Tisha B'Av - What the Eye Cannot See | Rabbi Ari Bensoussan

We've had a year of Chodesh Av. We're all coming off of a year of אבילות. It's times like these that we look towards the Navi, to find hope in the future, that can give us some kind of comfort here, in the present. In Yeshaya, very famously, the pasuk tells us, The eye has never seen an Aibishter זולתך, except for You, and what You, Hashem, have planned to do for him. What You're going to do for those who are waiting for You, for those who are pining for You, for those who are calling out and saying, Abba, we miss You. Bring me home. And Yeshaya is telling us: Yeah, there are those who are waiting for You, Aibishter, and nobody has ever seen. It’s so incredible what You have for them in the times of Moshiach. The Gemara says this is talking about in the times of Olam Haba. Many times in Yiddishkeit, the greatest building happens in the places where the eye truly cannot see. And what's being built? What can't we see? There are worlds. There are worlds beyond what the human eye could possibly detect that's being built. Spiritual worlds, Kedushah worlds, in all of the actions that we do. And what are we doing now? What is the Avoda of this moment? Says the Arizal, Every single month has its own Avoda of things we do over here that affects the heavens above. And he tells us that in the month of Tammuz, in the Month of Av, it is the Avoda of the two eyes, of Shmirat HeEinayim, for a person to be able to watch what his eyes should not see. Eisav and Yaakov, twins. They split up the months of the year. Eisav grabbed at the month of Av, because Eisav knew exactly what was hidden inside this month. Yeah, Tisha B’Av today was sad. It's destruction, it's darkness, to what the human eye could see, the עין ראתה, it seems terrible. But listen, listen to how Chazal explain to us. According to what the eye sees, yeah, they’re very lowly days. They seem like days of very harsh judgment. Deep down inside, it is completely the opposite. In the place of darkness, inside the place of darkness is hidden the greatest treasures, the greatest diamonds. Eisav was petrified. They cannot see what is hidden inside this month of Av. So yeah, Eisav brought destruction, he brought darkness, he brought the worst times in history, because he was petrified if we should truly see what is lying deep within these days now. How do you see it? I want us to see what normal people can't ever see. How do you see the אוצר? How do you see the treasures that are deep down inside this day? By looking away. By the challenge of that moment, by עין לא ראתה, by turning to the side and looking towards nothingness. You think you're looking at nothing? You're finally seeing for real. It is on this day, עין לא ראתה. We build worlds by not seeing. We build worlds by looking away.