112. When Stones Cry

Can you hear the stones cry? Reb Shloime’le of Zvhil said you can, especially during the Three Weeks. And one tzaddik refused to visit the Kosel on Tisha B’Av… because even the walls go silent.

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You ever see stones cry? There's a פסוק in חבקוק הנביא which says that אבן מקיר תזעק. A stone from a wall will scream out. It's told about רב שלמה'לה from זוויהל, רב שלמה'קה זוויהל would go to the כותל all the time and during the three weeks and the nine days, he would always notice and point out to his חסידים, you see, do you see the stones themselves from the wall are screaming out and crying with us during the three weeks. There was the custom also of רב אליעזר דוד'ל of לעלוב to go to the כותל every day besides one day.

And what day did he not go to the כותל? תשעה באב. They asked him, רב, out of all days, you don't go to the כותל on תשעה באב? He said, every day of the year, I say שלום עליכם to the holy כותל, and the כותל answers me back עליכם שלום. תשעה באב is the only day of the whole year I say שלום עליכם, and there's no answer back. I don't want to go there without being answered back by the כותל itself.