The Gemara says that anyone who is misabel over the churban will be zoche to see the nechama. However, it is very difficult to properly be misabel and cry over losing something that we have never seen, experienced, or witnessed. In order to do so there are certain perspectives we need to be mindful of and then being misabel over the churban will become much more attainable.
The first step is to realize that we are currently living in a time of churban. And what do I mean by that? Yirmiyahu Hanavi prefaced his description of a certain aspect of the churban with four pesukim (Yirmiyahu 9:16-19) that stress the need to call the mikoninos (those who bring people to tears) and to cry excessively over this aspect of the churban. He then described a part of the churban as “Death has come through our windows…to cut down a young child in the street” (Yirmiyahu 9:20). The Chafetz Chaim explained that death has come through our windows refers to strange forms of death. At the time of the churban, there were strange deaths taking place in the streets of Yerushalayim. In order for us to feel the churban, Hashem has reenacted a part of the churban for us in our times. In recent weeks Klal Yisrael as a whole suffered several horrific strange deaths. Sadly, I do not think I need to detail them in order for all to know what I am referring to.
Hashem relived an aspect of the churban as described by Yirmiyahu Hanavi. This should remind us that we are in galus and that we should feel the churban. We should realize that without a Bais Hamikdash, we are living in churban. These recent events should enable us to cry for the Bais Hamikdash, as Hashem has given us the opportunity to witness an aspect of the churban first-hand.
There is another aspect of the churban that we can easily feel in our times. Many people are not reaching their fullest potential in learning, davening, and avodas Hashem in general. Many people lack motivation and are often in dire need of a spiritual uplifting, but do not know where to get it. Unfortunately, many people do not even realize that they are in need of a spiritual boost. Tosfos in Baba Basra 21a explains the passuk “Ki mitzion taitzei Torah” as follows: The Torah commanded us to come to Yerushalayim three times a year for Yom Tov, and to eat ma’asar sheni there, because when a person would travel to Yerushalayim and to the Bais Hamikdash, he would witness a great kedushah. He would see talmidai chachamim walking around learning, and the kohanim performing the avoda with zrizus. A person would get a tremendous chizuk from this experience; it would increase his yiras shamayim immensely, he would be filled with a fire of yiras shomayim, ahavas Hashem and ahavas Ha’Torah and he, too, would begin learning with great hisorirus. How many people are in dire need of such an experience? How many people’s lives would be changed for the better if they would visit Yerushalayim habenuya? How many parents daven and cry for their children to be spiritually uplifted? The truth is we are all in need of such an experience. Do we have this opportunity today? Is this not something to cry for? This is another aspect of the churban that we are living with daily. We lack spiritual motivation for growth, and real hisorirus.
We should take note how Hashem has brought us to Eretz Yisrael and has built Yeshivos the likes of which have not been seen in Eretz Yisroel since the churban habayis. Tens of thousands of men are sitting and learning day and night. Thousands of bachrim and yungerleit travel from all over the world to Eretz Yisrael every year to learn Torah. Tens of thousands of children are learning al taharos hakodesh. Great Kihilos of ovdei Hashem have been formed.
Alas, a new government is formed that does not seem to have a favorable outlook on Chareidim, or religious people in general for that matter. Why is Hashem allowing this to occur? Hashem is telling us that we should not feel satisfied with our current situation. Hashem is reminding us that, although he has brought us to Eretz Yisrael and we have established many Yeshivos and kihilos, if we do not have a Bais Hamikdash, we are still living in churban!
This gezeira, was sent to tell us that we are living in churban and must begin to desperately want and daven for the Bais Hamikdash. If we demonstrate to Hashem that we understand what he is telling us, and we begin to properly beseech Him to bring the Bais Hamikdash, perhaps we will be zoche to remove all gezeiros from upon us, and be zoche to see the yeshua and the revelation of the malchus of Hashem from upon us. Additionally, if we would begin to be mivakesh the Bais Hamikdash, and stop doing things that prevent the geula, such as lashon hara, and machlokes, and show Hashem that we are seriously willing to do everything to be zoche the geula we will be zoche to see it built speedily in our times, amen.
