The divine/human rupture and God's tears

The Meaning of Tisha B’Av

The destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple is not something many of us find compelling. Judaism now is certainly better than during temple times (do we really want to replace prayer with animal sacrifice?) and Jerusalem is a beautiful city. The following sources give a different narrative to Tisha B’Av: the destruction of the Temple is the destruction of the nexus connecting God and the world, and allowing for the infusion of blessings into the world. The brokenness of the Temple and God’s sadness is really sadness over the pain of the whole world, and all the brokenness in it. And in crying, we join God in feeling the pain of the world and yearning to heal it. I apologie for the brief notes on each text; hopefully you can find the questions interesting, and add your own interpretations.

The Exile of the Shekhinah

Ezekiel 10-11

^10:15The cherubim mounted up: this is the living creature that I saw by the river Chebar. ^10:16When the cherubim went, the wheels went beside them; and when the cherubim lifted up their wings to mount up from the earth, the wheels also didn't turn from beside them. ^10:17When they stood, these stood; and when they mounted up, these mounted up with them: for the spirit of the living creature was in them. ^10:18The glory of the LORD went forth from over the threshold of the house, and stood over the cherubim. ^10:19The cherubim lifted up their wings, and mounted up from the earth in my sight when they went forth, and the wheels beside them: and they stood at the door of the east gate of the LORD's house; and the glory of the God of Israel was over them above.

^11:14The word of the LORD came to me, saying, ^11:15Son of man, your brothers, even your brothers, the men of your relatives, and all the house of Israel, all of them, are they to whom the inhabitants of Jerusalem have said, Get you far from the LORD; to us is this land given for a possession. ^11:16Therefore say, Thus says the Lord God: Whereas I have removed them far off among the nations, and whereas I have scattered them among the countries, yet will I be to them a sanctuary for a little while in the countries where they are come.

^11:22Then did the cherubim lift up their wings, and the wheels were beside them; and the glory of the God of Israel was over them above. ^11:23The glory of the LORD went up from the midst of the city, and stood on the mountain which is on the east side of the city.

Temple had held god’s presence (e.g. exodus: filled tent of meeting—this was whole purpose of construction of Temple)

Sadness of god’s presence departing

Even if Jerusalem now rebuilt, shekhinah hasn’t returned

Megillah 29a

It has been taught: R. Simon b. Yohai said: Come and see how beloved are Israel in the sight of God, in that to every place to which they were exiled the Shechinah went with them. They were exiled to Egypt and the Shechinah was with them, as it says, “Did I reveal myself unto the house of thy father when they were in Egypt.” (I Sam 2:27) They were exiled to Babylon, and the Shechinah was with them, as it says, “for your sake I was sent to Babylon.” (Is 43:14) And when they will be redeemed in the future, the Shechinah will be with them, as it says, “Then the Lord thy God will return [with] thy captivity.” (Dt 30:3) It does not say here ve-heshiv [and he shall bring back] but ve-shav [and he shall return]. This teaches us that the Holy One, blessed be He, will return with them from the places of exile.

Where [is the Shechinah] in Babylon?-Abaye said: In the synagogue of Huzal and in the synagogue of Shaf-veyativ in Nehardea. Do not, however, imagine that it is in both places, but it is sometimes in one and sometimes in the other. Said Abaye: May I be rewarded because whenever I am within a parsang I go in and pray there.

The father of Samuel and Levi were sitting in the synagogue which ‘moved and settled’ in Nehardea. The Shechinah came and they heard a sound of tumult and rose and went out. R. Shesheth was once sitting in the synagogue which ‘moved and settled’ in Nehardea, when the Shechinah came. He did not go out, and the ministering angels came and threatened him. He turned to him and said: Sovereign of the Universe, if one is afflicted and one is not afflicted, who gives way to whom? God thereupon said to them: Leave him.

How does this text view exile of shekhinah? (positive thing-blessing)

Mishnah Sotah 9

WHEN [THE SECOND] TEMPLE WAS DESTROYED, THE SHAMIR AND NOFET TZUFIM CEASED, AND MEN OF FAITH DISAPPEARED FROM ISRAEL... RABBAN SIMEON B. GAMALIEL SAYS: R. JOSHUA TESTIFIED THAT FROM THE DAY THE TEMPLE WAS DESTROYED, THERE IS NO DAY WITHOUT A CURSE, THE DEW HAS NOT DESCENDED FOR A BLESSING, AND THE FLAVOUR HAS DEPARTED FROM THE FRUITS. R. JOSE SAYS: THE FATNESS WAS ALSO REMOVED FROM THE FRUITS.

R. SIMEON B. ELEAZAR SAYS; [THE CESSATION OF] PURITY HAS REMOVED TASTE AND FRAGRANCE [FROM FRUITS]; [THE CESSATION OF] THE TITHES HAS REMOVED THE FATNESS OF CORN. BUT THE SAGES SAY: IMMORALITY AND WITCHCRAFT DESTROYED EVERYTHING.

Connected to removal of divine presence: full flavor o world lacking

Divine absence is palpable

How else does divine absence manifest itself?

What is purpose of remembering destruction according to this text?

--remember: life can be better—we can have more full relation to reality

Lamentations 1:8

Jerusalem has surely sinned, therefore she has become a niddah; All those who had honored her despise her because they saw her shame (ervatah); she moaned and turned away.

What does it mean here by “niddah”?

Targum Yonatan & rashi: nidah from nad=exile, wandering

Meshech Hohmah: [sinning] became something regular and she no longer felt embarrassment, like a woman in Niddah who is dirty, nevertheless she does not feel shame because her period is regular and it is something natural. So too because of our sins was Jerusalem with the abundance of sins.

Nb negative connotation of niddah (not how I understand it)

Metaphor: dirty with sin, causes separation from husband

Mystics: Human niddah is metaphor for divine niddah

Niddah: separation from husband—does this apply?

Shekhinah=divine immanence in us, world

Separated from transcendent aspect of god

Rupture/separation within godhead

If this is the case, what is the meaning to our own exile? [feel pain of separation from God]

Zohar I: 182a:

"As many were appalled at you -- so marred was his visage unlike that of a man, and his form unlike that of the sons of men" (Isaiah 52: 14)^. Come and see. It has already been explained that when the Temple was destroyed, and the Shekhinah went into exile into the lands of the nations, it is written it is written "Behold the Arelim cry openly, and the angels of peace weep bitterly" (Isaiah 38: 71) They all wept over this, and composed dirges and lamentations, and all tin- the Shekhinah who had been exiled from her place. And just as she suffered a change from her earlier state, so too her husband: his light no longer shone, and lie was changed from what he was before, as it is written, “Sun was darkened as it rose" (Isaiah 18: 10), and of this it is written, "so marred was his visage unlike that of a man.- Another interpretation: "So marred was his visage unlike that of a man" it refers to the servant, whose countenance and form were changed from what they were before. Another interpretation: "So marred was his visage unlike that of a man" as it is said "I clothe the heavens with blackness, and I make sackcloth their covering" (Isaiah 50: 3), for from the day that the Temple was destroyed the heavens did not shine with their customary light. The secret of the matter is that blessings reside only in the place where male and female are together, and they have explained it, as it is said "male and female He created them, and blessed them” (Genesis 5: 2), and so "marred was his visage unlike that of a man."

Plays out metaphor of family drama—divorce

God is exiled from himself—exile is rupture within god

God is exiled from world

The divine within us doesn’t shine, also: the divine in higher spheres

Even god affected by the separation

What does this add?

Tragic element

Emotional aspect (relational)

What are ramifications for reality? [back to sotah text]

Divine Crying & Human Crying

Berachot 3a, as paraphrased by www.aish.com

One day Rabbi Yossi went on a journey. He saw that the time for prayer had arrived, and he did not want to be disturbed. He knew that if he would stand at the side of the road passersby might disturb him, so he looked for a quiet place near the road. He found an old ruin that was close by. The walls looked old and black, the ceiling looked like it might fall, the door was torn off its hinges, and the inside had a frightening dim appearance.

But all of this did not stop Rabbi Yossi. He went into the ruin and spent a long time praying to the Almighty. When he finished, he wanted to leave and continue on his way, but at the entrance he was startled to see somebody waiting for him. Rabbi Yossi took a good look and immediately realized that this could only be the Prophet Eliyahu.

"My greetings to you, Rabbi," Eliyahu began. And Rabbi Yossi replied with trembling in his voice, "My greetings to you, my rabbi and my teacher." Eliyahu said to him, "I have been standing here and guarding you for a long time, Rabbi Yossi. Why did you come into this ruined building?" Rabbi Yossi replied, "I wanted to pray in quiet." But Eliyahu told him, "That is not good. It is dangerous to enter this type of ruin. However, if you did enter and stay for a while anyway, please tell me if you heard any noise in the ruin."

"Indeed I did hear a sound, my teacher. When I entered I began to hear a quiet and mysterious voice, deep and quiet, a voice from heaven that pierced straight into my heart. I understood that I was hearing the sound of the Divine Shechina, G-d's voice, hiding as it were in this ruin. The voice became stronger and stronger, all the while weeping and full of yearning. This is what it said: 'Woe to the children who caused their father to be angry. Woe to the children who have been sent to exile, away from their father's table. Woe to Yisrael, who made me angry with their sins and caused me to vent my anger on them. Woe to Yisrael, whose holy Temple has been destroyed, and whose land was consumed, and who were exiled from their land. Woe to the father who was forced to do all of this. Woe to the father who destroyed His own house and expelled His sons and drove them from their land.'"

"You heard very well," Eliyahu told the rabbi. "You should know that this voice which you were privileged to hear has been echoing through the world for many years. And it was not heard once, or for just one hour, one day, or one week. Ever since the Temple was destroyed, every day and every hour, the Shechina weeps about her children, who are missing, and the Almighty is sorry for the destruction and the loss, and yearns for redemption. From the time that Bnei Yisrael went into exile they did not go alone, for G-d went into exile with them. Every time Yisrael praise G-d in their prayers and show G-d that they have not lost hope, G-d nods his head in agreement, and says, 'Why did I destroy my house and my land? Why did I send my people into exile? How good it will be when everything returns to the way it was, when mankind will improve their ways, and when Yisrael will return in full to their land and to the Temple.'"

When Eliyahu finished what he had to say, he left.

--purpose of our crying?

get god to cry too

yearning makes us remember brokenness

Mishnah Sanhedrin 6:5 (BT Sanhedrin 46a; Hagiga 15b)

R. MEIR SAID: 34 WHEN MAN SUFFERS [e.g. from execution] WHAT DOES THE SHECHINAH SAY? — MY HEAD IS TOO HEAVY FOR ME, MY ARM IS TOO HEAVY FOR ME. AND IF GOD IS SO GRIEVED OVER THE BLOOD OF THE WICKED THAT IS SHED, HOW MUCH MORE SO OVER THE BLOOD OF THE RIGHTEOUS!

--what is relation of our experience and god’s experience?

--how would we experience the world the way god does? Can we?

--what is the purpose of human crying? [expand our consciousness]; Gilligan’s thy of moral development; tikkun olam; fasting: experience hunger of the poor, give that money to the poor—act & feel on behalf of needy

Kalonymous Kalman Shapira, Warsaw, Feb 11 1942

Now the Jew who is tormented by his afflictions thinks that he alone suffers, as if all his personal afflictions and those of all Israel do not affect [god] above, God forbid. Scripture says, however, “In all their troubles He was troubled.” [Is 63:9] and the Talmud states, “When a person suffers, what does the Shekhinah say? 'My head is too heavy for me, my arm is too heavy for me.” Our sacred literature tells us that when a Jew is afflicted, God blessed be he suffers (as it were) much more than the person does.

It may be that since He, blessed be He, is not subject to any limitation—for which reason no conception of Him is possible in the world—therefore His suffering from Israel's troubles is also boundless...

Now since His suffering is, as it were, boundless and vaster than all the world-- for which reason it has never penetrated the world and the world does not shudder from it-therefore the angel said, 'let me weep so that you won't need to weep.' [The angel Metatron wanted] the divine weeping to be manifested in the world. For then God would no longer need to weep; once the sound of divine weeping would be heard in the world, the world would hear it and explode. A spark of his suffering, as it were, would penetrate the world and would consume all His enemies...

God wanted to atone for Israel's sins, and the time was not yet a time of salvation. He answered [Metatron saying], 'I will go to a place where you have no permission to enter and weep there’...

The weeping which a person does together with God—that strengthens him. He weeps—and is strengthened; he is broken—but finds courage to study and teach.

Why does god cry? What do you think of this concept?

--why do we cry? What does it accomplish? [gives us strength]