Parashat Devarim is always read on the Shabbat before Tisha B’Av. The actual Shabbat is also given a special name; Shabbat Chazon, the “Shabbat of the Vision” or the “Shabbat of the Prophecy”, named after the very first word of the Book of Isaiah, from which the Haftarah for this Shabbat is taken.
“Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth, for God has spoken: ‘I reared children and brought them up – and they have rebelled against Me! An ox knows its owner, a donkey its master’s crib: Israel does not know, My people takes no thought’ ” (Isaiah 1:2-3). Isaiah’s vision is sad and mournful, as he could see both the sins of the Children of Israel and the great destruction that would occur as a result of the people’s wickedness and immorality.
In the Haftarah for Shabbat Chazon, Isaiah cries out; “Eicha hayita l’zonah kiryah …” [Alas, she has become a harlot, the faithful city that was filled with justice, where righteousness dwelt – but now murderers] (Isaiah 1:21). The word eicha (translated here as “alas”) is also translated as “how”. The prophet Isaiah is lamenting the fall of Jerusalem, once a steadfast champion of virtue and honour, which had descended into chaos and corruption, due to the lack of respect and causeless hatred that existed among the people.
Eicha is also the name of the prophetic work that we read on Tisha B’Av (known in English as Lamentations). It begins “Eicha yashvah badad ha’ir rabati am hay’ta k’almanah” [How can it be that she sits in isolation – the city teeming with people has become like a widow?] (Eicha 1:1)
The term “eicha” is also found in the week’s Torah portion. Devarim begins with Moses addressing the people before his death. He recounts their entire history in the wilderness. He asks; “Eicha esa l’vadi tar’chachem u’masa’achem v’rivchem?” [How can I bear unaided the trouble of you, and the burden, and the bickering?] (Devarim 1:12). Even Moses lamented the challenges brought on by the Children of Israel.
In Midrash Eicha Rabbah (the midrashic commentary on the book of Eicha), we learn; “There are three who prophesied with the language of “eicha”: Moses, Isaiah, and Jeremiah. Moses said, “How (eichah) will I carry alone…”. Isaiah said, “How (eichah) she has become a harlot…” Jeremiah said, “How (eichah) does she dwell…” Rabbi Levi said: It is compared to a noble woman who had three friends. One saw her in her tranquillity, one saw her in her recklessness, and one saw her in her degenerateness”.
Moses saw Israel in their honour, and in their tranquillity, and he said, “How will I carry their burden alone?” Isaiah saw them in their recklessness, and he said “How she has become a harlot…”, and Jeremiah saw them in their degenerateness, and he said, “How does she dwell…?”.” (Eicha Rabbah 1:1).
Each of the three (Moses, Isaiah, and Jeremiah) lamented on what had become, but also reflected on what could have been, and more importantly “how” had the situation come about.
Shabbat Chazon invites us to pause and prepare ourselves for Tisha B’Av, one of the most solemn days on the Jewish calendar. It is a time to reflect deeply on the national tragedies that have shaped our people’s story, tragedies remembered during the Three Weeks leading up to this day. But our responsibility is not only to mourn. We are called to learn from the past, to examine the causes of our suffering, and to grow, both as individuals and as a community. Only through honest reflection and a commitment to change can we hope to avoid repeating the same mistakes. May that be our “chazon”, our vision for a more compassionate, united, and resilient future.
Shabbat Shalom
Rabbi Sam Zwarenstein