STAM
TORAH
PARSHAS
DEVORIM 5778
“THE
PAIN OF SOLITUDE”
The southern gateway of the old city of Yerushalayim is known as the ‘Sha’ar Ha’ashpos- Dung Gate.” In the times of the prophet Nechemiah the southern gateway was one and a half miles south of the present gateway. Because of the tremendous sanctity of the city, refuse could not be dumped within the confines of the city. Therefore, Nechemiah enacted that all of the city’s garbage be carried out of the city through the southern gateway and dumped into the valley of Hennom where it would be burned.
In our time, the ‘modern day’ southern gate retains its ancient title, but for
a more painful reason. In 324 C.E., the Byzantines conquered Yerushalayim and
reversed the edict of Nechemiah and proclaimed that refuse from all surrounding
villages must be brought into Yerushalayim via the southern gate and dumped on
the Temple Mount. Over time, the entire Temple Mount and all the remains of the
Bais Hamikdash were covered in garbage and completely obscured from view.
There is a legend that in the early 1500’s the Moslem ruler, Suleiman the
Magnificent, saw an elderly woman carrying garbage into Yerushalayim and
dumping it on top of an endless pile of waste. He summoned her and demanded
that she explain her actions. She replied that it was an age-old family
tradition which she had been trained to do by her mother and grandmother in her
youth. She told him that she had a familial tradition that the sole remaining
wall of the Jews’ Holy Temple was beneath that spot. When her ancestors - the
Romans - were unable to destroy that wall, they decided to bury the wall, so no
one would see any trace of what was once there.
Suleiman was intrigued; he couldn’t believe it was really
true. He had precious diamonds and gems buried in the heap. When word got out
that jewels were to be found in the garbage, multitudes of the impoverished
citizens began clearing away the garbage in search of the diamonds. Eventually,
the refuse was cleared away and the Kosel was revealed.
At the beginning of Chumash Devorim, Moshe Rabbeinu gathered Klal Yisroel to give his lengthy final discourse to his beloved nation. In it he recounted their mishaps and struggles, so the new generation could learn from the mistakes of their fathers. Moshe recounted his feelings of helplessness when all of Klal Yisroel gathered in a fury to complain. “How can I alone carry your contentiousness, your burdens, and your quarrels?”[1]
The Medrash[2]
relates that there were three prophets who prophesized utilizing the word,
“Eichah”: Moshe, Yeshayah, and Yermiyah. Moshe said, “Eichah esa levadi-
How can I carry alone?” Yeshayah said, “Eichah haysa l’zonah kiryah
ne’emanah- How has the faithful city (i.e. Yerushalyim) become like a
harlot?”[3]
Yermiyah said, “Eichah yashvah vadad ha’ir rabasi am haysah k’almanah-
Alas! how does she sit in solitude? The city that was great with people has
become like a widow.”[4]
The Ateres Mordechai, Rabbi Mordechai Rogoz zt’l, explains that each of the
proclamations of ‘Eichah’ were far worse than their predecessor. Moshe Rabbeinu
lamented over the arguments and quarrels that Klal Yisroel presented to him.
Yeshayah looked at the cries of Moshe with envy. “The fact that they came to
Moshe with their quarrels and complaints was a level unto itself. But in our
generation, they don’t even seek the counsel of Torah sages; they no longer
strive to know the will of G-d.” Therefore, Yeshayah lamented that the
trustworthy city, the city that was well founded in the ways of Torah and G-d,
has strayed like a harlot.
The complaint of Yermiyahu however, was the most painful of all. He assessed
the situation at the time of the destruction of the Bais Hamikdash and declared
that, despite the sins of the masses, in the time of Yeshayahu there was still
hope. Yerushalayim was still swarming with her beloved, albeit sinful,
children. There was still hope in the hearts of the righteous that the nation
would repent, and the foreboded destruction could be avoided. But now that the
enemy had vanquished the city, “Alas! She sits in solitude!” There can be no
greater pain in the world than that of a forsaken loneliness, and the deadly
silence of defeat.
Why was the city punished with such a grim fate of being emptied completely?
The Netziv of Volozhin comments that when Bila’am ‘blessed’ Klal Yisroel he
peered at them and unwittingly declared, “Behold it is a nation that will dwell
in solitude and not be reckoned among the nations.”[5]
Hashem wanted Klal Yisroel to be a nation that dwells in solitude, i.e. a
nation that would live a different lifestyle than the other nations. It was to
be nation that would not feel compelled to conform to the styles and lifestyles
of their surroundings. A nation that would proudly unite among themselves and
not feel intimidated by others.
But Klal Yisroel did not live up to that mantra. There is an
old Jewish expression that says, “When a Jew tries to make Kiddush with the
Goyim, the Goyim make Havdalah.” When we ignore our uniqueness and seek to be
like everyone else, the nations remind us that we are indeed different. When we
failed to maintain our uniqueness, we were compelled into the solitude of
exile.
The greatest pain in the world is when something we had is
lost. To a mourner we relate the verse, “Hamakom yenachem eschem b’soch shi’ahr
avaylay Tzion veYerushalayim- May the Omnipresent console you among the
mourners of Tzion and Jeruslalem.” The title, “Hamakom” (literally meaning,
‘the Place’) is relatively infrequently used in reference to G-d. When a loved
one dies, there is no way to fully console the mourners. The death of their
loved one creates a gaping void. The only true means of consolation would be to
bring the dead back to life. Our prayer is that G-d Himself fill the void in the
hearts of the mourners by resurrecting the dead.
From when the holy metropolis of Yerushalayim was silenced,
there can only be one way to console the holy city. We must once again unify
and become the nation that dwells in solitude, filled with pride in who we are
and what our mission is. When we have that sense of pride, the very city of
Yerushalayim will emerge from its two thousand years of solitude, bereft of its
ultimate landmark - the Bais Hamikdash. We will once again ascend the holy
mountain in eternal joy, retaking our place pridefully as Hashem’s ambassadors
on earth.
“Alas! how does she
sit in solitude?”
“May the Omnipresent console you… Yerushalayim”
Rabbi Dani Staum, LMSW
Rebbe/Guidance Counselor – Heichal HaTorah
Principal – Ohr Naftoli- New Windsor
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