Temple Institute: The Ninth of Av

The Ninth of Av

"'Let me go over, I pray Thee, and see the good land that is beyond the Jordan, that goodly mountain, and Lebanon.'"
Deuteronomy 3:25

Av 8, 5766/August 2, 2006

Moshe rabbeinu - Moses our master - who selflessly devoted his entire life to the physical and spiritual well being of the Israelite nation, had but one wish before he died: "let me enter the land and see that goodly mountain: the Lebanon." These are the words that open this week's Torah reading, Ve'etchanan, (Deuteronomy 3:23 - 7:11). What is the meaning of this cryptic reference to Lebanon? We know that the Torah refers to the land north of the land of Israel as Lebanon, the very same land of the cedars in which Israel today is battling the terrorists vipers of Hezbollah. Is Moses asking for entrance into the promised land simply to gain access to Lebanon in the north?

This is certainly not the case as a familiarity with the ancient Hebrew scriptures readily proves. The word Lebanon, or levanon in Hebrew is from the Hebrew root lavan, meaning "white." It is used frequently throughout the twenty four books of Tanach - the Hebrew scriptures - as a reference to the Holy Temple! Our sages point out that our transgressions are whitened through the Divine service and prayer at the Holy Temple. In fact, a main ingredient of the incense offering at the golden altar is levonah - frankincense - from the same Hebrew root - lavan. Within the word lavan itself is another Hebrew word - lev - heart. For the Holy Temple - and the "goodly mountain" - Mount Moriah - upon which it stands, is the heart of all humanity, and the place toward which all who wish to serve the G-d of Israel turn their hearts. Beseeching G-d that he may enter the land and see the Levanon - the Holy Temple - is therefore no minor request on Moses' behalf. Moses too wants to be of the generation whose hands and hearts build the Holy Temple - and whose eyes can behold the fulfillment of the divine commandment first received by Moses and the children of Israel in the desert: "Build for me a sanctuary, that I may dwell amongst you." (Exodus 25:8)

Today, as we approach the fast of the 9th of Av, the day commemorating the destruction of the Holy Temple, the soldiers of the Israel Defense Forces are fighting a vicious unscrupulous enemy in the Lebanon of the north, Likewise, our hearts are turned in prayer, in remembrance, and in determination, to the Lebanon atop "that goodly mountain" - Mount Moriah, Jerusalem, the place of the Holy Temple.

To learn more about Tish'a B'Av - the 9th of Av, how it is observed and what it means for the Jewish nation, and for the entire world, please listen to the week's Temple Talk, with Rabbi Chaim Richman and Yitzchak Reuven.

The fast of Tish'a B'Av begins on the evening of August 2nd just before sundown, and concludes on August 3rd after the sun has set and the stars appear. August 3rd is the premier of The Temple Institute's new weekly online video webcast, Light to the Nations, with Rabbi Chaim Richman. The opening half-hour long webcast will focus on Tish'a B'Av and the Holy Temple. To learn more about Light to the Nations and to access the show, please click here.

"Thus says the L-rd of hosts: 'The fasts of the fourth fifth [Tish'a B'Av], seventh, and tenth months shall be for the house of Judah joy and gladness, and cheerful feasts. Therefore love truth and peace.'" (Zechariah 8:19)

May all who seek G-d's truth approach as one "that goodly mountain," and "build for [Him] a sanctuary, that [he] may dwell amongst [us]..." Loving truth and pursuing it, may we be blessed with peace.

Yitzchak Reuven

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