Shabbat Chazon - Shabbat of Revelation: On Baseless Hate & Rectifying Love.

(ג) וַיְהִי֙ בְּאַרְבָּעִ֣ים שָׁנָ֔ה בְּעַשְׁתֵּֽי־עָשָׂ֥ר חֹ֖דֶשׁ בְּאֶחָ֣ד לַחֹ֑דֶשׁ דִּבֶּ֤ר מֹשֶׁה֙ אֶל־בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל כְּ֠כֹל אֲשֶׁ֨ר צִוָּ֧ה יי אֹת֖וֹ אֲלֵהֶֽם׃

Deuteronomy 1:3

(3) It was in the fortieth year, on the first day of the eleventh month, that Moses addressed the Israelites in accordance with the instructions that the LORD had given him for them,

דברים א׳:ח׳

(ח) רְאֵ֛ה נָתַ֥תִּי לִפְנֵיכֶ֖ם אֶת־הָאָ֑רֶץ בֹּ֚אוּ וּרְשׁ֣וּ אֶת־הָאָ֔רֶץ אֲשֶׁ֣ר נִשְׁבַּ֣ע יי לַאֲבֹ֨תֵיכֶ֜ם לְאַבְרָהָ֨ם לְיִצְחָ֤ק וּֽלְיַעֲקֹב֙ לָתֵ֣ת לָהֶ֔ם וּלְזַרְעָ֖ם אַחֲרֵיהֶֽם׃

Deuteronomy 1:8

(8) See, I place the land at your disposal. Go, take possession of the land that the LORD swore to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to assign to them and to their heirs after them.

דברים א׳:ט׳-י״ב

(ט) וָאֹמַ֣ר אֲלֵכֶ֔ם בָּעֵ֥ת הַהִ֖וא לֵאמֹ֑ר לֹא־אוּכַ֥ל לְבַדִּ֖י שְׂאֵ֥ת אֶתְכֶֽם׃ (י) יי אֱלֹקֵיכֶ֖ם הִרְבָּ֣ה אֶתְכֶ֑ם וְהִנְּכֶ֣ם הַיּ֔וֹם כְּכוֹכְבֵ֥י הַשָּׁמַ֖יִם לָרֹֽב׃ (יא) יי אֱלֹקֵ֣י אֲבֽוֹתֵכֶ֗ם יֹסֵ֧ף עֲלֵיכֶ֛ם כָּכֶ֖ם אֶ֣לֶף פְּעָמִ֑ים וִיבָרֵ֣ךְ אֶתְכֶ֔ם כַּאֲשֶׁ֖ר דִּבֶּ֥ר לָכֶֽם׃ (יב) אֵיכָ֥ה אֶשָּׂ֖א לְבַדִּ֑י טָרְחֲכֶ֥ם וּמַֽשַּׂאֲכֶ֖ם וְרִֽיבְכֶֽם׃

Deuteronomy 1:9-12

(9) Thereupon I said to you, “I cannot bear the burden of you by myself. (10) The LORD your God has multiplied you until you are today as numerous as the stars in the sky.— (11) May the LORD, the God of your fathers, increase your numbers a thousandfold, and bless you as He promised you.— (12) How can I bear unaided the trouble of you, and the burden, and the bickering!

First ever איכה?

The word “eichah” occurs only 18 times in the entire Bible. In each instance, it conveys this rhetorical complaint:

בראשית ג׳:ט׳

(ט) וַיִּקְרָ֛א יי אֱלֹקִ֖ים אֶל־הָֽאָדָ֑ם וַיֹּ֥אמֶר ל֖וֹ אַיֶּֽכָּה׃

Genesis 3:9

(9) The LORD God called out to the man [Adam] and said to him, “Where are you?”

Why is G'd posing this question? What could be the relation between these two scenes in Genesis (Bereshit) and Deuteronomy(Devarim)?

ספרי דברים י״ב:א׳

(א) איכה אשא לבדי - אמר להם לא מעצמי אני אומר לכם: טרחכם - מלמד שהיו טורחנים: היה אחד מהם רואה שנוצח חברו בדין - אומר יש לי עדים להביא, יש לי ראיות, למחר אני דן, מוסיף אני עליכם דינים, לכך נאמר טרחכם ומשאכם וריבכם.

Sifrei Devarim 12:1

(1) (Devarim 1:12) "How can I bear alone your contentiousness" — whence we are taught that they were contentious. If one of them saw his neighbor getting the better of him in judgment, he would say: I have witnesses to bring, I have proofs; tomorrow I will add accusers against you! — thus, "your contentiousness."

דברים א׳:כ״ז

(כז) וַתֵּרָגְנ֤וּ בְאָהֳלֵיכֶם֙ וַתֹּ֣אמְר֔וּ בְּשִׂנְאַ֤ת יי אֹתָ֔נוּ הוֹצִיאָ֖נוּ מֵאֶ֣רֶץ מִצְרָ֑יִם לָתֵ֥ת אֹתָ֛נוּ בְּיַ֥ד הָאֱמֹרִ֖י לְהַשְׁמִידֵֽנוּ׃

Deuteronomy 1:27

(27) You sulked in your tents and said, “It is because the LORD hates us that He brought us out of the land of Egypt, to hand us over to the Amorites to wipe us out.

רש"י על דברים א׳:כ״ז:ב׳

(ב) בשנאת יי אתנו. וְהוּא הָיָה אוֹהֵב אֶתְכֶם, אֲבָל אַתֶּם שׂוֹנְאִים אוֹתוֹ; מְשַׁל הֶדְיוֹט אוֹמֵר

מַה דִּבְלִבָּךְ עַל רְחִמָּךְ מַה דִּבְלִבֵּהּ עֲלָךְ (ספרי)

Rashi on Deuteronomy 1:27:2

(2) בשנאת ה׳ אתנו BECAUSE THE LORD HATETH US — Really, however, He loved you, but you hated Him. A common proverb says:

What is in your own mind about your friend, you imagine is what is in his mind about you (Sifrei Devarim 24:3).

דברים ב׳:כ״ה

(כה) הַיּ֣וֹם הַזֶּ֗ה אָחֵל֙ תֵּ֤ת פַּחְדְּךָ֙ וְיִרְאָ֣תְךָ֔ עַל־פְּנֵי֙ הָֽעַמִּ֔ים תַּ֖חַת כָּל־הַשָּׁמָ֑יִם אֲשֶׁ֤ר יִשְׁמְעוּן֙ שִׁמְעֲךָ֔ וְרָגְז֥וּ וְחָל֖וּ מִפָּנֶֽיךָ׃

Deuteronomy 2:25

(25) This day I begin to put the dread and fear of you upon the peoples everywhere under heaven, so that they shall tremble and quake because of you whenever they hear you mentioned.

דברים ב׳:ל״ג

(לג) וַֽיִּתְּנֵ֛הוּ יי אֱלֹקֵ֖ינוּ לְפָנֵ֑ינוּ וַנַּ֥ךְ אֹת֛וֹ וְאֶת־בנו [בָּנָ֖יו] וְאֶת־כָּל־עַמּֽוֹ׃

Deuteronomy 2:33

(33) and the LORD our G'd delivered him [Sihon, king of the Amorites] to us and we defeated him and his sons and all his men.

דברים ג׳:ב׳

(ב) וַיֹּ֨אמֶר יי אֵלַי֙ אַל־תִּירָ֣א אֹת֔וֹ כִּ֣י בְיָדְךָ֞ נָתַ֧תִּי אֹת֛וֹ וְאֶת־כָּל־עַמּ֖וֹ וְאֶת־אַרְצ֑וֹ וְעָשִׂ֣יתָ לּ֔וֹ כַּאֲשֶׁ֣ר עָשִׂ֗יתָ לְסִיחֹן֙ מֶ֣לֶךְ הָֽאֱמֹרִ֔י אֲשֶׁ֥ר יוֹשֵׁ֖ב בְּחֶשְׁבּֽוֹן׃

Deuteronomy 3:2

(2) But the LORD said to me: Do not fear him [Og, king of Bashan] for I am delivering him and all his men and his country into your power, and you will do to him as you did to Sihon king of the Amorites, who lived in Heshbon.

What is the foundation of hostility?

How could this relate to Tisha B'Av?

יומא ט׳ ב:ח׳

אבל מקדש שני שהיו עוסקין בתורה ובמצות וגמילות חסדים מפני מה חרב מפני שהיתה בו שנאת חנם ללמדך ששקולה שנאת חנם כנגד שלש עבירות ע"ז גלוי עריות ושפיכות דמים

Yoma 9b:8

However, considering that the people during the Second Temple period were engaged in Torah study, observance of mitzvot, and acts of kindness, and that they did not perform the sinful acts that were performed in the First Temple, why was the Second Temple destroyed? It was destroyed due to the fact that there was wanton hatred during that period. This comes to teach you that the sin of wanton hatred is equivalent to the three severe transgressions: Idol worship, forbidden sexual relations and bloodshed.

How could that kind of hate, Sinat Chinam, baseless hate, be counteracted?

When questioned why he loved Jews distant from the ideals of Torah, Rav Kook would respond, “Better I should err on the side of baseless love, than I should err on the side of baseless hatred.”

Rav Kook gave practical advice on how to achieve this love, called Ahavat Chinam.

Love for people does not start from the heart, but from the head. To truly love and understand people - individually as well as a group — requires a wisdom that is both insightful and multifaceted. This intellectual inquiry is an important discipline of Torah study.
Loving others does not mean indifference to baseness and moral decline. Our goal is to awaken knowledge and morality, integrity, and refinement

If we take note of others’ positive traits, we will come to love them with an inner affection. This is not a form of insincere flattery, nor does it mean white-washing their faults and foibles. But by concentrating on their positive characteristics — and every person has a good side — the negative aspects become less significant