Review of Tisha B’Av with Rabbi Eliezer Berland Shlit”a

As publicized here in the week preceding Tisha B’Av, Moreinu HaRav shlit”a was not feeling well and was forced to be hospitalized immediately after Shabbat—on Rosh Chodesh Av—for a full week of tests and monitoring. Despite the frail health of Moreinu HaRav shlit”a, in his great kindness and abundant mercy, on Erev Shabbat Kodesh, Parashat Devarim—Shabbat Chazon—Moreinu HaRav shlit”a decided to sign an early release form and return to spend Shabbat Devarim–Chazon together with our community. With Heaven’s help, also on Tisha B’Av we merited to be sheltered under the wings of Moreinu HaRav shlit”a.

“Vehi No’am Nishbat. B’Motzaei Shabbat.”

This year, the fast of Tisha B’Av fell on Motzaei Shabbat (it is worth noting that it is relatively rare for an undelayed Tisha B’Av to fall on a Sunday). Therefore, the Minchah prayer and Seudah Shelishit of Shabbat Chazon were held by our community without Moreinu HaRav shlit”a, and the eating was concluded before sunset in accordance with halachah. However, the Shabbat songs continued until nightfall. About half an hour after nightfall according to Rabbeinu Tam—at 9:12 PM—Moreinu HaRav shlit”a entered for the Maariv prayer of the eve of Tisha B’Av, beginning with the saying of “Baruch HaMavdil Bein Kodesh L’Chol.” Immediately afterward, Moreinu HaRav sang the melody preceding “Barechu,” and then began the Maariv prayer, which lasted around fifteen minutes in its regular Nusach. After the Amidah, Moreinu HaRav shlit”a said he would give a shiur in order to wait for those who prolong their Amidah prayer. For sixteen minutes, he spoke with great emotion about the destruction of the Temple. He primarily cited the Zohar on the verse, “Behold, I will set down gems as your flooring stones,” explaining that it is forbidden, God forbid, to say that it was those wicked men who destroyed the Temple, but rather, “From on High, He has sent fire into my bones and it overpowered them.” And the Temple lives and endures! During the shiur, the Rav also cited the Midrash Eichah (Eichah Rabbati 1:51) about the cow that bellowed twice—once over the destruction of the Temple, and immediately afterward over the birth of Mashiach—and he elaborated that on this very day the Temple of fire descends from above. After the shiur, Moreinu HaRav shlit”a sat down to read Megillat Eichah with great arousal. With his moving niggun, Moreinu HaRav read verse by verse in a way that no one could remain unmoved by the sorrow of the destruction. When he reached the verse, “The kings of the earth did not believe, nor any of the world’s inhabitants, that an enemy and foe would enter the gates of Jerusalem,” his weeping intensified, and he choked with sobs and great lamentation over the destruction of Jerusalem. After completing the reading of Eichah, which lasted about half an hour, Moreinu HaRav shlit”a began the recitation of the five kinot customary to say on the night of Tisha B’Av, along with the lament “Vehi No’am Nishbat B’Motzaei Shabbat.” He then recited the Kaddish of “Uva L’Tzion,” and after “Aleinu LeShabe’ach,” he entered his home, instructing everyone to remain awake throughout the night and to travel to Me’arat HaMachpelah and even to the graves of Tzaddikim in the north. Shacharit would begin at 4:30 AM.

“For this our heart was ill"

On that very day when evildoers entered His Sanctuary, Moreinu HaRav shlit”a came to the Shacharit prayer without tallit or tefillin at exactly 4:30 AM. He began with the verses from Tikkun Chatzot that are customarily recited on days when Tachanun is omitted, such as Tisha B’Av, including “Kara Alai Mo’ed,” and in the tune of “Ki Nicham Hashem Tzion,” he extended the recitation for about two minutes. After this, Moreinu HaRav shlit”a began the Shacharit prayer in the regular Nusach, starting from the Morning Zemirot, Korbanot, Pesukei D’Zimrah, and the blessings of Kriyat Shema. The niggun of “Hoshiya Et Amecha,” lasted about five minutes, and “Lamnatze’ach BiNginot Mizmor Shir,” lasted about fifteen minutes. After the Amidah, Moreinu HaRav shlit”a read from the Torah portion “Ki Tolid Banim,” followed by the haftarah “Asof Asifeim.” Immediately after the haftarah, Moreinu HaRav shlit”a stepped down from his place. At 6:52 AM, Moreinu HaRav shlit”a sat on the ground and began to lament in weeping and mourning over the destruction of the Temple and the pain of the Shechinah (Divine Presence). In the large plaza outside the central courtyard sat over a thousand members of our community—men, women, and children—crying and mourning bitterly over the catastrophe of the destruction of Jerusalem and the concealment of the Tzaddik, which is the source of all calamities throughout the generations. “Every generation in which the Temple is not rebuilt in its days—it is as if it was destroyed in its days.” Due to the severe heatwave that struck the Holy Land on Tisha B’Av, the gabba’im of the Beit Midrash rented portable air conditioners for the large crowd that came to mourn Jerusalem together with Moreinu HaRav shlit”a. It should be noted that due to the overwhelming number of people, despite this year’s kinot being held in the large outdoor plaza next to our Beit Midrash, the crowding was still strongly felt. Before the kinah “Arzei HaLevanon,” Moreinu HaRav shlit”a stood up, and from then on—throughout nearly two full hours of kinot—he remained standing. During the recitation of the kinot, Moreinu HaRav shlit”a gave several shiurim: as mentioned, before the kinah of the ten martyrs—“Arzei HaLevanon”—he mentioned the execution of Rabbi Akiva; before the three kinot about the decrees of 4856 (1096 – the Rhineland massacres); and before the kinah “She’ali Serufah BaEsh,” composed by Maharam of Rothenburg, the Rav spoke at length about the great loss of thousands of commentaries whose letters ascended in fire never to return. He also gave a shiur before the kinah of Rabbi Yehudah HaLevi, “Tzion HaLo Tishali.” The kinot were said with tremendous arousal, especially the last kinah, “Eli Tzion VeAre’ha,” which Moreinu HaRav shlit”a chants every year with a rousing melody, caused him to choke from sobbing. After nearly three hours, at 9:47 AM, Moreinu HaRav concluded the kinot and sat again on the ground for a second reading of Megillat Eichah, which was shorter than the night before—lasting precisely fifteen minutes. At the conclusion of the reading, Moreinu HaRav finished the prayer, instructing that everyone should now go to the Kotel until midday, and afterward, travel to the graves of the Patriarchs in Hevron. Moreinu HaRav shlit”a entered his holy home at 10:05 AM, after five and a half hours of Tisha B’Av prayers.

“Renew our days as of old”

During the afternoon of the fast, Moreinu HaRav shlit”a, who was fasting despite being close to ninety years old and having been hospitalized just two days earlier, began to feel unwell. Despite the halachic dispensation that was clear to everyone that he needed to break his fast, he did not listen at all to the doctor who was brought to him. On the day of the Temple’s destruction, the day that all the Jewish people mourn and sit on the ground—on such a day, one does not eat or drink! But the physical body, to which Moreinu HaRav shlit”a gives no rest at all, could no longer withstand the situation, and by the late afternoon, Moreinu HaRav shlit”a began to not feel well. Still, despite everything, he did not break his fast. However, the obvious was announced—that he did not have the strength to join the prayer with the community. At around 6:00 PM, an announcement was made that the Rav would not be coming out to pray with the community. Accordingly, many separate minyanim were organized for Minchah with the Torah reading and the haftarah for Tisha B’Av. After Minchah and before Maariv, the community said the Tikkun HaKlali for the recovery of Moreinu HaRav shlit”a. At the conclusion of Maariv, Rabbi Azizian shlit”a, who every Shabbat morning recites Kiddush aloud for the community, now made the Havdalah for the conclusion of Tisha B’Av, which fell on Sunday. Afterward, the gabba’im of the Beit Midrash, under the auspices of the “Ichud Chasidei Breslov – Shuvu Banim,” provided an enormous amount of refreshments, including more than 150 watermelons that were sliced and distributed for the large crowd that had come to be sheltered on Tisha B’Av under the shadow of Moreinu HaRav shlit”a. It should be noted that on Motzaei Tisha B’Av, around 11:00 PM, Moreinu HaRav shlit”a again went out for medical treatment, and from there continued on for a period of rest abroad.

May it be His will that just as we merited to mourn together with Moreinu HaRav shlit”a, so too may we merit to see the rebuilding of our Temple speedily in our days, Amen!