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From Shnei Luchot Habrit; translation and commentary by Eliyahu Munk
Parashat Devarim is always read in the three weeks
of mourning, culminating in the fast of the Ninth of Av; its content is most
appropriate at that time.
The reason we have lost the Temple and have been sent
into exile is that we were guilty of violating those Torah laws designed to
perfect our soul, body and financial dealings. Our sages have said that during
the period of the First Temple, Israel sinned by worshipping idols, engaging in
sexual licentiousness and committing murder. (Jerusalem Talmud Yoma 1:1)  | | " The sin of worshipping idols is essentially one of the soul..." | | |
Ever since the destruction of the First Temple, the
damage done by committing these sins has not been repaired, not even when the
Second Temple was built. This is why five important manifestations of G-d's
presence (proof of the high spiritual level of the Jewish people) were missing
during all the years that the Second Temple functioned. Our sages found this
alluded to in the defective spelling of the word "I will be glorified" in
Haggai 1:8: "Go up to the mountain, get timber and rebuild the House; then I
will look on it with favor and I will be glorified
[in Hebrew, 'v'echbed(ah)']
- thus said the Lord." The missing letter hei was the prophet's way of
telling Israel that the Second Temple would be inferior to the first in five
respects. (Yoma 21)
The sin of worshipping idols is essentially one of the
soul; the very thought that there are other deities besides G-d is prohibited.
Sexual licentiousness is, of course, a sin committed
by the body. There is no other sin that involves as many limbs and organs
simultaneously as engaging in sexual intercourse.
Murder also involves all parts of the body; all the
organs and limbs of the victim are rendered useless. Jerusalem had been
described as "filled with blood". (Isaiah 1:15)
That same generation had also been guilty of unfair
dealings in monetary matters, as described in the verse "Your rulers are rogues
and cronies of thieves; all of them greedy for bribes." (Isaiah 1:23)
The making of vows, or failure to honor them, also
involves one's soul. The immediate cause of Nebuchadnezzar's attack on Jerusalem
was King's Zedekiah's having broken his solemn oath to the former not to rebel
against his rule (II Kings 25:1). This is why the elders of Zion are reported as
having put dust on their heads and having lowered their heads to the ground
(Lamentations 2:10); Eicha Rabba 2:14 relates that the members of the
Jewish Supreme Court at the time of King Zedekiah were executed as punishment
for violation of the vows. According to the Midrash, the oath of loyalty had
been taken on the Golden Altar, i.e. in the Sanctuary.
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