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Rabbi Shmuel Rabinowitz, Rabbi of the Western Wall and Holy Sites
On Wednesday at sunset, we enter the saddest day for the Jewish people – Tisha B’Av. On this day, we fast and observe mourning practices to commemorate the destruction of the Kingdom of Judea and the Temple in Jerusalem, which occurred on this date about 2,500 years ago by the Babylonian army. We also remember the second destruction of Jerusalem and the Second Temple, which took place about 1,950 years ago, also on this date, and concluded the “Great Revolt” against Roman rule in the Land of Israel.
The Babylonian Talmud compares the two Temple destructions and wonders about the causes of these destructions:
Why was the First Temple destroyed? Because of three things that were prevalent: idol worship, sexual immorality, and bloodshed… But the Second Temple, in which they were engaged in Torah study, observance of Torah and commandments, and acts of kindness – why was it destroyed? Because there was baseless hatred among them. This teaches you that baseless hatred is considered as severe as the three major sins: idol worship, sexual immorality, and bloodshed.
(Babylonian Talmud, Yoma 9,2)
At the end of the days of the First Temple, the spiritual state in Judea was catastrophic. The prophets described manifestations of idol worship, even within the Temple itself, acts of sexual immorality, and murders. The prophet who warned most about the impending destruction was Jeremiah, but the political leadership in Judea did not listen to him and even sought to kill him.
During the days of the Second Temple, these phenomena were not prevalent. Indeed, during the Great Revolt against the Romans, there were instances of violence among the different factions of the rebels, but this phenomenon occurred towards the end when the destruction was already imminent. Prior to that, this was not the situation. As the Talmud describes, during the days of the Second Temple, they were engaged in Torah study, observance of commandments, and acts of kindness. Therefore, the Talmud wonders why the Second Temple was destroyed.
The answer given by the Talmud points to “baseless hatred” as the cause of internal disintegration that led to destruction. But what is baseless hatred? After all, the Talmud itself claims that during the days of the Second Temple, they were engaged in acts of kindness. How do these two statements reconcile? How can they be involved in acts of kindness and yet be affected by baseless hatred?
Rabbi Naftali Zvi Yehuda Berlin (the Netziv, 19th century), the head of the Volozhin Yeshiva in Russia, explains the concept of “baseless hatred” and writes that it does not refer to open hatred on the surface because in such a case, one cannot describe society as being engaged in acts of kindness. It refers to a hidden, latent hatred that does not manifest explicitly but has far-reaching implications.
According to him, this hatred refers to having a negative judgment of others. When a person sees someone behaving in a certain way, they almost always pass judgment, either positive or negative. The judgment depends on the initial feelings one has towards the other person. When we love someone, we judge them positively, give them the benefit of the doubt, and seek to explain why they acted in a certain way or at least intended for the good. On the other hand, when we have negative feelings towards someone, we tend to judge them negatively and perceive their motives and actions as negative.
Therefore, a person can engage in acts of kindness and still be affected by baseless hatred. The negative judgment of others stems from a fundamental attitude of disrespect and lack of basic honor towards them. The tendency to judge others negatively may seem rational, but it comes from bias and a negative outlook towards them.
Tisha B’Av is a time when we, the Jewish people, gather in mourning and remembrance of the destruction. However, the purpose of this day is not only sorrow but to extract lessons, as Rabbi Yisrael Meir HaCohen (the Chofetz Chaim, Russia, 19th and 20th centuries) writes in his book “Mishnah Berurah.” The purpose of the fast is “to awaken the hearts to repentance, and it should be a reminder of our bad deeds and the deeds of our ancestors, which were similar to our deeds now, until they caused them and us those troubles. Through the remembrance of these things, we will return to doing good.” The goal is to become better towards one another, to adopt a positive attitude towards others, and to judge them with love and a positive outlook.
