According to the Talmud in Taanis (29a) “that night” refers to Tisha B’av, the day to be known as the most tragic day in Jewish history. The greatest tragedies befell us on that day. The Talmud in Sanhedrin (104:b) cites a reason for this: “Because you wept so unnecessarily on this night, I will establish this night as one on which you will cry for all time.” It seems that our weeping and undeserved protest and complaints were the cause of Tisha B’av. This over-indulgence and over-reaction was an extreme expression of a lack of faith and trust in Hashem. Although faith in Hashem does not mandate us to be so complacent that we allow evil and corruption to run rampant, it does not allow us to over-react since this is an affront to the principle of truthfulness. When our complaint far exceeds the injustice and cause for our unfortunate circumstance, it arouses a misplaced sympathy which however subtle, is unacceptable. The way to correct a false and superficial display of grief, emanating from a lack of faith in Hashem, is by effecting a true inner awareness and sense of sorrow. The “weeping of generations” of Tisha B’av, is our opportunity to restore our true faith in Hashem. By seizing this opportunity, we will all merit to bring an ultimate end to our sorrow and grief with the advent of Moshiach.
