In the Gemara in Berachos 3a a Beraiso is brought where R’Eliezer says that there are three watches. And says R’eliezer that “at each watch the HaKadosh BaruchHu sits and roars like a lion”. The verse that backs up this statement says in Yiremahu 25:30 “Hashem will Roar from on a high, and from His Holy Abode will send forth His Voice, he will Roar and Roar over his lodging” Later on in the Gemara Rav Yitzchak bar Shmuel said in the name of Rav and explains this verse. He says that the night consists of three watches and at the end of each Hashem sits and roars like a lion. He says (Hashem says): “Woe to the Children because of whose sins i destroyed My Temple and Burned My sanctuary and exiled them among the nations of the world.”
What is the gemara telling us by using two phrases to describe the destruction of the Beis Hamikdosh??
Toras Chaim Commentates on this phrase in Daf 96b of Sanhedrin. He says that they are to two different things. “Destroyed my Temple” means to say that Hashem’s Shechina departed from the Temple, whereas “burned my sanctuary” refers to its actual physical destruction. Because only after Hashem’s Shechina has left can it be physically destroyed!! In Taanis 5a it states that G-d does not “reside” in his Heavenly Temple while our physical one lies in Ruins, thus they were both destroyed at the same time!
It is this last point that i would like to talk about!
The point this proves is that Hashem is also in exile and in the same period of mourning as we! When the Temple was destroyed on Earth, so was it up in Heaven. So how ever much Hashem wants to be brought out of Golus, How much more so should We! This is Exactly the point! When we Repent enough to bring Moshiach, Hashem saves not only Himself but US!
Who’s fault is it that the Temple was destroyed? OURS (the jewish people)!!! One of the verses above found in the gemara says that Hashem says “woe to the children because of whose sins i destroyed the Holy Temple…”
It is only our failure to repent properly that Hashem can’t “move back Home” and take us all with Him with the Coming of Moshiach!! G-d Wants this more than anything, He yearns for our Prayer and repentance, and if we can cry out to him and show our regret for our sins that we have done He will bring Moshiach and restore us to our land and restore the Holy Temple!
If we look in the Beracho in Shemoneh Esrei for the coming of Moshiach – Es Tsamach Dovid – it says that we hope for YOU (Hashem) to bring the redemption, we see that we have to rely on Hashems salvation after all it does mention the word three times! In other Berachos we dont have to do anything, Hashem does it anyway e.g. the beracho for Health it says Rofeh Choleh – Who heals the sick… We see that there is a difference in the beracho es tsamach we are HOPING that we can bring Hashem to save us, all other Berachos we know that Hashem will help us!
We also see that the special Haftorah we read on Tisha B’av – which is Eicha – ends with “Hashem return to us and we will return to You” Shouldn’t it be the other way round that we shall return to Hashem’s ways and then He will help us out and remember His Children?? After all we do His Mitzvos so sureley its us who should return to Hashem first. This shows that perhaps we in Our generation have been taken over by the outside and secular world and that it is us who have done wrong and WE have had the wrong attitude to religious and spiritual pursuits.
So what do we learn from all of this??
Hashem “feels bad” for His destroying our temple so he destroyed his own. Imagine the situation, your father offers to take you to the world Cup final, the biggest game ever, England and Brazil at Wembley and one day your father turns around and says you’ve been very naughty you cant go anymore. Not only can you not go but nor will?? because i feel bad!
The situation is the same here, Hashem “av Harachamim” our Merciful Father shows His Merciful attribute by also Destroying His Heavenly Temple. He wants nothing more but to go back!
We Jews are what brought about the destruction of both Temples through our bad behaviour (sinas chinam etc.)… We jews are the people who can bring about the Moshiach and the Rebuilding of Yerushalayim and the Third Temple!! We during these days have to bring Moshiach with our actions, we have to repent and be in anguish over our sins and that because of them we dont have moshiach and are still in golus. We have to change our attitude and learn from past mistakes and do more Mitvos. We also should be happy to be doing Mitzvos and we should all do each mitzvah with a smile on our face, not begrudgingly and this way Hashem will not only save His people but Himself from Golus and will return to us!
