Friday, April 28, 2023

the link between shabbos and mikdash

Last post got a little too long, so I broke this part off.  These parshiyos are rich with topics worth commenting on, so it's hard to pick and choose.  I always like to write about Eretz Yisrael, esp this week when we had Yom haAtzmaut.  אֶת־שַׁבְּתֹתַ֣י תִּשְׁמֹ֔רוּ וּמִקְדָּשִׁ֖י תִּירָ֑אוּ why does the parsha juxtapose these two mitzvos?  These days everyone knows the line that Shabbos is in time what the mikdash is in geographical space, so the to go hand in hand.  The Tiferes Shlomo says something else.  He quotes from Chazal that only one who experiences tzaar and pain and mourns the fact that we have no mikdash will be zocheh to see the mikdash rebuilt.  כָּל הַמִּתְאַבֵּל עַל יְרוּשָׁלַיִם זוֹכֶה וְרוֹאֶה בְּשִׂמְחָתָהּ, וְשֶׁאֵינוֹ מִתְאַבֵּל עַל יְרוּשָׁלַיִם אֵינוֹ רוֹאֶה בְּשִׂמְחָתָהּ (Parenthetically, R' Rivlin, the mashgiach of Yeshivat Kerem b'Yavneh explained ומי שאינו מתאבל אינו זוכה ורואה בשמחתה based on the Chazal that teaches with respect to Yaakov Avinu that ויקומו כל בניו וכל בנותיו לנחמו וימאן להתנחם"(בראשית לז לה). ושאלו, "מאי טעמא? לפי שאין מקבלין תנחומים על החי. אבל המת משתכח מן הלב.  By continuing to be misavel, we show that Yerushalayim, the mikdash, is, like Yosef, still alive -- it is not some dead memory that is destined to be forgotten.)  However, when it comes to Shabbos, we say in bentching שלא תהא צרה ביום מנוחתנו.  Shabbos is a day of simcha (at least according to the Yerushalmi); it's not a day of mourning.  We have to give up for a day being .כָּל הַמִּתְאַבֵּל עַל יְרוּשָׁלַיִם  How then can we do to be assured זוֹכֶה וְרוֹאֶה בְּשִׂמְחָתָהּ?  That's why the Torah put these two mitzvos together.  Tif Shlomo writes:  כן מעלת יום השבת שהשכינה שורה בתוך בנ"י ואין אנו רשאי' לדאוג על החורבן וז"ש את שבתותי תשמורו לשמוח ביום השבת. ואע"פ כן ומקדשי תיראו. שנזכה לראות במהרה בבנין בהמ"ק.  Despite not being able to mourn on shabbos, וּמִקְדָּשִׁ֖י תִּירָ֑אוּ, don't worry -- you will still be zocheh to see the rebuilding of the mikdash. 

When I saw this Tif Shlomo, it reminded me that Tos Brachos 48b mentions and rejects the minhag of saying ויש שמתחילין בנחמנו וחותמים בנחמת ציון עירך ובבנין ירושלים on shabbos instead of saying רחם, but the GR"A to OC 188:4 holds that this minhag is preferable.  That debate revolves around the issue of saying a bakasha on shabbos (Tos explains רחם הוי לשון תחנה ואין אומרים תחנונים בשבת אבל נחם אינו לשון תחנונים) but that being said, we see at least an allusion to nechama for the churban on shabbos.  

Lulei d'mistafina I was thinking that the very words the Tif Shlomo cites to indicate that we take our mind off aveilus for the churban on shabbos are actually added as a prayer for Yerushalayim.  Meaning, שֶׁלֺּא תְהֵא צָרָה וְיָגוֹן וַאֲנָחָה בְּיוֹם מְנוּחָתֵֽנוּ is not some general request that we have happiness on shabbos, but rather refers to the  צָרָה וְיָגוֹן וַאֲנָחָה gufa of the churban hamikdash.  What we are asking for is for Hashem to remove that pain of the churban by giving us the mikdash back.  Proof that this is correct is in the very next phrase, as we continue וְהַרְאֵֽנוּ ה׳ אֱלֺקינוּ בְּנֶחָמַת צִיּוֹן עִירֶֽךָ וּבְבִנְיַן יְרוּשָׁלַֽיִם עִיר קָדְשֶֽׁךָ!  

Based on this, I think the reason we stick רְצֵה וְהַחֲלִיצֵֽנוּ in bentching here is not just because this is where we always stick mei'ein ha'meora, the inyana d'yoma, like yaaleh v'yavo.  The reason we stick it in here is because it fits the theme of the bracha, which is about the restoration of malchus beis david and the rebuilding of Yerusahalayim.  The Tiferes Shlomo 's argument is that we can't properly mourn Yerushalayim while we celebrate Shabbos.  My point is the opposite side of the coin is just as true -- we can't properly celebrate Shabbos while in s state of mourning for the churban.  Therefore, when we ask Hashem to restore malchus beis David, to restore Yerushalayim, we are also asking for the restoration of Shabbos to its full splendor as well, Shabbos while is immune from the pain and suffering of seeing our city in ruins, and can therefore be celebrated properly.

2 comments:

  1. Shabbos is a day of simcha (at least according to the Yerushalmi
    are you referring to Yerushlami near the beginning of Megilla why there is no Seuda on Purim Shabbos?

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    Replies
    1. Yes, that's what I had in mind (from Chaim)

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