The Secret of Rebuilding Jerusalem: Attributing the Destruction to Ourselves

Lesson No. 8 | *Sunday, Parashas Bechukosai, 14 Iyar 5755 (Continued from No. 7)

Reb Noson of Breslov teaches that the path to bringing Mashiach and rebuilding the Beis HaMikdash (Holy Temple) passes through taking absolute personal responsibility for the Churban (destruction). When a person judges himself, guards his eyes, and understands that all his criticism of others is a mistake, he removes the harsh judgments of the nations of the world and brings the Geulah (Redemption) closer.

Crying Over Jerusalem Out of Personal Responsibility

Reb Noson of Breslov says: Do you want to bring the Beis HaMikdash? Do you want to bring Jerusalem and the Mashiach? You must know that you need to mourn for Jerusalem and see her in her sorrow, when she is despised and abandoned. The way to do this is to sit on the floor at Chatzos (midnight), to cry and mourn. But what exactly are we mourning over? Over our own sins.

A person must believe: "I am destroying the Beis HaMikdash. Only me, no one else, except for me." When a person mourns over Jerusalem, he needs to examine his deeds and know that if he does not guard his eyes—he is the one destroying Jerusalem. With every forbidden sight, we create knives and bring a spirit of impurity upon the city. Only when a person examines his deeds and attributes the destruction to himself, will the Geulah come.

Guarding the Eyes and Becoming "Ayin" (Nothingness)

Reb Noson emphasizes that the Geulah will come through a person who says: "The entire destruction is only because of me." If even one person would truly guard his eyes, the Geulah would come immediately. However, a deep problem lies here: we need to both guard our eyes and simultaneously attain the state of "Ayin" (complete self-nullification).

A person might say, "I will close my eyes," but deep down think that he is better than everyone else and that others are worse than him. This is a flaw in the ointment (literally: a sheep's tail with a thorn in it). On the other hand, to say "I am Ayin" while simultaneously opening one's eyes to forbidden sights—this is certainly not being "Ayin." Because if you truly knew that you are nothing, you would not open your eyes at all. Therefore, the spiritual work is to attribute the destruction solely to ourselves, since every person, according to his sins, has a share in the destruction of the Beis HaMikdash in every single generation.

The Secret of Judgment: Why Do the Nations of the World Judge Us?

The question is asked: Why do the nations come and judge us? Reb Noson explains this based on the verse:

"In the place of justice, there is wickedness" (Koheles 3:16)

When we judge one another incorrectly, we blemish the attribute of justice. As a result, this judgment clothes itself in wickedness—in Nebuchadnezzar, in the Nazis, and in the nations of the world who come to judge us and subjugate us. All of this happens only because we judge our friends with incorrect judgments.

The solution to this is for a person to judge himself. When a person sits on the floor at Chatzos (midnight) and knows: "Every moment I am making a mistake. Every thought of mine, every judgment of mine, every criticism of mine, and every look of mine—everything is a mistake, everything is upside down"—out of this realization and true humility, the complete Geulah (Redemption) will immediately come, speedily in our days.

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Part 3 of 3 — Lesson No. 8
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