Question:
Is Hashem angry at us on Tisha b’av? I get scared about that every year. Also, I was thinking today that I don’t personally remember the Beis Hamikdash, but I actually really do feel sad that we don’t have it. If we had the Beis Hamikdash, imagine we’d feel Hashem’s presence in our lives very strongly, much more than now, our lives would revolve around avodas Hashem and we would always know it and feel it. We wouldn’t feel far away and lost in the chaos and lies and confusion of this world anymore. Is that the proper kavana for these days leading up to Tisha b’av? How do we approach Hashem during this time? Is it a time of anger and punishment? Is He angry at us?
Answer:
T’bav is a time of punishment for aveiros that were done, however on the other hand T’bav is a time of closeness to H-shem. This is since it is a time that we are mourning the destruction of the Bais Hamikdash, and we are sad over the closeness to H-shem that we lost, that is a cause that H-shem is actually close to us on T’bav. Our mourning during this time is in a way a form of teshuva, which brings H-shem close to us. Therefore feeling sad, over the fact that we are separated from H-shem as a result of the loss of the Bais Hamikdash is exactly the point of T’bav, and what draws us closer to Him.
