On Tisha B’Av, many search for meaning. Some ask, What should I feel? What am I supposed to be doing? But the truth is—we don’t need to invent meaning for Tisha B’Av. Hashem Himself already wrote the script.
This isn’t a day for inspiration, programming, or motivational content. This is a day to do something far deeper—to join Hashem in His pain.
“Hashem Called for Weeping and Sackcloth”
וַיִּקְרָא אֲדֹנָי ה’ צְבָאוֹת בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא לִבְכִי וּלְמִסְפֵּד וּלְקָרְחָה וְלַחֲגוֹר שָׂק
“Hashem, Lord of Legions, called on that day for weeping, mourning, baldness, and sackcloth.”
(Yeshayahu 22:12)
If we could go up to Shamayim and ask what’s playing today—we wouldn’t find programming or special events. No speakers, no panels, no media. We’d see Hashem sitting low, mourning His House, His people, His presence withdrawn from the world.
Hashem declared this day as one of crying. And when we sit on the floor, in silence, in darkness—we are not just remembering the Churban. We are joining the Divine in His own declared grief.
The Fifth Middah: He Lets Go of His Anger
וְלֹא יַחֲזִיק לָעַד אַפּוֹ
“He does not retain His anger forever.”
(Micha 7:18)
There is a moment, even while sin still lingers, when Hashem says: “Enough. I will no longer hold on to My anger. Not because you deserve it. Because I choose mercy.”
This is what happened in the times of Yeravam ben Yoash: despite idolatry, Hashem restored the borders of Israel (Melachim II 14:26–27). Why? Because He could no longer bear to see the affliction of His people. His compassion overpowered His judgment.
And maybe this is also what happened in 1948. We weren’t worthy. Most of us weren’t even observant. But Hashem still gave us return, borders, and a home. He let go of His fury—not because of us, but because of Him.
And sometimes, that mercy—undeserved, unearned, Divine kindness—becomes the spark that finally awakens true teshuvah.
The First Midrash in Eicha Rabbah: The King Still Loves Her
“A king had a wife who sinned. In his anger, he expelled her from his palace—but his heart remained with her.”
(Eicha Rabbah 1:1)
So too, says the Midrash, Hashem sent us into exile, but His Shechinah went with us. His heart never left. Even when we are disgusting. Even when we are unworthy. Hashem mourns the distance more than we do.
Tisha B’Av is not a day of abandonment. It’s a day of estranged closeness. We sit on the floor because the Shechinah is sitting there too.
The Two Acts Hashem Does Himself: Burial and Comfort
There are only two acts in Tanach that the Torah says Hashem did Himself, not through a malach:
1. He Buried Moshe
וַיִּקְבֹּר אֹתוֹ בַגַּי – “He buried him in the valley…”
(Devarim 34:6)
2. He Will Personally Comfort Zion
אָנֹכִי אָנֹכִי הוּא מְנַחֶמְכֶם – “I, I am the One who comforts you.”
(Yeshayahu 51:12)
So what are we doing on Tisha B’Av?
We are burying the dignity of a nation. We are comforting the Shechinah. We are not just fulfilling mitzvos—we are imitating the actions of Hashem Himself.
When you cry on Tisha B’Av, you are walking in the footsteps of G-d.
Hashem Keeps the Mitzvos: But These He Revealed
The Yalkut Shimoni teaches that Hashem keeps all the mitzvos: tefillin, tzitzis, etc. But those are mystical, hidden.
Yet here, in these three mitzvos, Hashem revealed to us His own practice, so we could emulate Him directly:
- Bikkur Cholim – Visiting the sick: Hashem visited Avraham after his bris.
- Kevurah – Hashem Himself buried Moshe.
- Nichum Aveilim – Hashem personally comforts Tzion.
On Tisha B’Av, we fulfill all three:
- We sit with the broken.
- We comfort each other.
- We bury the memory of what was lost.
We do not imitate humans. We imitate the Creator.
When We Help the Enemy’s Donkey
“If you see the donkey of your enemy collapsed under its burden, you must help him…”
(Shemos 23:5)
That donkey is us. We were Hashem’s enemy. We betrayed the covenant. We made ourselves disgusting.
But when we collapsed under the burden of exile, Hashem still came to help.
That’s the middah of וְלֹא יַחֲזִיק לָעַד אַפּוֹ. He was right to be angry. He still helps anyway.
Conclusion: Tisha B’Av Is Not a Ritual—It’s a Reunion
On this day, we do what Hashem did:
- We sit low like the Shechinah.
- We bury what has been lost.
- We comfort what has been broken.
- And we cry—not just to remember, but to return.
Because maybe—just maybe—if we mourn with Hashem, He will build with us.
Small tidbits and Sparks of wisdom 
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