The Three Weeks

And Rashi cites the teaching, the teaching of Chazal that the almond tree blossoms for twenty-one days exactly, equivalent to the period from Shiva Asar b'Tammuz, the seventeenth of Tammuz, to the ninth of Av, which is a period of impending punishment and destruction from the breach of the walls of Yerushalayim until its, until the Churban.

For this reason, this chapter is read as the first haftarah of punishment, which is read over the three Shabbatot of Bein HaMetzarim, the three weeks leading up to Tisha B'Av.

The word that's used here for branch, makhel, is somewhat unusual.

A makhel, as opposed to, let's say, a mate or a mishenet, as the Malbim suggests might have been used instead.

But that's when they chose to do the drawing.

So he discovered on the first day of the three weeks... that he won a Rolex and he wanted to know, should I recite a Shechianu on Shavas or Betamas? Do you say a Shechianu on a Rolex in general? And do you say a Shechianu on Shavas or Betamas or during three weeks when you win a Rolex? So there is a Mishnah in the 9th Barak of Brachos that tells us if someone is going to buy his Hadash or their Kona, a Kli Hadash, you buy something new and nice, you say a Shechianu.

The Gemara tells us, that there's a machlokas, if you have keilen kayotze behem already, if you have a drawer full of Rolexes already, do you say a bracha on a new one? That was not the case over here.

The Darki Moshe points out, the Raman, his Darki Moshe points out that there's a chubus harashpa, who makes it pretty clear that these brachos are not an absolute chiv, but you're supposed to do it.

I'm sure it ranges.

But it seems it's a big enough thing that it would warrant a Shechianu.

What about Shechianu during the three weeks? Do we say this bracha? Do we not say this bracha? Under what circumstances? So Shulchan Aruch and Simtav Kofnan Aleph If Yodzayan says, we should try not to say Eshachianu on new clothing and new fruits during the three weeks.

Maganavram explains, because part of the bracha is that we express how excited we are to reach Azman Hazel Azman Hazel.

That corresponds to which period of the year? Which period of the year here are called the days of wrath? Which days? It's uncanny.

The final days of Tammuz, Chedesh Av, these are the days of Ben HaMetzarim.

Don't you see from time immemorial in history, that period has been, it's uncanny when you trace the repetitive cycles of Jewish dynamics and Jewish history.

You hear it emerges from the story in the Midbar, right? The days of wrath.

Shaila that came up the other day here in camp.

A young man in the teen division, let's call him Ru'uven, decided that in advance of the three weeks it would be a good idea to get a haircut.

So he asked his friend Shimon to give him a haircut.

Shimon was very excited to give a haircut.

And Ruvain said, thank you so much, Ruvain said, what am I supposed to do now? He said, I got some other haircuts to give, we'll figure it out later.

So then, the morning of Shabbat Shabbat, Ruvain woke up with one side of his, one of his payas totally removed, all the way down to the skin, and the other side totally normal.

So he had the shayla, a double shayla, First, is he allowed to even things out during the three weeks when one is not allowed to get haircuts? And second, is he allowed to even things out at all because you're not allowed to cut off your payas? And he already has one of his payas removed, but it's kind of embarrassing to walk around with one side of his head shaven and the other side fully grown.

So in general, it's important to realize that having a half a haircut... is a Kavad HaBriyos issue.

And it mentions Benam and Sarim.

We know the word Benam and Sarim, between the narrow straits, has become the name that we call the three weeks, between Shivas of Atamuz and Tisha B'Av.

between the narrow places.

Mitzarim also has the Lashon of Tzar, of pain.

The Pesach says, that all those who chased her, caught her, Beinu Mitzarim.

So the Maggid of Mizritch explained, what does this mean? What this means is, anyone who chases after Hashem, chasing her is talking about the Shechina, Anyone who chases her, who tries to forge a relationship with Hashem, is able to do so.

You're able to connect to Hashem, to forge a relationship with Him, much more in these days of Beinu Mitzarim, the three weeks.

Anyone who chases after Hashem, Hisigua will... we'll reach him, we'll catch him, we'll connect with him, in the three weeks.

Avodram writes something very interesting to bring this a little bit more alive, um, about, oh, a question that we should already ask.

We have the, the ti-- the period of Churban Habait, right? The, the three weeks, uh, leading up to Tisha B'Av.

So we have Shalom Thepuranuta, right? Then we have seven weeks of Nechama, right? Sheva D'Nechemta, Sheva D'Nechemta, and then we have Shabbat Shuva, right? The, the, the eleven Shabbatot that we have is three of Puranut, seven Nechama, and then the Shabbat Shuva follows those.

So the obvious question is, the order is up-upside down.

So this is in the [in foreign language] this is page Reish Tsadi Amad Alef.

So says the Shulchan Aruch, [in foreign language] from Shivas HaB'tamuz and on, we lain three weeks in a row, Haftaras that relate to Paranos 'cause it's during the three weeks.

And then after that, Shivat Tanchumta, we r- lain seven consecutive Haftaras of Nechama, and then followed by Tarti D'tyuvta, two that relate to Teshuvah.

So what are these Haftaras? Talas D'parnusa, the three that relate to Paranos are Divrei Yirmiyahu, Shimu Dvar Hashem, and Chazon Yeshayahu says in Mishberura, Shimu V'im Tavhi if D'bieshabbas Rishon, D'parshah D'yoma.

By the accident, you made a mistake in the first of the three weeks, you read the, uh, the, the Haftarah of, uh, of whatever that Parshah is.

[In foreign language] Divrei Yirmiyahu.

Uh, the Gam Shim.

[reading in foreign language] And we already discussed that you shouldn't jump around from one navi to another.

They're more relaxed.

You get two weeks into the summer, then it's like, oh, the Three Weeks are here.

Yeah.

No music.