Today is Tisha b’Av, the 9th day of Av, the day the First and Second Temples were destroyed, the day that the Final Solution was signed into law in Germany in 1942, the day of several other destructive negative occurrences throughout history.
The kabbalists reveal that in terms of energy, Tisha b’Av is the most negative day of the year. And yet it is said that on this day, the Messiah will be born.
How can the darkest day be the seed for the greatest Light? The answer is that life works in polarity: Wherever the greatest amount of negativity exists, there exists a correspondingly strong pull for the positive.
Most of us understand that without pain, our physical body does not grow and develop. It is only as we exercise, as we push ourselves, as we do more lifting, that we become stronger.
The same is true on the spiritual level. There is no such a thing as a place that is full of negativity that does not also offer the opportunity for growth or cleansing.
Sometimes we believe that we are supposed to get our inner strength and spiritual growth for free, but the answer is no: We must work for it. But, you say, I do work for it and sometimes nothing happens. That’s normal. Maybe this is not the right time yet for your spiritual self. Perhaps you still have a bit more growth to experience. Maybe there is another place that your soul has to go.
Oftentimes, though, it is when we are in the deepest and darkest moments of our life—those times when things seem to be going nowhere for us—that we end up revealing a deeper part of our spiritual nature.
The idea of Tisha b’Av is for us to come to a place where we can say, "I know that whatever I am facing at this moment in my life is good for me."
With this consciousness and this certainty, we can reveal the Light intended for us.
