there are ten words
for prophecy,
the harshest of all,
prophecy of vision.
speaking and talking
of pain
are not the same
as seeing pain
and seeing pain
is not the same,
God forbid,
as experiencing
the suffering firsthand.
a temple fallen,
a people destroyed,
we try to understand,
we observe in stoic silence.
we talk and we speak of the pain,
but we all know,
we know nothing of it.
we simply,
thank God,
cannot.
Shabbat Hazon, July 18, 1942
Of prophecy, we know nothing. But a simple explanation, reflecting our situation, may be as follows. We have previously spoken about how apparent it has become that hearing and speaking of pain and suffering is a very far cry from actually experiencing it. Hearing and speaking of it is vastly distant from having to witness it, let alone undergoing it, God forbid. When in Scripture and in the writings of our blessed sages we studied descriptions of the agony endured at the destruction of the Temple, we thought we had some notion of pain. At times we even cried while learning their teachings. But now, it is plain that hearing about sufferings is vastly different from seeing them, let alone enduring them, God forbid. They cannot be compared even minimally. Therefore, of the various levels of suffering revealed to the prophets -- whether through a verbal prophecy, the Divine Voice heard from heaven, or other types of prophecy -- the harshest level of all was when prophets were shown a "vision." The harshest of all prophecies was when they had to watch a realistic simulation of the pain and suffering. This is the meaning of "A cruel vision was told me."
