spirit

G H UA
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torah portion

F INE C HINESE D INING

“A wonderful adventure in fine dining” ~ Danny Raskin

From Sorrow To Joy

T

his Shabbat coincides
with the 9th of Av on the
Hebrew calendar. Known in
Hebrew as Tishah b’Av, it is the day
on which we annually mark the
destruction of both holy temples in
Jerusalem by fasting and mourning.
This year, however, since
it coincides with Shabbat,
dream home, a home much
not only do we push off all
more beautiful than the
mourning observances to
original.
Saturday night and Sunday,
The Lubavitcher Rebbe,
but we are actually encour-
of righteous memory,
aged to add in joy and feast-
explains that the latter is
ing so there should be no
in essence what occurred
doubt or suspicion of any
with the destruction of the
Rabbi Mendel
mourning.
temples and is still taking
Stein
The obvious question is
place today.
why? Why do we mark this
True, we have lost a mag-
day in 2018 with feasting
nificent spiritual and physi-
and joy when in most years
cal edifice that was the
we mark it with fasting and mourn- epicenter of the Jewish people; but,
ing?
in truth, God was just preparing
Certainly this is not just a result
the ground for something so much
of technical Jewish calendar legali-
greater.
ties; there is a deeper message here
In order to build or grow there
in regard to the inner meaning
almost always are difficulties and
and purpose of the day. Indeed,
loss involved; our job, our chal-
the Talmud tells us that in the
lenge, is to transform tears into
action and opportunity.
Messianic era the fast of Tisha b’Av
This is what we are observing
will be celebrated as a great holi-
on Shabbat this year. This Shabbat
day.
gives us the strength to transform
The chassidic masters explain
pain and loss into joy and happi-
this with an illustration. Imagine
ness. This Shabbat, we are prepar-
the anguish and pain of someone
ing ourselves and getting a little
watching a lifelong home go up in
taste of an era when pain and suf-
flames. No doubt that the feeling
fering will permanently be removed
of unimaginable loss has filled his
from this world and replaced with
heart.
Now, imagine the feeling of some- the greatest of good.
We are celebrating the building
one who has consciously decided to
demolish his lifelong home in order of the final temple and ultimate
redemption, which will be so much
to build a much greater and more
greater than anything we have
beautifully designed mansion.
had in the past. May it occur even
Surely, there is still a feeling of
before this 9th of Av. •
yearning and loss; but at the same
time, those feelings are overshad-
Rabbi Mendel Stein is development director
owed by the excitement and joy
of Lubavitch Yeshiva-International School for
in awaiting the completion of the

Parshat D’varim:
Deuteronomy 1:1-
3:22; Isaiah 1:1-27.

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July 19 • 2018

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