Torah from Rabbi Saunders

This Shabbos is known as Shabbos Chazon, the Shabbos before Tisha B’Av. It gets its name from the haunting prophecy of destruction read in the haftarah—“Chazon Yeshayahu”—the Vision of Isaiah. Yet Chazal teach that Shabbos Chazon also carries a hidden promise: in the very vision of destruction lies the vision of rebuilding.

This year, that duality feels more real than ever.

As we approach Tisha B’Av, we don’t just remember ancient tragedies—we grieve the pain of our people today. The wounds are fresh. The war in Gaza drags on. Lives are shattered. Families displaced. And we are still counting the cost of the recent war with Iran, reminding us how vulnerable we remain.

It would be easy to lose heart. But Tisha B’Av is not about despair—it’s about honest mourning that leads to renewal.

Even in the darkness, we hold fast to faith. We cry, but we do not crumble. We sit low, but we lift our eyes toward the future. The Beis HaMikdash was destroyed because of baseless hatred—and it will be rebuilt through ahavas Yisrael, unity, and commitment to Torah.

This Shabbos, let’s see beyond the pain. Let’s remember that the same G-d who exiled us is the One who promised to bring us home. Every mitzvah we do, every prayer we offer, every act of kindness—builds a stone in that future home.

May we merit to turn this Tisha B’Av from mourning into joy, and may our generation witness the final redemption, speedily and peacefully, in our days, and may we soon say: “Tisha B’Av has become a Yom Tov.”