Teens Question, Devarim 2025

Question 

What's the connection between "מודה אני" and Tisha b'Av?

Answer

The simple answer is that the words רבה אמונתך appear in מגילת איכה (ג:כג). The real question is, why? Why do we include words from איכה in our opening tefilah every morning?

Let's start by understanding the words רבה אמונתך in איכה. Yirmiyahu spends the majority of איכה describing the terrible things that befell the nation before and after the destruction of the Beis Hamikdash.

But, there's a strangely positive moment in the middle of the sefer. Starting in ג:כב Yirmiyahu says the words

חסדי ד' כי לא תמנו כי לא כלו רחמיו. חדשים לבקרים רבה אמונתך. חלקי ד' אמרה נפשי על-כן אוחיל לו.

It is the kindness of Hashem that we have not perished, for his mercy has not ended. It (Hashem's mercy) is new every morning, it is great faithfulness. My soul says "My portion is Hashem," and so I will rely upon Him.

Megilas Eichah, 3:22 

Yirmiyahu is referring to a seemingly paradoxical teaching of Chazal - it was a great kindness that Hashem burned down the Beis Hamikdash. How could that be? We've commemorated the day the Beis Hamikdash was destroyed as the greatest national calamity for generations. We've written endless kinos and davened endless times for it to be rebuilt. We know that all our modern tragedies can be traced back to the destruction of the Beis Hamikdash and to the reality of k'b'yachol living in this world without our creator.

So how can Chazal proclaim the calamity is a chesed?!

Chazal had clear vision. They understood everything Hashem does is part of a broader plan. We can understand this through the words of R' Chaim Shmulevitz in Sichos Musar. R' Chaim quotes the pasuk in Ha'azinu

הצור תמים פעלו כי כל דרכיו משפט

Hashem is perfect in his actions for all his paths are judgement.

Devarim 32:4 

When a flesh and blood court judges a man, he ignores the side effects. If a man is found guilty and sentenced to death, the court doesn't consider if the man's wife deserves to be a widow or if his kids deserve to be orphans. The man is guilty. That's all that matters to the courts of man.

R' Chaim teaches us that Hashem's judgement is perfect. He does consider all the side effects of his judgement. He won't sentence a man to death without considering the impact on his wife and children. R' Chaim goes on to explain this is the meaning behind another seemingly shocking statement of Chazal

על שלש עבירות נשים מתות בשעת לידתן על שאינן זהירות בנדה ובחלה והדלקת הנר

There are three reasons a women might die when she gives birth: because she was not careful with ritual purity, with challah, and with lighting shabbos candles

Mishnayos Shabbos, 2:6 

R' Chaim points out these are seemingly minor infractions that don't carry the death penalty. How could they be the cause for a דין of death? How is this תמים פעלו (perfect judgement)? R' Chaim answers these are the extra causes. If a man is חייב מיתה and his wife wasn't careful with these מצוות, then he can die. 

We can apply this same teaching from R' Chaim Shmulevitz to understand Chazal's statement that destroying the Beis Hamikdash was a great kindness. Am Yisroel committed many grave sins in the generation of the Beis Hamikdash, so much so that Yirmiyahu described our actions as

על עזבם את תורתי

for they have abandoned my Torah

Yirmiyahu, 9:12

Chazal teach us we should have been wiped out as a nation as a punishment for this sin. But the impact of destroying the entire nation would have meant no more opportunity for Am Yisroel to do mitzvos. No more opportunity for teshuvah, for Torah, or for avodah. How could Hashem punish us according to the severity of our actions and not actually destroy the nation? This, Chazal teach us, was the incredible kindness of destroying the Beis Hamikdash.

מזמר אני ששפך הקדוש ברוך הוא חמתו על העצים ועל האבנים, ולא שפך חמתו על ישראל

I am singing because Hakadosh Baruch Hu poured out his anger on wood and stones and He did not pour out his anger on Yisroel

Eichah Rabah, 4:14

Hashem quite literally saved us by destroying the Beis Hamikdash.

That's the message of חסדי ד' כי לא תמנו כי לא כלו רחמיו. His kindness and mercy are to find ways to save us, even when we have no basis in דין to be saved. He's melamed zchus, he's meshatef rachamim, and he redirects his anger. He constantly finds ways to give us the best possible outcome.

And He didn't just do this once when he destroyed the Beis Hamikdash. That's the message of חדשים לבקרים - your kindness is new every morning - רבה אמונתך - great is your faithfulness. Hashem showers his kindness upon us every single morning. Day after day, Hashem brings our heilige neshama down from shamayim and places it our guf. Day after day, He waits for us to fulfill his Torah. To seek Him. To learn. To do mitzvos. Day after day, the yetzer hara tricks us and distracts us and we somehow don't live up to the opportunities Hashem gives us. But, the next morning, despite all the evidence that we don't deserve it, Hashem bestows kindness and faithfulness and gives us another chance. 

And so, every morning, we wake up and remind ourselves of our Creator's great love for us.

מודה אני לפניך מלך חי וקים שהחזרת בי נשמתי בחלה רבה אמונתך

I admit before you the Living and Eternal King that you have returned by soul to me with compassion. Great is your faithfulness.

Great is your faithfulness to save your nation. Great is your faithfulness to treat us with mercy. Great is your faithfulness to return our neshama to us every single morning.