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Thought for the Day: During the Three Weeks Work to Put HaShem at the Center of Your Universe (Instead of Yourself)

At work, we need to take harassment training -- no, smart guy, not training in how to harass (a class that I could probably give, actually), but what the term harassment means in the work place. It's cute; lots of little vignettes and "what-if" scenarios. Mostly pretty obvious (and I am not at all sure what benefit any of this would be to someone to whom these situations are not obvious!), but they said something at the end I thought was worth the price of admission. At the end of the training they mention that each state has it's own rules and they actually list some of the rules unique to Illinois. Then the voice said, "But instead of memorizing a lot of detailed rules, just keep this in mind: treat everyone with respect and dignity".

I listened to a shiur on TorahAnytime.com from R' Shraga Kallus, entitled simply:

The 3 Weeks: The Minhagim Of Not Being Self Absorbed (audio) (video)

I think that concept is quite brilliant. (The shiur is also very good and practical.) The issue is this: there are many details about how to conduct oneself during this period. Rather than focusing on details, though, keeping the principle of "I need to be less self-absorbed" helps to both remember what to (not) do and also frames our behavior in the proper context.

The Aguda has created and disseminated an excellent source can be viewed/downloaded here: The Halachos of the Three Weeks. In that document, also, the minhagim are introduced with overarching principles: We refrain from joyous activities, don't take haircuts, don't say the bracha of שהחיינו, and avoid activities that could be dangerous. Are these different then that proposed by R' Kallus?

I don't think so. Obviously refraining from joyous activities and haircuts fit. What about the others? By refraining from saying the bracha of שהחיינו, I am putting the general distress that klal yisrael is feeling now ahead of my joy at acquiring something new. What about refraining from dangerous activities? What are we talking about? Things like swimming; things I like. My proof? (Not that I really need one...) R' Fuerst told me last night that he got a call from someone who said he needs to swim for exercise. R' Fuerst suggested using a treadmill during these three weeks. The response: But I like swimming. (Emphasis mine, but completely what he meant.)

Some simple rules to take our focus off ourselves and maybe start thinking about HaShem and Klal Yisrael. It's a start. In fact, it's more than a start, as we see from this midrash on Tehillim 127 that I saw in a pirush on this week's haftarah from R' Dovid Siegel, shlita:

The Midrash relates that the Prophet Yirmiyahu accompanied the Jewish people into their exile until the Euphraties River, the doorstep of Bablyonia. He then informed them that he would be leaving and returning to the segment of Jewish people left behind in the land of Israel. Suddenly there was an outburst of uncontrollable weeping from the Jewish people who realized that they were being abandoned by Yirmiyahu. He responded with the following words, “I testify in the name of Hashem that if this sincere cry would have transpired moments ago, when we were still in our homeland, the exile would never have come about”

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