Be Big

The Gemarah Bava Kammah (59b) says אליעזר זעירא הוה סיים מסאני אוכמי, וקאי בשוקא דנהרדעא, אשכחוהו דבי ריש גלותא וא"ל, מאי שנא הני מסאני? אמר להו דקא מאבילנא אירושלים, אמרו ליה, את חשיבת לאיתאבולי אירושלים? סבור יוהרא הוה, אתיוה וחבשוה, אמר להו גברא רבה אנא,

Eliezer Ze’eira was wearing black shoes, unlike the Jewish custom of that time, and standing in the market of Neharde’a. Officials of the house of the Exilarch found him and said to him: What is different about you that causes you to wear these shoes? He said to them: I am wearing them because I am in mourning over the destruction of the Temple and Jerusalem, and so I wear black shoes, as is the custom of mourners. They said to him: Are you a man of such importance to publicly mourn over Jerusalem? They thought that it was simply presumptuousness on his part. Since he was acting against the prevalent Jewish custom, they brought him to the prison and incarcerated him. Eliezer Ze’eira said to them: I am a great man, a scholar, and it is fitting for me to mourn publicly over the destruction of Jerusalem.

It is clear from the Gemarah that only one who is a גברא רבה has a right to keep minhagim of avelus for the loos of Yerushalayim.  So how are there laws and customs prescribing aspects of avelut on Yerushalayim for everyone during this time of year?  The Sifsay Chayim says that there is a special force in the world during this time of year that allows everyone to have a true feeling of loss over the destruction of Yerushalayim.  

Why is it fitting only for a גברה רבה to be in avelut for Yerushalayim?  Only a גברא רבה can truly appreciate the great loss.  See the Sifsay Chayim who elaborates on the explanation.  This may be hinted to in the words גברא רבה themselves.  The Gemarah Megillah says קם רבה ושחטה לרב זעירא.  The Rebbe (Likutay Sichos volume 31) explains that Rabbah was raising up the smallness, the זעירא to רבה, to great levels.  רבה was expounding on such lofty, great Torah ideals that רב זעירא's body could not contain the great energy.  Similarly, the Gemarah is saying only a גברה רבה, one has a broad vision, a deep connection to Hashem can truly feel the great loss.  Maybe that is why these are days of בין המצרים, golut restrictes our רבה, it confines us an restricts us from seeing our full glory.  It is noteworthy the paradox that it is ר"א זעירא who is able to declare גברא רבה אנא.  Only one who is humble can make such a declaration and act in a manner befitting a גברא ברא. 

The Yaarot Devash derush 11 (cited here,) asks why was the avelut ר"א demonstrated expressed specifically through the shoes?  Along the lines of what he answers we can add the following idea.  The Navi (Amos 2:6) says Yosef was sold by his brothers for shoes.  Why did the brothers buy shoes with the money acquired for Yosef?  Rav Goldvicht (here,) explains that shoes serve as a boundary to separate between man and the earthly matter that drags him down.  Yosef believed in bringing light even to places tugged down by the earth's gravitational pull downward.  The brothers believed להבדיל בין הקודש ובין הטמא.  That is reflected in the sale of Yosef for shoes.  The brothers were saying, Yosef, you need shoes, you need boundaries.  In holy places, where there is no separation, one does not wear shoes.  Hence, in the Mikdash the kohanim walk barefoot.  ר"א was wearing the shoes to reflect the state of separation caused by the destruction of the Mikdash.  Now, we are immersed in tumah and must wear shoes for protection.  That may be why the Gemarah doesn't mention avelut on the Mikdash, it says on Yerushalayim.  Why not Mikdash?  Because the kedusha of the Mikdash radiated throughout the entire city.  The kedusha enveloped even one's ארציות, one's landy activities.