כל רדפיה השיגוה בין המצרים ... (איכה א-ג)
Our period of national mourning begins on Shiva Asar B’Tammuz gradually, with no music, no haircuts - and then it intensifies to no swimming and no showers. On Tisha B’av we don’t eat or drink and our mourning gets even stronger as we sit on the floor and cry! But then, at Chatzos, when the Bais HaMikdash was set on fire, we do something strange. We get up off the floor and prepare for Mashiach to arrive! At the time of our deepest pain, we actually express the opposite reaction! Why? Because in life, pain is the beginning of joy. When it can’t get any worse, it has to get better. The darkest moment is the one right before dawn. Sometimes one has to be put in a deep, dark, or difficult situation to realize how blessed he really is!
Sometimes a person feels like he is in the dumps! He feels low and sad. But didn’t Dovid HaMelech tell us, "מקימי מעפר דל מאשפות ירים אביון". “Hashem, you lifted me up from the dumps, from the garbage. You raised up a poor person.” Had Dovid not been in his most horrible and lowly place, he would have never been raised up to become Dovid HaMelech! It is the dump and the garbage itself that a person must go through in order to give him the strength and ability to become great!
Tisha B’av is the day of immense tragedy for the Jewish people, but it is also the day of hope and belief that the Geula will come. The gematria of מפתח which means KEY is 528. There are 528 hours in the 3 weeks of Bein HaMetzarim. Chazal teach us that these special hours are actually the KEY to a real relationship with Hashem. It is by going through the pain and hardship together with our Beloved Father, that we become especially close. So, the next time you feel low, you feel down in the dumps, know that it is the beginning of something wonderful. May we all be zoche to see the end of the pain, the end of the darkness and enjoy the great light of Mashiach Tzidkeinu, Bimheira Biyameinu. And remember, hold on tight to your KEY, to the Mafteach that unlocks all the blessings in your life, but put it down for a moment whenever you get rid of the garbage.
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