It is anything but coincidental that Parshas Maatos always falls out during the 3 weeks, and often, as it did this year, during the 9 days. The knowledge of how to properly use our power of speech, which was so apparent to Moshe Rabbeinu that it didn’t require a lead-in pasuk to let all know that it was a commandment from Hashem, is the very reason the second Beis Hamikdash was destroyed, and that close to 2,000 years later we still cry on the floor on Tisha B’av, mourning it’s loss. We unfortunately still display sinas chinam, senseless hatred of our fellow man, and espouse lashon hara, verbally degrading our fellow human being, and abuse and defile the gift of dibbur even when conversing with our Creator.
We hold the key to the ultimate geulah and the blueprint to the Binyan Shelishi – the third and final Beis Hamikdash. Yes, the Three Weeks have passed, yes another Tisha B’Av has come and gone, but we can still take an introspective pause and think of how we should be using the power of speech. We can still take the time to understand that our words and actions are the most powerful weapons we have to fight the Yetzer Hara. Once we have successfully implemented the filter on our mouths we will, with Hashem’s help, merit the syattah d’Shmaya with all the other filters we employ to protect us from the evils of the Yetzer Hara that seemingly lurk at our every corner, and be zoche to prepare for the Yom Tov of Tisha B’av!
