  But the Besh't was waiting for a reply. So with no other choice he pointed to a name and the shadchan set off to the city where the prospective in-laws lived to finalize the match. 

Everything went smoothly; the family was pleased with the match; who would turn down a holy pupil of the Baal Shem Tov! It was agreed that Rabbi Kitzes would pay A dowry of two thousand rubles (a small fortune) before the wedding. They shook hands, made a toast, l'chiam, and the shadchan returned to the Besh't with the good news. 

But, when Rabbi Kitzes heard the news he had trouble being happy. Where would he get 2,000 Rubles? It was a custom for the groom to send gifts to the bride before sending the dowry, and he didn't have even that. In fact He didn't have money for shoes! Where would he find money to send gifts no less the 2,000 ruble dowry? 

Two weeks later he received a letter from the father of the groom asking why he hadn't received the customary gifts and hoping that everything was all right. 

Rabbi Kitzes ran to the Baal Shem with the letter but all he got from the master was a vague smile. 

Then, two weeks after that another letter arrived demanding an explanation. Why had they ignored the previous letter?! But when the Baal Shem saw it he reacted just as calmly as the first time. 

A month later the third letter arrived; the groom's father was angry. If a reply was not received immediately the engagement was off. Reb Kitzes read it again and again and each time became more depressed; he desperately wanted the match but he also couldn't stop being realistic. Maybe it was better to just call the whole thing off. But on the other hand, this is what the Besh't told him to do. And the Besh't wasn't worried. He was confused. 

He took the letter to the Besh't. 

This time the Besh't said that he should write back, apologize for the delay and invite the groom and his entire family to Mezibuz (the city of the Besh't) to rejoice together with the Besh't several days before the wedding at which time all the gifts and moneys would be paid in full. Rab Kitzes' spirits rose a bit. But two days later when he received a letter saying they were on their way he began to panic. 

True, he should have more faith. True, Chassidim are supposed to always be happy! True, he should have more trust in the Rebbe and in G-d. But what would happen if...things just stayed the way they are?! After all, who was he that G-d should make him a miracle? He had been poor all his life, why should things be different now? 

With a heavy heart he walked slowly, letter in hand, to show it to the Besh't and ask for more encouragement. As he was walking a stranger stopped him and asked for directions to the Baal Shem Tov. Nothing unusual in Mezibuz. "Come, I'm going there myself." And they walked silently together, both sunk in their own problems. 

When they reached the house and entered, they were both ushered into the Baal Shem's office. 

The Besh't asked them to be seated and, seemingly ignoring Reb Kitzes' explanation that they didn't come together, turned to the stranger and said, "I want to tell you a story. Is that alright?" Surprised by the question the stranger shook his head in agreement and the master began. 

"About fifteen years ago a Jewish businessman from the Ukraine was returning home in his personal carriage, with his personal driver, from Prussia where he had just made a small fortune on a lumber deal. He tucked the money in a secret compartment under his seat and drowsed off to sleep, satisfied with his success. 

"After a few hours he woke abruptly; unexplainably the wagon had stopped in the middle of a forest! He opened the door and shouted out to the driver if everything was all right and when there was no answer, he got out of the carriage to have a look for himself. 

"But no sooner did his feet touch the ground then someone grabbed him from behind, pushed him to the ground, tied his hands and feet and turned him on his back. To his astonishment it was his 'trusted' driver waiving a sharp hatchet in the air and threatening to kill him if he didn't hand over all the money immediately. 

"He pleaded with the driver for mercy; to leave him at least some of the fortune but when he saw that he meant business he told him where in the carriage he had hidden it. The driver tied him to the tree, went inside the carriage, found the money, climbed back on the wagon, took the reins in his hands and almost began to ride. But then he paused, climbed back down walked over to the bound Jew and announced. 

"'I made a mistake. If I leave you alive maybe someone will find you or you'll untie yourself and go to the police. I've decided to kill you! " 

"The poor businessman wailed and begged but the thief calmly said, 'You can shout as loud as you want. We are so deep in the forest no one will ever hear you!! I'm giving you ten seconds to pray' and yelled out 'Ten! Nine! Eight!.... 

"The Jew closed his eyes and wept bitterly. He prayed to G-d with all his might and swore that if he was saved, he would give a tenth of all his wealth to the poor, even a half. But the driver kept counting; 'Seven, Six Five!!' 'Even everything!! I'll give everything to charity!!' 

"Suddenly a rifle shot rang out! The Jew opened his eyes to see the driver standing with his hands raised above his head yelling 'don't shoot'.

The overseer of the lands 'happened' to be passing by and, hearing the commotion decided to investigate. G-d answered his prayers!! He had been saved!! 

"Yes, it was the miracle he had prayed for," continued the Besh't. "But weeks later, after he returned home and got comfortable, he not only forgot his vow, he took a turn for the worse and stopped giving charity altogether. " 

"Years passed. The Jew was blessed with children, a beautiful girl and boy, but he refused to open his heart or hand to the poor every time he found another excuse. Even when, several years ago, his daughter became sick and tragically died he did not connect it to his vow. 

"Now, just weeks ago his son also became similarly ill and when the doctors gave up hope he decided to come here for a blessing. And that's the end of the story." 

Before the Besh't could say another word, the stranger yelled out "OY, OY!!! It was ME!! It was me!! I completely forgot about that vow in the forest! Oy! OY! That was me!!" 

"It's not too late" The Besh't replied. "Don't worry. I'm not going to ask you to give all your wealth or even half. Give ten percent as you first vowed. Here!" he pointed to Reb Kitzes, "Begin by giving him four thousand rubles." 

The stranger gave him the money right then and there. The Besh't invited him to stay for the wedding and a week later when the wedding was in progress, he received a letter that his son had fully recovered. 

Perhaps this answers our questions about how to be happy in the midst of misery. 

In the Medrash (Peticha d'Eicha Raba 9) it says that when the High priest would enter the Holy of Holies every Yom Kippur he could tell if G-d was angry with His people or not; If the two Keruvim (golden statues of children's faces with outstretched wings built on lid of the Ark) would be facing one another, it was a sign that G-d was pleased. But if they weren't facing it meant trouble. 

Interestingly when the Babylonians while destroying the first Temple, entered the Holy of Holies they saw that the Keruvim were embracing! 

In other words, the catastrophe of the Temple being destroyed was a sign of ….. G-d's love! Because sometimes G-d removes what we have in order to replace it with something incomparably better.

This is how we can rejoice this Shabbat while remembering the destruction of the Temple. And this is the lesson the Besh't wanted to teach Reb Kitzes; he should have rejoiced even before he got the money... because often the only way to reveal 'light' is by preceding it with darkness. 

And just like in our story, the more Zev Kitzes felt how desperate and hopeless things seemed; the CLOSER the miracles really were. 

And that is why we should rejoice this Shabbat. Because although we have suffered darkness and desperation caused by the destruction of our Temples and 2,000 years of exile…… now things are about to change. 

The true redemption and the beginning of a new wondrous era; an era which is void of hatred and suffering and full of meaning, joy and blessing. And it is MUCH closer than we think. As Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Braditchiv said; if we open our mind and heart …. we will be able to actually see the Third Temple on this Shabbat! 

But it all depends on us to make it happen and not much is missing!! We are standing on the shoulders of thousands of years of Jewish self-sacrifice for Torah and Mitzvot. 

Now it could be that just one more good deed, word or even thought can tip the scales and, as the Lubavitcher Rebbe said, "we will open our eyes and see... 

Moshiach NOW!!

Rabbi Tuvia Bolton

Yeshiva Ohr Tmimim

Kfar Chabad, Israel

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