Community Magazine August 2019

22 COMMUNITY MAGAZINE לעילוי נשמתם של משה בן עליזה, יצחק הלל בן עליזה, והנרייט לאה בת עליזה, דוד בן גילה, רבקה בת גילה, יהושע בן גילה, משה בן גילה, שרה בת גילה, יעקב בן גילה, ואליאנה בת גילה. ולרפואה שלמה ליוסף בן אהובה מסעודה, שילת אהובה בת עליזה, ודניאל בן עליזה. and mourn, we get a “break” from Tishah B’Av, and do not need to observe the fast that year. Before you get too excited… the Gemara adds that Rabbi Yehuda Hanasi’s view was rejected. The Gemara writes, “ velo hodu lo hachamim ” – the other sages did not agree, and maintained that when the 9 th of Av falls on Shabbat, the fast is moved to Sunday, which is, of course, our practice. Why did Rabbi Yehuda not approve of this solution? What did he find wrong with moving the Tishah B’Av observance to Sunday? It goes without saying that a saintly, pious tzadik like Rabbi Yehuda Hanasi was not looking for a loophole to get out of fasting… Why, then, did he not want to move the fast to the next day? The answer becomes apparent in light of the correspondence established by the Ohev Yisrael . The 9 th of Av corresponds to the 21 st festival – Shemini Atzeret/Simhat Torah, and thus the roots of Tishah B’Av lie in this festival. As such, Rabbi Yehuda felt, Tishah B’Av cannot be observed on any other day. Tishah B’Av cannot simply be moved to a different day – because its essence is bound to the date of the 9 th of Av, which parallels the occasion of Shemini Atzeret. Therefore, in Rabbi Yehuda’s view, if Tishah B’Av cannot be observed on the 9 th of Av, it cannot be observed at all. As cited earlier, the Gemara concludes, “ lo hodu lo hachamim ” – which, according to the simple reading, means that Rabbi Yehuda’s contemporaries disagreed. In light of what we have seen, however, we could suggest a deeper interpretation – that the Gemara refers here to the sages’ institution of Yom Tov Sheni, the second day of Yom Tov observed in the Diaspora. This institution results in a second day of Shemini Atzeret – which we celebrate as Simhat Torah. And so if Tishah B’Av cannot be observed on the 9 th of Av, the 21 st day of the Three Weeks, it can be observed the next day – which corresponds to Simhat Torah, the 22 nd festival day which we celebrate here in the Diaspora. Hence, “ lo hodu lo hachamim ” – the sages, through their institution of Yom Tov Sheni, negated Rabbi Yehuda’s argument, yielding the conclusion that Tishah B’Av is observed on the 10 th of Av when the 9 th falls on Shabbat. Simhat Torah & Tishah B’Av in Our Generation In conclusion, I would like to make a simple observation – one which should bring us a great deal of consolation and hope during the otherwise disheartening season of the Three Weeks and Tishah B’Av. In our generation – and particularly in our community – the connection between Simhat Torah and Tishah B’Av has taken on greater meaning. Both are occasions when our youth flock to the synagogue and remain there for many hours. On Simhat Torah, of course, the children play a central role in the festivities, dancing, waving their flags, and enjoying the special treats. And in our day and age, Tishah B’Av has also become a time where youngsters come in large numbers to the synagogue, albeit for a much different reason – to hear classes and somberly reflect on the destruction and our hopes for redemption.