The Secret of the Fire of Tisha B'Av: Transforming the Luminaries of Fire into Luminaries of Light

Lesson No. 531 | Tuesday, Parashas Va'eschanan, 9th of Av 5767 - Night and Day of Tisha B'Av - 3 Lessons

Tisha B'Av holds the power to reach the absolute nullification of the physical body, similar to the Kohen Gadol (High Priest) on Yom Kippur. By transforming the fire of destruction and physical desires into a fire of holiness and deveikus (attachment to Hashem), we sweeten the harsh judgments and awaken the birth of King Mashiach from within the depths of concealment.

On Yom Kippur, it is possible to sweeten every harsh judgment in the world when a person transcends the boundaries of human existence. The Torah says regarding the Kohen Gadol's entry into the Holy of Holies: "And no man shall be in the Tent of Meeting." Rabbi Abbahu asks: If so, how did the Kohen Gadol enter? The answer is that at that exact moment, he nullified his human status. He completely stripped away his physical body.

This is what we can merit on Tisha B'Av. We can reach this spiritual level of completely nullifying the physical body through the Kinnos (lamentations) that are recited until Chatzos (midday). The entire essence of Tisha B'Av is to renew the Divine service of the Kohen Gadol on Yom Kippur. Therefore, on Tisha B'Av, we are already preparing for the month of Elul and the Ten Days of Repentance, because on Tisha B'Av the Foundation Stone (Even HaShetiyah) was created, seven days before the souls were created.

The Secret of the Ten Martyrs

The Holy Temple was destroyed due to an overwhelming abundance of light, an excess of fire. Because there was jealousy and hatred, there were no spiritual vessels or constrictions to receive the Divine light, and so it was destroyed. The entire purpose of Tisha B'Av is to reach a state of complete "nothingness" (absolute humility and self-nullification), just as the Ten Martyrs merited when they completely stripped away their physical bodies.

The Talmud in Tractate Kallah relates the story of Rabbi Chanina ben Teradion, who continued to gather public assemblies and teach Torah despite the Roman decree. When Rabbi Yosi ben Kisma asked him on what grounds he was risking his life, Rabbi Chanina replied: "Heaven will have mercy. I am not concerned right now with the strict letter of the law; I am concerned right now with gathering public assemblies so that Torah will multiply in Israel. Whether they burn me or they do not burn me—that does not matter. The main thing is that there should now be tens of thousands of students who will carry the Torah forward."

The Fire That Recoiled and the Hour of Hisbodedus

Immediately following the funeral of Rabbi Yosi ben Kisma, the Romans captured Rabbi Chanina ben Teradion, surrounded him with bundles of branches, and ignited the fire. His daughter stood there and cried out, "Father, a living Torah scroll is burning!" He answered her: "If I were burning alone, I would feel sorrow, but now that I am burning together with the Torah scroll—He who will demand retribution for the humiliation of the Torah will demand retribution for my humiliation."

But the great wonder was that the fire recoiled and did not touch him at all. The Roman executioner was astounded and asked, "How is it possible that we, the Roman Empire that conquered the world, cannot manage to burn a single man?" Rabbi Chanina answered him, "Until I give you permission, you will not be able to burn me."

The executioner begged him for permission, saying that otherwise, he himself would be killed. Rabbi Chanina requested one hour of Hisbodedus (secluded prayer). From here we learn that an hour of *Hisbodedus* saves a person from all the harsh decrees in the world. During that hour, he merited a soul ascension, completely stripping away his physical body like the Kohen Gadol, and he heard a Heavenly voice from behind the Divine curtain telling him that he must be burned in order to save the Jewish people from severe judgments until the end of all generations.

Nullifying the Decrees of the Nations of the World

When the decree was issued, they sent Rabbi Yishmael the Kohen Gadol to ascend to the Heavenly realms and check if it had been sealed. Once he heard from behind the Divine curtain that the decree was true, the Ten Martyrs made a festive meal and danced until morning out of sheer joy that they had been chosen to atone for the sin of the ten tribes.

When Rabbi Chanina returned from his Hisbodedus and told the executioner that he was permitted to burn him, the executioner now refused. He saw tangibly how all the nations of the world and the Roman Empire were nothing but a fleeting illusion, as it is written: "Behold, the nations are like a drop from a bucket, and are accounted as the dust on the scales."

The executioner understood that there is no true sovereignty for the nations, and that everything is from Hashem. He agreed to ignite the fire only on the condition that Rabbi Chanina would promise him a portion in the World to Come and allow him to jump into the fire together with him. Rabbi Chanina agreed, they both burned, and a Heavenly voice emerged and declared: "Rabbi Chanina ben Teradion and his executioner are destined for the life of the World to Come." When we read the story of the Ten Martyrs with deep intention and tears, we close the spiritual curtain that protects the Land of Israel, and we nullify all harsh decrees from upon the Jewish people.

Transforming the Luminaries of Fire into Luminaries of Light

The lamentation "Ask, O you who were burned in fire" teaches us that the Torah is a blazing fire. Nadav and Avihu were consumed by fire out of their overwhelming love for Hashem, and Yonasan ben Uziel—any bird that flew over him was burned due to his intense holiness. This is the secret of the Ten Martyrs, who were all rooted in the secret of the fire of the Supernal Thought (the highest level of Divine will).

The Shattering of the Vessels, which is the spiritual root of the destruction of the Holy Temple, began with the eyes. "Better is the sight of the eyes than the wandering of the soul." The blemish of the eyes is severe, because it turns the "luminaries of light" into "luminaries of fire" consisting of physical desires and harsh judgments. Our entire spiritual work on Tisha B'Av is to restore the luminaries of fire back into luminaries of light, so that everything becomes a blazing fire directed solely toward Hashem, blessed be He.

When a person learns Torah, he must learn it with fire, and pray with fire, because the Torah was given as black fire written upon white fire. If a person merits to learn in this way, he saves the world from fires and destruction.

From Within the Destruction, King Mashiach is Born

The Midrash in Eichah relates the story of a Jew who was plowing his field on the day the Holy Temple was destroyed. His cow lowed, and an Arab said to him, "From the lowing of the cow, I understand that the Holy Temple has just been destroyed." Immediately, the cow lowed a second time, and the Arab said, "Now King Mashiach has been born."

The Jew went to Bethlehem and found the baby's mother, but she was crying because a stormy wind had snatched him away. The profound message here is that on every Tisha B'Av, King Mashiach is born. The moment there is destruction, at that very same moment, salvation is created. The greater the distress, the greater the miracle that follows it.

Therefore, a person must never fall into despair. Even if he sees that everything has been burned and destroyed, he must believe that specifically now, Mashiach is born. If we spend Tisha B'Av crying genuine tears and thinking about how to rebuild the Holy Temple, we will merit to transform all the fires of destruction into luminaries of light, and we will merit to see the rebuilding of the Holy Temple speedily in our days, Amen.

Lesson No. 531