That surrender dissolves the separate self into the knowing of the One who is always here.
As our sages teach: the seed of redemption is planted in the depth of destruction. The Mashiach is born on Tisha B’ Av. What appears as poison becomes the cure when taken consciously. Like the ouroboros- the serpent eating its own tail- this is the cycle of death feeding rebirth.
If G-d is the water and we are the pipe, our grief, our complaint, our heartbreak- when fully felt- straightens the path for G-d to pour through. In Kabbalah, the kav is the inner line of Divine light re-entering the vacated space after tzimtzum, the initial contraction of Infinite Light. Tisha B’ Av reopens that conduit by removing the clogs of denial and distortion.
Tisha B’ Av unbends the hose. When we ask " Why " so fully that the very question becomes the answer. When the ache carves space for G-d to pour through. When the separate self softens, and what remains is an empty vessel- ready to be filled.
And what flows in? Compassion. Radiance. Clarity. Empathy. G-dliness
When practiced fully, this day transforms us. We begin the morning unable to make eye contact, weighed down by sorrow. But by evening, our very presence becomes balm.
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