Supporting The Fallen
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Supporting
The Fallen
Analyzing the נשיאים, we notice that two of them caused turmoil: the Nasi of Reuven
who was involved in the congregation of Korach and Shimon’s Nasi who was Zimri-
the one who caused the plague in which 24,000 people died.[1]
It therefore is no wonder that the Parshiyos of Korach, Balak, and Pinchas are
read this time of year (in the summer).
The Tur tells us that the twelve tribes
correspond to the twelve months.[2]
Reuven who is fourth in the order of the Degalim corresponds to Tamuz, the
fourth month whereas Shimon connects with Av as he was the fifth in the
Degalim, corresponding to the fifth month.[3]
When we combine the initials of ראובן and שמעון, we get the wordרש ; impoverished, because these are the months of the year that
are impoverished.[4]
These are high months that
have fallen very low as in מאיגרא רם לבירא עמיקתא; from a high roof to a
deep pit.[5]
This is just as the higher the place one drops an object from, the further down
it will fall. These months are נופלים; fallen and כפופים; bent, but Hashem supports them as it says סומך י-ה-ו-ה לכל הנופלים וזוקף לכל הכפופים; Hashem supports all the fallen ones and
straightens all the bent,[6]
as in the future, these days will be happy days. It comes as no surprise that סומך י-ה-ו-ה לכל הנופלים has an identical Gematria to תמוז (453). How about the sum
of לכל הכפופים (321)? It is the same as חודש אב, as this month is that
of כפופים, since the beginning of the month until after Tisha B’av is in
the dominion of the Satan.[7]
Observing nature we notice
that the darkest months are in the winter in contrast to the summer months
which are filled with light. This is because in truth these months are that of
true light as it says צום הרביעי וצום החמישי...לששון ולשמחה
ולמעדים טובים; the fasts of the 17th of Tamuz and the 9th
of Av will be to the house of Yehuda for joy, gladness and for happy festivals.[8]
In Lecha Dodi we say בעמק הבכה רב לך שבת; too long have you dwelled in the valley
of weeping. Another interpretation given is that רב לך שבת[9]- the highest Shabbosim
are בעמק הבכה, the ones that are in the valley of tears; the Shabbosim of the
three weeks.[10]
As the three weeks progress, the mourning gets more intense. Parshas Devarim
which coincides with Tisha B’av makes it the most intense of the three. In
fact, the Pasuk states איכה אשא לבדי, which is read with the same trop (tune)
as איכה ישבה בדד.[11]
Additionally, Parshas Devarim begins אלה
הדברים. אלה has a Gematria of 36, the same as איכה. Consequently, the
Shabbos of Parshas Devarim is the highest Shabbos of the three weeks.[12]
[1] Bamidbar 25:9, 25:14
[2] Tur, Orach Chaim, 417
[3] Bamidbar 10. Bnei Yissoschar, Tamuz Av 1:3.
Additionally, when theנשיאים brought the
dedication offerings, Reuven’s was the fourth and Shimon’s was the fifth
(Bamidbar 7:30, 36).
[4] ראובן is from the term ראיה;
to see while שמעון is rooted in שמיעה;
to hear (Breishis 29:32,33). The Meraglim sinned with these two senses as they
saw the land in a negative way- ויראו את הארץ
ויניאו...;
they saw the land and dissuaded the heart of the Jewish people… (Bamidbar
32:9), as well as hearing and accepting the Lashon Hara-ותשא כל העדה ויתנו את קולם ; the entire assembly raised up
and issued its voice… (Bamidbar 14:1). In Talmud Bavli, the terminology ofתא שמע ; come and hear is used, in contrast to Talmud
Yerushalmi which uses the wording, ‘come and see’ (as in Yerushalmi Sheviis
2:4), as does the Zohar-תא חזי;
come and see (as in Vayeshev 189b). Additionally, R’ Yosef Chaim Zonnenfeld
points out on the Pasuk in our Haftorah that ציון
במשפט תפדה;
Tzion shall be redeemed with justice (Yeshaya 1:27) shares the same numerical
value as ירושלמי תלמוד (1,076), whereas the
continuation of the Pasuk-ושביה בצדקה; her returnees with
righteousness- is the same asתלמוד בבלי (524).
It comes as no surprise that תא are
the first letters of תמוז, אב.
With this we can comprehend הטה אלה-י אזנך ושמע פקח עיניך וראה;
incline Your ear and listen, open Your eyes and see…(Daniel 9:18).
[5] Chagiga 5b. Examples of קדושה
mixed with טומאה are the כנענים
living in Eretz Yisrael as well as the ערלה
prior to a Bris. The same is with Tamuz and Av, that in essence it is filled
with light.
[6] Tehillim 145:14. The Arizal teaches that each month
corresponds to different limbs in the head (Bnei Yissoschar Tamuz Av 1:4).
Tamuz corresponds to the right eye and Av to the left. It is written in the
Pasuk עיני עיני ירדה מים על
אלה אני בוכיה; over these do I weep, my eye continuously runs with
water (Eicha 1:16. It states רחל מבכה על בניה;
Rachel cries for her children- Yirmiya 31:14. Adding דמעה;
tear and דמעה-
since she had many tears- we come to a total of 238, the same as רחל.),
as the destructions of the Batei Mikdash were in the months of Tamuz and Av
which we cry over. Yitzchak possesses the attribute of דין,
the idea of constriction. In the future, we will rule like Beis Shamai who also
has this characteristic. Rearranging the name יצחק, we
get קץ חי;
he lives in the קץ, future. דין
is the idea of restraining and withholding which is in contrast to the future,
where it is אז ימלא שחוק פינו; then our mouth will be filled
with laughter (Tehillim 126:2) and ותשחק
ליום אחרון;
she joyfully awaits the last day (Mishlei 31:25). יצחק is
future tense as it translates ‘he will laugh,’ because now it is restrained (צמצום)
in contrast to the laughter of the future which is expressive- not held in. It
is written נחמו נחמו...אלה-יכם
(Yeshaya 40:1). אלה-יכם
signifies the trait of דין - Yitzchak. It comes as no
wonder that נחמו נחמו has a sum of 208, the same as יצחק
(208). Additionally, נחמו נחמו corresponds to what Yitzchak
will say to Hashem in the future about our sins- ...פלגא עלי ופלגא עליך; half should be on me and half on You (Shabbos 89b).
[7] Emunas Itecha, Shelach, s.v. ידוע
[8] Zecharya 8:19
[9] A similar expression is found in Devarim 1:6.
[10] See the Tiferes Shlomo to Shabbos Chazon s.v. בפרשת בחקותי. See the Koznitzer Magid in his Sefer Avodas Yisrael
onכל רדפיה השיגוה בין המצרים (Eicha 1:3).
[11] Devarim 1:12, Eicha 1:1
[12] Oheiv Yisroel, Meor V’Shemesh in Rimzei Bein
Hamitzarim. Emunas Itecha, Devarim. Nesivos Shalom, Devarim, Shabbos Chazon. In
fact, the Kedushas Levi tells us that on
Shabbos Chazon every Jew is shown the third Beis Hamikdash.
[13] Rambam Hilchos Melachim 11:1. See מדרש ויושע 22.
[14] Bamidbar 13:6,8. Yehoshua
is from Efraim who corresponds to the month of Tishrei. R’ Eliezer says
in Tishrei we will be redeemed (Rosh Hashana 10b). Kalev is from Yehuda who
corresponds to Nissan, the month that R’ Yehoshua says will be redeemed. It
comes as no surprise that the ones who redeem us are from Kalev (Moshiach Ben
Dovid who is from Yehuda) and Yehoshua (Moshiach Ben Yosef).
[15] The word משיח is
an acronym for the different opinions of his name (Sanhedrin 98b)-
מנחם בן חזקיה, שילה, ינון, חנינה, חיוורא
דבי רבי (Gra in Kol Eliyahu, pg 93).
