Tomorrow we will commemorate ‘Tishah Be-Av’ {תשעה באב} – Hebrew for ninth of the month of Av – which is the day the Temple in Jerusalem was destructed (we will discuss that tomorrow).
The ‘Shabbat’ {שבת} before ‘Tishah Be-Av’ {תשעה באב} is known in the Jewish tradition as ‘Shabbat Chazon’ {שבת חזון} – ‘the Sabbath of the Vision’ in Hebrew. The ‘vision’ refers to the weekly Prophet’s portion which is taken from the opening chapter of the Book of Isaiah:
“The VISION of Isaiah the son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.” (Isaiah 1:1)
The Hebrew word ‘Chazon’ {חזון} (‘vision’) is very common in the Book of Isaiah in particular and the other books of the prophets in general. It is derived from the Hebrew root Ch-Z-H {ח-ז-ה} which means ‘to see.’
The Hebrew learners who read this are probably thinking now about the other (more common) Hebrew word for ‘seeing’ – ‘Le-Rot’ {לראות}. Well, both of these Hebrew words mean ‘to see.’ However, ‘Le-Rot’ is the simple act of seeing and ‘La-Chazot’ {לחזות} (the verb form of ‘Chazon’) implies more than just simply seeing and is usually strongly connected to the FUTURE.
In fact, Theodor Herzl is called in Hebrew ‘Choze Ha-Medina’ {חוזה המדינה} – which literally means in Hebrew ‘visionary of the State.’ The Hebrew word ‘Choze’ {חוזה} is also used as another name for a ‘prophet’ in the Hebrew Bible (the main Biblical Hebrew term for ‘a prophet’ is ‘Navi’){נביא}.
Following the biblical concept, in the later forms of Hebrew – including Modern Hebrew – the verb ‘La-Chazot’ means ‘to foresee’ or ‘to predict.’ Another meaning for this Hebrew term can be found in one of the prayers Jews have recited every day for the last 2000 years:
“Ve-Techezena Eineinu Be-Shuv’cha Le-Tziyon Be-Rachamim” {ותחזינה עינינו בשובך לציון ברחמים} which means in English:
“May our eyes BEHOLD Your return to Zion in mercy.”