Devarim
Shabbat Parashat Devarim . Shabbat Chazon 5783
Crying for no reason
In this week’s parasha, Parashat Devarim, Moshe Rabbeinu recounts many incidents that occurred to bnei yisrael while travelling through the wilderness, and he mentions the episode of the meraglim. The Ramban explains that the source of the sin of the meraglim was a lack of emunah in Hashem. In other words, the claim against bnei yisrael for listening to, and believing, the account of the meraglim was that they felt that they were helpless against the mighty soldiers and giants who were currently living in Eretz Yisrael, and they felt that they stood no chance of conquering Eretz Yisrael.
Instead of believing in Hashem and trusting that He could help them conquer Eretz Yisrael, they lacked in emunah and despaired in ever conquering Eretz Yisrael. This was where they erred, and this is why they were punished.
Crying on Tisha B’av
The Gemara in Masechet Taanit calculates that the night after the meraglim returned, when bnei yisrael cried about their fate, was the night of Tisha B’av. The Gemara relates that Hashem stated: “You cried a cry for no reason; I will create for you a reason to cry for generations”.
We need to understand; what is meant by the term “crying for no reason”? There appeared to be a very good reason – they had just received a negative report which would greatly impact their future and very existence?
Confusion and Crying
The root of the word “bechiyah” (crying) is closely related to the word “mevuchah” (confusion). A person can cry when he reaches a situation of confusion, of not knowing how to come to terms with a new situation which he finds himself in.
Before the meraglim returned with their report on Eretz Yisrael, bnei yisrael were travelling through the midbar after hundreds of years of servitude and hard labour in Mitzrayim, and they were anticipating entering Eretz Yisrael and building a Beit Hamikdash. When the meraglim returned with their report, the dreams of bnei yisrael were shattered. Since they felt that they had no chance to fight against the nations currently living in Eretz Yisrael, they despaired of entering Eretz Yisrael and actualizing their dreams.
This brought bnei yisrael to feeling helpless and confused and this caused them to cry. Crying is also a natural reaction to realising a missed opportunity. And the greater the potential opportunity, the greater the anguish and the crying. The crying was an expression of having their dreams of Eretz Yisrael and of a Beit Hamikdash shattered.
Crying for No Reason
Still, this seemingly legitimate crying was classified “crying for no reason”, because in their context, when Hashem had explicitly said that He would fight for them and bring them into Eretz Yisrael, there was no reason to despair and no reason to abandon their dreams. Klal israel in the midbar who had seen yetziat mitzrayim, matan Torah and were experiencing daily miracles of the man, the be’er and the ananei akavod were held accountable for not trusting in Hashem. This is why their crying in context was “crying for no reason”. There was no reason for them to think or to feel that they would not be able to enter Eretz Yisrael and build a Beit Hamikdash.
As we approach Tisha B’av, we need to remember that the “crying for generations” was a consequence of the “crying for no reason”, which, as we explained, came from a lack of emunah in Hashem. Complete emunah and reliance on Hashem would have avoided the crying in the midbar, and ultimately the destruction of the Batei Mikdash.
May we merit seeing the rebuilding of the Beit Hamikdash and welcoming Mashiach still before Tisha B’av!
Shabbat Shalom.
Rabbi Gad Bouskila
