by Rabbi Mordechai Rhine

The Shabbos which follows Tishah B’Av is known as Shabbos Nachamu, the Shabbos of Comfort. After we experienced the mourning of Tishah B’Av our focus turns to comfort and recovery. For example, the verse from the prophet Yeshaya which is chosen to express the theme of this Shabbos is the verse: Be comforted, be comforted, My nation…”

Perek Shira is a fascinating work of scholarship which dates to the period of the Mishnah, c. 200 CE. In it the author declares a relationship between different plants and animals and their corresponding concepts in Judaism. The creature which Perek Shira links to Shabbos Nachamu and this verse of comfort is the bat. The commentaries suggest three connections between the bat, and the comfort which G-d offers upon the destruction of the Beis Hamikdash.

At the time that the Beis Hamikdash was destroyed (70 CE) many Jews were disheartened. The Beis Hamikdash had been a focal point for them, and the exile which occurred upon its destruction made it difficult for them to retain hope. One of the unique qualities of the bat is that it hangs upside down, and continues to live. By linking the comfort with the image of a bat, the author of Perek Shira offers us a symbolic illustration of a concept. Even if the world seems upside down to you- totally changed- you will still live on.

Another unique aspect of the bat is that it functions well in the night. Using echolocation the bat can navigate itself with precision, even in the darkest of caves. Similarly, the exile is often compared to darkness. It is a time period when it is difficult to see things clearly. In contrast to redemption which is compared to daybreak, exile is a time when it is difficult to tell the difference between friend and foe, between good strategies and bad ones. The message of consolation is that even though exile means navigating in comparative darkness, we will still succeed. The symbolic message of the bat is that despite the darkness- through the “light” of Torah- we would successfully navigate ourselves until ultimate redemption. Just as the bat uses echolocation (a sound emanating from the mouth) to “see” in the night, so do the Jewish people uses the voice of Torah to maintain their bearings in the darkness of golus.

A third insight regarding the bat is that many thousands nest together in very close proximity. One reason for this is that when they are close together they help one another by warming each other and keeping the body temperature livable. This is symbolic of the Jewish people in exile. Although we are spread throughout the world, in each area that we find ourselves we stick together. Together we build Jewish communities through which we “warm” one another. Each community is complete with an education system, synagogue, mikvah, charity fund, and so much more. The bat symbolizes sticking together, a practice which is a true source of comfort to the Jew in exile.

Interestingly the week of Shabbos Nachamu corresponds to fifteenth of Av, a day described to start an increase of Torah study. The reason that the fifteenth of Av is associated with increased Torah study is because “the nights begin to get longer.” With classic counterintuitive thinking, the Jewish people changed nighttime from representing darkness and exile, to representing opportunity. Nighttime is not just dark, but it is seen as a quieter time, more serene and opportune for Torah study. And so the Jewish people apparently say, “The more night there is… the more opportunity there is to spread the light.”

It is said that a picture is worth a thousand words. By linking the Shabbos of Comfort with the bat, the author of Perek Shira shares with us the essence of the comfort. The comfort is that despite the world turned upside down from what we knew, we will still survive. Although exile is described as dark, through the light of Torah we will navigate our way with success. And the secret of our success is to stick together, to be there for one another, as part of the unity that is the Jewish people.

Wishing you and yours a wonderful Shabbos.

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