Hasidic Rabbi Explains Deep Meaning Behind 'Remember' in Tisha B'Av Lamentations

Ahead of Tisha B'Av, Hasidic teacher Rabbi Asher Farkash delivered a special lesson exploring a profound interpretation from the Baal Shem Tov on the small word "what" in the verse "Remember, O Lord, what has befallen us." This phrase, recited annually on the eve of Tisha B'Av, raises the question of how one asks God to "remember" as if He might have forgotten the Jewish people. Rabbi Farkash reveals that within this word lies both the deepest darkness of exile and the key to complete redemption.

The lesson delves into the difference between remembering and forgetting and its spiritual implications for the soul. Two stories from the Baal Shem Tov illustrate how this single word embodies both exile and the potential for rebirth and redemption. The teaching also references a moving lamentation by Rabbi Yitzchak Panger for Tisha B'Av.

Further insights include what God revealed to Moses about all generations and the impact of that revelation. Rabbi Farkash discusses the unique and difficult spiritual challenge faced by the current generation and offers guidance on overcoming it. The lesson aims to provide tools for emerging from internal exile and entering a life of redemption.