Now that we are in the three weeks, it’s important to talk about the Churban/ Destruction of the Bet Hamikdash. Regarding the pasuk in Tehilim 119, שִׂבַּ֣רְתִּי לִישׁוּעָתְךָ֣ ה ׳ וּֽמִצְוֺתֶ֥יךָ עָשִֽׂיתִי I hoped for your salvation, God, And I fulfilled your Mitzvot, the Chida, in his Sefer Yosef Tehilot , a commentary on Tehilim, explains that we have a responsibility to look forward to Hashem’s salvation (called Sipita LeYeshua- Did we look forward to God’s salvation?). But we also have to contemplate the sins that prevent God’s redemption. We have to stop , and stay away from those sins, b ecause if a person is looking forward to God‘s salvation, but actually interfering with it, it’s really a worthless hope . “ Sibarti LeYeshuatecha/ I am looking forward to your salvation, “ i s not just looking forward , but also וּֽמִצְוֺתֶ֥יךָ עָשִֽׂיתִי fulfilling the Mitzvot , as the second half of the pasuk indicates . And the Chida adds that fulfilling the Mitzvot means staying away from the s ins that interfere with the rebuilding of the Bet Hamikdash . In another Sefer, Devarim Ahadim, the Chida ( in the 6 th derasha) says that we feel bad about the churban , which means not having weddings during the three weeks, refraining from meat and wine during the nine days, as well as other customs that we follow to mourn for the Bet Hamikdash . But, he says , at the same time, we continue to have Sinat Hinam/baseless hatred , which is the main sin that we are discussing when we talk about the Churban . We aren’t unified. This is compared to someone who is planting a tree with one hand, and taking an ax with the other to cut it down.. Inherently, that is what we do every single day . In his words, “ How can a man be righteous with good deeds, as long as the contamination is still with us - which is Sinat Hinam.” So it’s not enough to go through the three weeks and just feel bad, mourn, look forward, and yearn. We also have to work on correcting the sin that is the cause of the churban , Sinat Hinam . In essence, the rabbi s say that this is the question they will ask us after 120 years , when they ask, “ Did you look forward to the salvation? “ It seems to be a simple question. Of course we look forward to it. But in that question lies the deeper question of whether you were careful to stay away from the s ins that caused the destruction. That is the true Sipita Leyeshua/ looking forward to the salvation. And that is not so simple. B’Ezrat Hashem , we will be able to answer yes , b y working on Ahavat Yisrael. Have a wonderful day.