During the month of Tamuz we begin the period called “The Three Weeks,” the time period between the fast of the 17th of Tamuz and the fast of Tisha B’Av, the 9th of Av. On the 17th of Tamuz, two cataclysmic events occurred which have left an imprint on that fateful date for generations to come: First, Moses upon seeing the Israelites dancing around the golden calf in his absence, broke the first set of Divine tablets on which the Ten Commandments were engraved. Secondly, the walls of Jerusalem were breached during the time of the First Temple, leading to its eventual destruction just Three Weeks later on Tisha B’Av.
These two historical instances of breaking mirror an even earlier event in creation, the primordial “breaking of the vessels” spoken about in Kabbalah and discussed a number of times throughout this text. This archetypal event both symbolizes the underlying imperfection of our current reality, as well as provides us with our more optimistic mission to rectify this reality by gathering and lifting up the fallen sparks that are scattered throughout creation as a result of this cosmic shattering. This ongoing existential tension between reality as it is and reality as it could/should/will be, is alluded to in a statement from the Zohar: “Weeping is wedged in my heart on one side, and joy is wedged in my heart on the other side” (3:75a).
Another historic incident that occurred during the months of Tamuz and Av is the story of the spies in the desert, who went on a reconnaissance mission to assess the habitability of the land of Israel as detailed in the book of Numbers. Their trip, which happened over the entire month of Tamuz and ended tragically upon their return to the camp on the ninth day of Av, lasted a total of forty days. It was on the disastrous day of their return that ten of the spies reported that the Israelites were not strong enough to conquer the various peoples living in the land, thus causing the people to cry to return to Egypt. God was so offended by the people’s lack of faith that he said in response: “You wept needlessly that night, therefore I will establish it as a night of weeping for future generations” (Taanit 29a); hence, all of the tragic events that have befallen the Jewish people on the 9th of Av, as commemorated by our collective day of mournful fasting.
According to the Sefer Yetzirah, the “sense” of the month of Tamuz is sight, while the “sense” of the month of Av is hearing. The spies’ faculty of sight was only able to see the land of Israel on a superficial level, while the people’s hearing was blemished by their willingness to listen to the negative report of the spies and then accepting it at face value, without question. It is clear in both cases that the spies were not seeing deep enough, and the people’s hearing lacked true discernment. From this perspective, it is clear that the rectification for the episode of the spies is for each of us to learn to see much deeper than just the surface of reality, as well as to listen in a much more penetrating manner in order to truly understand the implications of what we hear.
In relationships, this means that we need to always look at and listen to the soul within a person, rather than just their surface ego or personality. This deeper vision and hearing will help us to connect and empathize with the other’s experience in order to see the bigger picture of each situation. In other words: we must strive to judge others favorably and to constantly attempt to stand in another’s shoes in order to more fully appreciate where they may be coming from. From this position of deep empathy, we have a much better chance to hear what someone is really telling us between the lines, what their heart is crying out to be heard.
Truly, we need to see on one hand how in every broken person and situation there is the potential for complete wholeness and rectification, while at the same time, we must not avoid the painful reality of a broken world all around us. A Chassidic Rabbi taught: “There is no vessel as whole as a broken heart” (Degel Machaneh Efrayim on the Torah portion Vetchanan). We need to be just broken enough to feel and relate to the pain of others, but not so broken that it prevents us from acting positively and forcefully to heal, mend and fix whatever and whenever we can. This is the essence of walking the tightrope of life, or as Rebbe Nachman of Breslov taught: “The whole world is a very narrow bridge – but the essential thing is not to be afraid” (Likutei Moharan; second section, #49).
One place where sight and hearing come together in a very profound way is when saying Shema Yisrael. We want so much to see truth and God in a real way, we not only close our eyes when reciting this passage, but we cover them with our hand as well. The closer something is to us the more we have to close our eyes to see it. Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach taught that is why when we kiss our beloved, we intuitively close our eyes, as if to say – “I don’t want my physical eyes to blind me to the true vision of our inner love and unity.” The same dynamic applies when we say the Shema, for at that moment we want to unify with God, our ultimate beloved. The ‘hearing’ of the Shema is not only physical hearing, but even deeper, understanding on a deep soul level that the full implication of the oneness of God is not just that God is one, but that all reality is essentially one.
The great paradox of these months and the deeper teachings they hold for us is that both fast days were initially meant for great joy and accomplishment. On the 17th of Tamuz, Moses was meant to victoriously descend with the two tablets of the law and promptly begin the process of fixing the world. In fact, 17 is the numerical value of the word tov, “good.” The 17th of Tamuz was the 40th day after receiving the Torah at Sinai and was intended to be the culmination of all goodness, the ultimate purpose of creation. Similarly, the return of the spies after 40 days, a number that symbolizes the gestation and formation of a new form or reality, was supposed to have been the beginning of the Jews preparations to enter the land of Israel, from where they would ultimately fulfill their mission to be a “light unto the nations.”
As a result, the Messianic potential of both days was squandered and now it is left for us to restore these months to their original purpose by making the needed rectifications. In fact, we are taught that the Mashiach is born on Tisha B’Av and that redemption will come out of exile, light out of darkness, joy out of sorrow. We must take current events, as well as our own personal trials, and strive to see and hear the deeper messages we are being sent. By attuning our inner eye to the unity and oneness of God and our inner ear to His constant communiques to each one of us, we will know how to proceed and contribute what we can to creating a better world, one day at a time. There is no more important or urgent a task. May we be blessed to see the fruits of our fixings for the good of all of Israel and for the good of the world!
