By Marco Del Monte
Shabbat Chazon
The parashah of Devarim is always read before the 9th of Av, the date on which both Temples in Jerusalem were destroyed.
This Shabbat is called Shabbat Chazon (of the Vision), named after the Haftarah from Isaiah, in which the Prophet admonishes the people for their conduct. In the classical interpretation, the Haftarah is connected to the Parashah because Moshe also begins by speaking to the people in the form of an admonition, as Rashi explains. Another connection that we find between the parashah and Tisha B'Av is precisely the episode of the spies, from which, according to the Chachamim, the decree of the 9th of Av would later stem in the future. On the day of this fast, the tefillah is filled with texts that are very painful in their descriptions. Rav Metzgher explains that the Chachamim ask themselves questions about King David's choice of words in composing Psalm 79, namely Mizmor Leasaf, the one that will be read precisely on Tisha B'Av. The Psalm begins with these words: A Psalm of Asaf, O G-d, foreign nations have entered Your inheritance, they have defiled Your holy temple, they have made Jerusalem a heap of ruins […]. The Masters ask: for what reason does King David begin by saying the word "Mizmor", which can mean song, praise, etc., when describing dramatic events? Rav Metzgher explains a very sad but very profound parable: One day a woman became pregnant. When the time came to give birth, doctors approached her and said: "Unfortunately there are complications, a decision must be made whether to let the baby or the mother survive" (Lo Aleinu - may it happen to no one). The mother's great love left no doubt as to who should live. The child grew up and every year, on his birthday, he used to say the Kaddish for his mother, but he did not know what had happened on that day. One day he told his father that he did not want to celebrate his birthday on that very difficult day. The father then told his son what happened on that day and explained to him that even though his mother decided to leave this world, precisely on that day, she chose to give life to him. Thus the Chachamim explain the episode of the destruction of the Bet HaMikdash: Hashem at that moment had to make a decision, either to destroy the people or to pour out the punishment upon the Bet HaMikdash. The Bet HaMikdash decided that "its son", Israel, had to survive. This is why it is said that Mashiach will be born precisely on Tisha B'Av, and this is why it is written in Megillat Eikhah that this day is called "Ke-yom Mo'ed", like a festive day: The day of destruction is the day of birth or rebirth. This is the strength of Am Israel, which, like the phoenix, always knows how to be reborn, even from its ashes. Just as Chassidic tradition explains: "Divine blessing is discerned even in what appears to be a curse, Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev saw in Isaiah's vision a vision of the Third Temple, that of the Messianic era" (Lezioni di Torà, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, Giuntina, p. 353).
May this Chassidic vision of the transformation of mourning into festive days, of weeping into smiles, of darkness into light, come true every day!
Shabbat Shalom Umevorach
Translated from the Italian with Google Gemini. The Italian text is the original.