* Translation by Yehoshua Siskin

It’s amazing. Whenever the question is asked why the Second Temple was destroyed the answer is immediately forthcoming: baseless hatred. And why was the First Temple destroyed? Idol worship, incest, and bloodshed.

No one says that the Babylonian army was stronger than ours or that the Romans attacked from the north or from the south. It is clear that there was a military defeat, but it is also clear that the real reason for the Temples’ destruction was spiritual since our values had been compromised.

The source of everything that happens here is the values we uphold and how we treat each other. We were exiled because we were alienated from our divine souls, from our true identity and heritage, from our togetherness as one people.

Today is the day after Tisha B’Av. The fast is a day to remind ourselves that beyond the day-to-day events that we see, hidden forces are at work. If we become more spiritually aware, this will have a positive influence on the physical reality around us.

Thus, the optimistic message of today is that our fate is in our hands. It’s possible to make amends at any moment and make unity among our people the abiding value in our lives.