Rabbi Zvi SobolofskyTears of Sadness and of Joy

Chazal teach us that after the Beis Hamikdash was destroyed, although the gates of prayer were closed, the gates of tears have remained open. What is the unique power of tears that enables them to penetrate the otherwise sealed gates of heaven? Why must this gate remain open forever, especially at a time when there is no Beis Hamikdash?

The tragedy of the destruction of the Beis Hamikdash began with tears. On that fateful first Tisha B'av described in Parshas Shlach, the Jewish People cried when hearing the report about Eretz Yisrael. Frightened by the words of the spies, the nation cried that night. It was those inappropriate tears that transformed the night of Tisha B'av into a time of crying for future generations. The fear and despair alone which followed the report of the spies would not have resulted in a churban. There was something about the tears that were shed in vain that were directly responsible for the future tragedies that would occur on Tisha B'av.

The Beis Hamikdash is described in Parshas Vayeitzei as the "Gate of Heaven" - the conduit through which all prayers ascend to Heaven. The most intense form of prayer is the one that is accompanied by tears. The highlight of tefillah on Rosh Hashanah is the moment of tekias shofar. The sound of the teruah is the sound of crying. Even the halachos of tekias shofar are an expression of its similarity to tears. There are three kinds of crying: some cries resemble the sound of a shevarim - three longer sounds, whereas others sound like a teruah, nine short ones. Others are a combination of the two, the sound of a shevarim-teruah. On Rosh Hashanah, we beseech Hashem through prayers of words and through another form of prayer, namely the sounds of the shofar. The shofar is a prayer which, just like tears, expresses our innermost feelings which cannot be articulated with words.

When the Jewish People abused the power of tears by crying in an inappropriate manner, the seeds of churban were planted. Churban would result in the closing of the Gates of Heaven to prayer.The gates of tears should have been closed as well. In the absence of the Beis Hamikdash, the rules of justice would dictate that there would no longer be any avenue available to approach Hashem. However, in His mercy Hashem allowed the gates of tears to remain open. The most sincere tefillos that cannot even be articulated through words remain as the way to beseech Hashem, even during a time of churban. It is through this power of tears that ultimately the Beis Hamikdash will be rebuilt. Yirmiyahu Hanavi describes in Megillas Eicha how Yerushalayim cries in solitude over its fate of destruction. Yet, Yirmiyahu also prophesizes how Rochel's tears pierce the heavens as her children are exiled. It is the collective tears of the Jewish People that combine with the tears of their mother, Rachel, that ultimately bring about the comforting words from Hashem, "Refrain your voice from crying and your eyes from tearing because the Jewish People will return to Eretz Yisroel."

Churban began with the abuse of the unique power of the most intense form of prayer. Redemption will only occur when we sincerely beseech Hashem, invoking our tears and our innermost desires to return to Hashem. May we soon merit the day when the tears of sadness will become tears of joy.

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