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Chilul Hashem and the Insult to Israel
By Rabbi Scott Kahn

Psalm 79 begins with a graphic description of the horrors of the first Tisha B'Av:

"A song ("mizmor") of Asaf: O G-d, nations have entered Your inheritance, they have defiled your holy sanctuary, they have made Jerusalem desolate. They have given the corpses of Your servants as food for the birds of the sky, the flesh of Your pious ones to the beasts of the earth. They have spilled their blood like water around Jerusalem, with none to bury them. We have become disgusting to our neighbors, scorn and mockery to those around us."

Tosafot (Kiddushin 31b) are puzzled by the use of the word "mizmor" - song - to describe this Psalm. Surely the phrase "kinah" - lamentation - is a more appropriate term for its horrifying description of degradation and destruction! Yet Tosafot answer that there is a secret, joyful theme deserving of the word "mizmor" that underlies the terrifying surface. For in truth, although the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple was heartbreaking, it was G-d's willingness to pour out His wrath on buildings - "on the wood and stones in His house" - that obviated the necessity to utterly destroy the People of Israel; "For if not for this, there would not have remained the slightest remnant from Israel."

In the fine work edited by Rabbi Jacob J. Schacter, The Lord is Righteous in All His Ways: Reflections on the Tish'ah be-Av Kinot, Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik explains that this idea is reflected in some of the kinot by R. El'azar ha-Kalir, as well. For example, the kinah which begins, "Lecha Hashem Hatzedakah," includes the following line: "To You, Hashem, is the righteousness, because of the two Temples destroyed because of our sins, and yet we still live." In other words, we deserved to be destroyed, yet G-d's anger was directed toward the Temples. As the Rav explains, "The humiliation was terrible, because if the Beit ha-Mikdash had not been humiliated in this manner, the people would have died. The more severe the sin, and the more deserving Yisrael is of ruthless punishment, the greater the hurban, the more the Beit ha-Mikdash will be not only destroyed but humiliated, profaned, and contaminated."

The question nevertheless remains as to why the degradation of the Temple is a valid substitute for the suffering the people themselves deserve. Why should the destruction of G-d's house be a viable replacement for the full consequences that the Jewish people have incurred upon themselves? Should they not reap the consequences, as well?

An answer can be seen in this week's parashah, Ve'etchanan. In Moshe's review of the Ten Commandments, the phrase "As Hashem, your G-d, commanded you," is included in two commandments: that of the Sabbath, and that of honoring parents. The Aruch HaShulchan explains that these two commandments include this phrase, for these are two concepts which are accepted universally. Every nation recognizes the importance of giving a weekly day off to its workers; every civilization understands the indispensability of the family unit, and the importance of respecting family elders. Nonetheless, despite the reality that these two commandments are acknowledged by every civilization, the People of Israel must keep them for a distinct reason: not because of logical deduction, but because "Hashem, your G-d, commanded you." Our uniqueness lies in our unique relationship with G-d; our position as a "Nation which dwells alone" is dependent on our following G-d's laws. In a very real sense, we are not merely a nation which is close to G-d, but a nation which represents G-d's will on earth.Our laws are not the product of logical thinking, but instead the revealed will of the Ribbono Shel Olam. And because we are associated with G-d, an insult to G-d is an insult to us.

Accordingly, the destruction of the Temple is an insult to G-d, but it also becomes a personal slight to His people. Indeed, the masters of Kabbalah tell us that Kenesset Yisrael, the Assembly of Israel, is identical with the concept of G-d's name. When the name of G-d is profaned, the People of Israel are profaned. When the degradation is greater, the People of Israel are lessened accordingly. And the destruction of G-d's house, along with the apparent implication of Divine powerlessness (chas v'shalom), in turn results in the lessening of Israel's glory. Yes, we survived as a people, and for that we are eternally thankful; but our essence, our standing as the obvious people of G-d, our very reason for existence, became hidden. Hashem poured out His wrath on wood and stones, but this resulted in the obfuscation of our mission and purpose.

Just as an insult to G-d is an insult to the Jewish people, the disgracing of Israel involves the degradation of G-d's name. Every time an enemy tries to hurt Am Yisrael, he is, in fact, questioning our relationship to G-d. As we enter Shabbat Nachamu, the first of the Shabbatot of Consolation, we begin to recognize that despite the Destruction and Exile, we remain His people, we remain His representatives, we remain identical with His holy name. We pray and look forward to the final redemption, when the entire world will recognize this reality; as Zechariah states, "On that day, Hashem will be one and His name one" - that we, who are identical with the name of G-d, will be united with Him in the most direct way, thereby bringing redemption to His people, and, along with us, the entire world.

Shabbat Shalom!