The Real Reason for the Season

 7 Av 5786

Many, many religiously observant people struggle with the practices performed during the Three Weeks period.  They can manage the outward forms required, but they are not invested in it mentally and emotionally.  

For example, many modern Jews feel that the redemption arrived with the founding of the State and that hi-rise buildings crowding the narrow streets of the capital constitutes the rebuilding of Jerusalem.  In their view, Jewish life is thriving in Eretz Yisrael despite the constant state of tensions and wars.  Try as they might, they can't work up any depth to the feeling of loss for something that happened 2000 years ago.

First of all, these fast days are installment payments on a past debt to HKB"H - the national sins which occurred at these times.  When the debt has been paid in full, they will no longer be necessary.  Instead, we will celebrate sort of like a couple who pay off a 25-year mortgage note.  What we should be feeling today is the burden of that 'note' that comes due every year at this time, along with regret over the life that we could be living but cannot while the debt remains.  In other words, we mourn over our current sorry condition.

I think there is another major reason people have trouble accepting the curtailing of their business-as-usual activities during this time.  It is a result of a major misunderstanding (or just ignorance) of the impact of spiritual forces in our physical realm.  These basics have been virtually lost in our rational, technological age.  

[I]n Kabbalistic and Jewish thought, the forces of tumah (spiritual impurity) and Din (harsh judgment) reach an annual peak during the months of Tammuz and Av.

Specifically, the 21-day period between the 17th of Tammuz and the 9th of Av (Tisha B'Av)—known as Bein HaMetzarim ("Between the Straits" or the Three Weeks)—is considered the most spiritually vulnerable time of the year. During this window, the forces of the Sitra Achra (the "Other Side") are in severe ascendance.

Why Tumah Ascends Now

The Concealment of Holiness: Kabbalah teaches that the physical destruction of the Holy Temples in Jerusalem during these months reflected a spiritual reality: a severe restriction of Divine light. When holiness is hidden, tumah automatically rushes in to fill the vacuum.

The Rule of Cosmic Judgment: According to the Zohar, the year is split into seasons of mercy and seasons of judgment. The hot summer months of Tammuz and Av are dominated by solar heat, which mystically represents blinding, raw Din (unmitigated justice/judgment). Without the tempering cooling effects of Chesed (loving-kindness), negativity holds great sway.

The Danger of K**** M*****

The Talmud (Pesachim 111b) and midrashic texts explicitly warn of a physical manifestation of tumah during these weeks: a destructive spiritual entity or plague-demon called K**** M*****. It is said to rule from the 17th of Tammuz until the 9th of Av. It is particularly active during the middle of the day—from the fourth to the ninth halachic hours (roughly 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM). 

Because of this ascendance, classical Jewish law (Shulchan Aruch) advises people to exercise extreme physical caution during these weeks, avoiding dangerous activities, remote areas, or intense physical confrontations.

The Kabbalistic Paradox: Hidden Light

While the Sitra Achra dominates the surface of Tammuz and Av, Kabbalah reveals a comforting paradox: the greater the darkness, the more powerful the hidden light inside it.

The Chassidic masters teach that the intense energy of these months was originally meant to channel the highest possible spiritual revelations. Because humanity could not handle that intensity, it shattered into tragedy. Therefore, any spiritual work, repentance, or Torah study done during this low point has a disproportionately powerful effect in dismantling tumah and transforming it into ultimate good.     (Source: Gemini)  

I hope this helps the readers as much as it helped me to be reminded.  With thanks to the one who started the conversation which turned into this blog post.   You know who you are. 😉💖