Tisha B'Av: From Bilbul to Chassidus — Reframing Aveilus
| Tisha B'Av: From Bilbul to Chassidus — Reframing Aveilus | |
|---|---|
| Original Shiur | Mesilas Yesharim on the Churban (August 7, 2022) |
| Source Sheets | No source sheet available |
| Related Topics | Tisha B'Av, Aveilus |
| Related Parsha | |
| Related Holiday(s) | |
| Full Transcript | Full Transcript (Sofer.ai) |
| Step 4 Message | Aveilus on Tisha B'Av means clearing the bilbul—shifting from self-serving habits to Hashem-centered chesed—so our mitzvos, abstentions, and thoughts realign with His kavod, Yerushalayim, and the needs of Klal Yisrael. |
Tisha B'Av: From Bilbul to Chassidus — Reframing Aveilus
[edit | edit source]Shiur Date: August 7, 2022
Speaker: Rabbi Beryl Gershenfeld
Series: Tisha B'Av 2022
One-Line Step Four
[edit | edit source]Tisha B'Av invites a mental reset: aveilus as bilbul that pushes us to change our daas from self-reward to serving Hashem’s honor—becoming a “chasid without a shtreimel”—by caring for Jerusalem and Klal Yisrael and orienting every mitzvah toward Kiddush Hashem.
Summary
[edit | edit source]Note: This summary was generated by AI based on the transcript of the shiur. It was not written or reviewed by Rabbi Gershenfeld.
The shiur reframes aveilus not as mere grief but as cognitive disorientation—bilbul—that demands a change of mind. Drawing on Ksav VehaKabalah, “avel” stems from “bal,” a lack or confusion, and “aval” means a decisive “but,” a pivot in thinking. Real aveilus is thus an intellectual reorientation: I thought A, but I must learn B. The abstentions of Tisha B’Av de-center the self and create space to consider Hashem’s perspective. Mesilas Yesharim underlies this move: our deepest confusion flows from self-absorption that makes us forget HaKadosh Baruch Hu. The day becomes an exercise in recognizing how our comforts and default lenses distort reality, and in choosing to think differently—toward His kavod, toward Yerushalayim, and toward Klal Yisrael—so mourning produces clarity rather than just emotion.
Building on the Ramchal, the shiur defines a chasid as one who does chesed with Hashem—serving Him for His honor, not personal payoff. This elevates kavanah from self-gain to l’shem Shamayim. The contrast between ta’ivah (bodily pull) and chemda (intellectual desire) highlights that the primary battleground is the mind; aveilus must rewire our intentions. A shalom bayis mashal illustrates the point: real love means caring about the other’s happiness, not just one’s own comfort. Applied to avodas Hashem, we ask whether our mitzvos expand His honor, sensitize us to the Shechinah’s pain, and bind us to Yerushalayim and the Beis HaMikdash. Tisha B’Av becomes the day to see the Shechinah’s galus as the central tragedy, moving from “How do I feel?” to “How does Hashem’s world look?”
Practically, the shiur offers two resets: first, center Hashem’s perspective—learn to want what He wants; second, assume personal responsibility for Klal Yisrael and the Mikdash. Like the Mishnah’s teaching that each person is a world, our choices either add to or heal the churban. The day’s silence and kinot are not ends but tools for thinking: notice where mitzvah performance serves self-image or comfort instead of Kiddush Hashem; redirect tefillah and Torah to build communal good, unify Jews, and long for Jerusalem. Cultivate concrete sensitivities—a pause at Yerushalayim in daily tefillos, learning about the Mikdash, acts of chesed done explicitly for Hashem’s honor. In this way, aveilus becomes the gateway to tikkun: clarity of daas, chassidus of heart, and a life aimed at restoring the Presence to Zion.
מאמרי מקומות (Sources Cited)
[edit | edit source]The following sources are cited or discussed in this shiur. Click the links to view the original texts online.
| Source | Hebrew Name | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Psalms 97:10 | תהלים צז:י | Tanach | Locator for the Mesilat Yesharim passage being learned. |
| Psalms 27:4 | תהלים כז:ד | Tanach | Desire to behold Hashem’s pleasantness and visit His Temple. |
| Numbers 11:4 | במדבר יא:ד | Tanach | Demonstrates ta’avah as a purely physical desire. |
| Deuteronomy 12:20 | דברים יב:כ | Tanach | Further example of ta’avah for meat. |
| Genesis 3:6 | בראשית ג:ו | Tanach | Contrasts ta’avah (eyes) with nechmad (intellectual desire). |
| Deuteronomy 5:21 | דברים ה:כא | Tanach | Second Decalogue distinguishes lo tachmod vs. lo tit’aveh. |
| Ecclesiastes 7:20 | קהלת ז:כ | Tanach | No one is completely righteous without sin. |
| Tanna Devei Eliyahu Rabbah | תנא דבי אליהו רבה | Midrash | Criteria for attaining Ruach HaKodesh and caring for Hashem, Israel, and Jerusalem. |
| Talmud Bavli Yoma 86a | תלמוד בבלי יומא פו א | Gemara | Conduct that leads others to praise Torah and Hashem. |
| Mishnah Sanhedrin 4:5 | משנה סנהדרין ד:ה | Other | Each person must say: for my sake the world was created. |
| Isaiah 59:16 | ישעיהו נט:טז | Tanach | Hashem saw no man and no intercessor. |
| Isaiah 63:5 | ישעיהו סג:ה | Tanach | No helper or supporter for Hashem’s cause. |
| Jeremiah 30:17 | ירמיהו ל:יז | Tanach | Zion—there is none who seeks her; obligation to be doresh. |
| Pirkei Avot 2:16 | פרקי אבות ב:טז | Other | Do not desist from the work even if you cannot finish it. |
| Isaiah 51:18 | ישעיהו נא:יח | Tanach | No guide or supporter for Zion among her children. |
| Isaiah 40:6 | ישעיהו מ:ו | Tanach | All flesh is grass; human kindness like a fading flower. |
| Tikkunei Zohar | תיקוני זוהר | Other | Correct source for ‘Kol basar chatzir’ homiletic cited. |
| Talmud Bavli Avodah Zarah (mis-citation) | תלמוד בבלי עבודה זרה (שגיאה) | Other | Speaker notes this citation is erroneous; should be Tikkunei Zohar. |
| Mesilat Yesharim 19 | מסילת ישרים יט | Acharon | Ramchal’s section on Chassidus and its kavanah. |
| Da'at Tevunot | דעת תבונות | Acharon | Reconciles Oneg Hashem with Kavod Shamayim. |
| Gur Aryeh on Deuteronomy 5:21 | גור אריה על דברים ה:כא | Acharon | Maharal’s analysis of chemdah vs. ta’avah in the Dibrot. |
| Talmud Bavli Berachos 10a | תלמוד בבלי ברכות י א | Gemara | Praying for sinners to repent (Beruriah and R. Meir). |
| Talmud Bavli Pesachim 68b | תלמוד בבלי פסחים סח ב | Gemara | Rav Yosef’s statement about personal joy on Shavuos; growth from self-focus. |
| Pirkei Avot 6:11 | פרקי אבות ו:יא | Other | All Hashem created was for His glory. |
| HaKetav VeHaKabbalah (on Chumash) | הכתב והקבלה | Acharon | Explains ‘avel/avelut’ as from bal/bilbul—confusion of da’as. |
| Moreh Nevuchim (Guide for the Perplexed) | מורה נבוכים | Rishon | Philosophic stance contrasted with Maharal on Kavod Hashem. |
| Jeremiah 31:13 | ירמיהו לא:יג | Tanach | Hashem will turn their mourning into joy. |
| Derekh Etz Chaim (Ramchal) | דרך עץ חיים | Acharon | Ramchal’s mussar on prioritizing eternal values over transient pleasure. |