The Secret of the Word "Chata'ti" and the Calculation of the End of the Redemption

Lesson No. 492 | Thursday, Parashas Va'eschanan, Tishah B'Av 5766

An in-depth article explaining the trials of the kings of Judah and Israel, the immense power of confessing a sin, and the secret calculation of the years of the Geulah (Redemption) according to the prophecy of Daniel. Through the stories of Asa, Shaul, and Yarovam, it is revealed how the word "chata'ti" (I have sinned) transforms transgressions into vessels for infinite lights and opens the gates of the Geulah (Redemption).

The Book of Divrei HaYamim (Chronicles) describes the war of Baasha, King of Israel, against Judah: "In the thirty-sixth year of the reign of Asa, Baasha, King of Israel, went up against Judah and built the Ramah." The question arises: Baasha passed away in the twenty-sixth year of Asa's reign, so how is it possible that he went to war in the thirty-sixth year? Rather, the verse refers to the sixteenth year of Asa's reign, which was the thirty-sixth year since the passing of King Shlomo and the division of the Davidic kingdom.

The decree to divide the Davidic kingdom and give a portion to the house of Yarovam was limited to exactly thirty-six years. Asa needed to atone for the terrible sin of King Shlomo, who married the daughter of Pharaoh. The Talmud in Tractate Yevamos states that Shlomo did not actually marry her, for the Torah commands, "An Egyptian and an Edomite shall not enter the congregation of Hashem." Rather, the very fact that she served as an ambassador in Jerusalem and he maintained a connection with her was considered as if he had married her. Because of this terrible iniquity, the Holy Temple was eventually destroyed, teaching us that a person must not have any connection or dealings with things that blemish holiness. Corresponding to the thirty-six years she served as an ambassador in Jerusalem, thirty-six years of destruction and division were decreed. These years were divided among the reigns of the kings: seventeen years of Rechavam, three years of Aviyah, and sixteen years of Asa.

The First Trial: Asa's Prayer Against Zerach the Kushite

When the great war with Baasha arrived, Asa needed to trust in Hashem and do true teshuvah (repentance). A person must do teshuvah not only for his own sins but also for the sins of his ancestors and forefathers, all the way back to Adam HaRishon (the First Man). Even a person completely clean of any sin, such as Yosam, King of Judah, must do teshuvah for the sins of previous generations. This is because when a person draws close to Hashem, the Holy One, Blessed be He, brings about tikkunim (spiritual rectifications) through him that reach all the way back to Adam HaRishon.

In a previous war that Asa faced, he withstood the trial with tremendous success. Zerach the Kushite arrived with a massive army of a million soldiers and three hundred iron chariots, reaching Mareshah in the valley of Tzephasah. At that moment, Asa did not turn to any flesh-and-blood king for help. He declared days of prayer and cried out to Hashem:

"And Asa called out to Hashem his God, and he said: 'Hashem, there is none beside You to help, between the mighty and him that has no strength; help us, Hashem our God, for we rely on You, and in Your Name we have come against this multitude. Hashem, You are our God; let no mortal prevail against You.'"

Asa said to Hashem: We are absolute nothingness, we have no strength whatsoever, we are weak and lost, and only You can help us. The moment he said these words, there were thunder and lightning from the heavens, and Hashem struck down the Kushites before Asa.

The Second Trial: The Alliance with Aram and the Missed Geulah (Redemption)

However, in the second trial, when Baasha, King of Israel, besieged Jerusalem, Asa failed. Instead of declaring three days of fasting and prayer as Yehoshafat did in his time, Asa took silver and gold from the treasuries of the House of Hashem and sent them to Ben-Hadad, King of Aram, so that he would strike the cities of Naftali and lift the siege.

At that moment, which was an auspicious time for the Geulah (Redemption), Hashem wanted to test whether Asa would turn to Him or rely on flesh-and-blood powers. Chanani the Seer came to Asa and rebuked him:

"Because you relied on the King of Aram and did not rely on Hashem your God, therefore the army of the King of Aram has escaped from your hand... For the eyes of Hashem roam throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is whole toward Him. You have acted foolishly in this; for from now on you will have wars."

Instead of doing teshuvah (repentance) at that very moment and saying "chata'ti" (I have sinned), Asa became angry at the prophet, threw him into the prison house, and murdered anyone who identified with him. Consequently, he became ill in his feet and died in terrible agony, and the Davidic kingdom remained divided.

The Immense Power of the Word "Chata'ti"

If Asa had just said the word "chata'ti," he would have merited that the kingdom would return to him and become an eternal kingdom, and the Holy Temple would never have been destroyed. If a person says "chata'ti," he stands higher than all the tzaddikim, because saying the word "chata'ti" is harder than all the spiritual work in the world.

So too was the case with King Shaul. When Shmuel the Prophet rebuked him regarding the war with Amalek, if Shaul had immediately said "chata'ti" instead of justifying himself, he would have remained an eternal king. Shaul's flaw was his failure to wait for Shmuel. This lack of patience is a flaw we all sin with—when we lack the strength to wait through long prayers or until the end of a Torah class. Yom Kippur, a day when we are not allowed to move and we stand in place from the Shacharis prayer until after Maariv, comes to atone precisely for this lack of patience.

Yarovam ben Nevat also lost his world because he was incapable of saying "chata'ti." The holy Arizal explains a tremendous secret: Yarovam was actually the reincarnation of the soul of the garment of Yosef the Tzaddik. Yosef never opened his eyes to look at anything forbidden, and he merited that all his garments were living souls. The garment that remained in the hand of Potiphar's wife and was defiled by her—that is the soul of Yarovam. Hashem revealed Himself to Yarovam and told him: You are not to blame at all; all the sins you committed stem from the impurity of Potiphar's wife that clung to the garment. Just say the word "chata'ti," admit your mistake, and you will be higher than King David! But Yarovam refused.

The Secret of the Holy Temple of Fire

When a person commits transgressions, it is because he is pushed down from Heaven in order to test him. But the moment he says "chata'ti," the transgressions are transformed into vessels for infinite lights. This is the secret of Tishah B'Av, when the 405 Gevuros (severe judgments) are completely sweetened and the 370 supernal lights are revealed.

If King Chizkiyahu (Hezekiah) had sung a song of praise after the downfall of Sancheriv (Sennacherib), he would have become Mashiach, and a Beis HaMikdash (Holy Temple) of fire would have descended from heaven. There are two Temples: "The foundation of Your dwelling place that Hashem has made" – this is the Temple of stone, and "The Sanctuary, Hashem, that Your hands established" – this is the Temple of fire. In the future to come, a Temple of fire will descend and encompass the Temple of stone, and this is the meaning of the verse, "The glory of this latter House shall be greater than the former."

Daniel's Calculation of the End of the Geulah (Redemption)

Today, we are in a period similar to that of King Asa, a time of wars and trials, about which it is said, "For the eyes of Hashem roam throughout the whole earth." The prophet Daniel prophesied about the end of the Geulah (Redemption) and said:

"And he said to me, 'Until evening and morning, two thousand and three hundred; then the Sanctuary shall be vindicated.'"

From when does the calculation of 2,300 years begin? Daniel saw the destruction of the First Temple, which occurred in the year 3338 from the creation of the world, when "the foundation of His Sanctuary was cast down." If we add another 2,300 years to the year 3338, we arrive exactly at the year 5638 (1878).

In this exact year, 5638, Rabbi Akiva Yosef Schlesinger and his partners arose and established the settlement of Petach Tikvah. They understood that the time of the Geulah (Redemption) was now beginning and appealed to the entire Jewish people. Rabbi Schlesinger suffered persecution, and they even tried to stone him when he bought land in the Land of Israel, but he continued with mesirus nefesh (self-sacrifice). If the Jewish people had awakened at that time, recognized the budding of the Geulah, and established settlements from Petach Tikvah to Jerusalem in holiness and purity, we would have already merited a complete kingdom and the true Geulah.

Lesson No. 492