- לא הכל לאורה ולא הכל לשמחה
Rav Nachman bar Yitzchak said: לא הכל לאורה ולא הכל לשמחה – Not everyone will be zocheh to light in Olam Habah and not everyone will be zocheh to simchah. צדיקים לאורה וישרים לשמחה – Tzadikim will be zocheh to light and the upright will be zocheh to simchah. Rashi explains that the ישרים are greater than צדיקים which is why they are zocheh to more. Tzadikim receive light as the passuk states: "אור זרוע לצדיק" – Light will be sown for the righteous, and the yesharim attain simchah as it says at the end of the passuk, "ולישרי לב שמחה" – And for the upright of heart, simchah.
- Placing ashes on the head of the Nasi and Av Beis Din first
The Mishnah of the second perek opens describing the סדר תעניות – the procedure carried out on the last seven public fasts when there is a drought. The Mishnah states: מוציאין את התיבה לרחובה של עיר – We bring out the Ark into the town square, ונותנין אפר מקלה על גבי התיבה – and we place ashes on top of the Ark, ובראש הנשיא ובראש אב בית דין וכל אחד ואחד נותן בראשו – and on the head of the Nasi and the head of the Av Beis Din, then everyone else places ashes upon their own heads. The Gemara on Amud Beis asks if it so that the people place the ashes upon their heads after the leaders place them on their heads. For it was taught in a Baraisa: Rebbe says: בגדולה מתחילין מן הגדול ובקללה מתחילין מן הקטן – When it comes to matters of distinction, we begin with the most distinguished person, and in matters of cursed times, we begin with the least distinguished person. In matters of distinction, we begin with the most distinguished, as we see with Moshe that he spoke to Aharon before speaking to Elazar and Itamar. We see that in matters of trouble, the snake was cursed, then Chava, then Adam. The Gemara answers that the placement of the ashes on the heads of Nasi and Av Beis Din is a matter of prominence for them because the people are essentially saying to them, that the Nasi and Av Beis Din are prominent enough to ask for rachamim for all of them.
- Why someone else places the ashes on the heads of the Nasi and Av Beis Din
The Gemara asks why someone else puts the ashes on the Nasi’s and Av Beis Din’s heads when everyone else places the ashes themselves on their own heads. Rebbe Abba of Caesaria answered: אינו דומה מתבייש עצמו למתבייש מאחרים – There is no comparison between someone who humiliates himself and someone who is humiliated by others. Rashi explains that this applies to people who are prominent who will feel the additional embarrassment when the ashes are placed on them by others. For everyone else, placing the ashes on themselves is sufficient. The Gemara then asks where the ashes are specifically placed, and Rebbe Yitzchak said: במקום תפילין – In the place where tefillin is worn on the head, as the passuk states: "לשום לאבלי ציון לתת להם פאר תחת אפר" - To appoint to those who mourn for Tzion, to give them an ornament (Tefillin) in place of ashes. We see from the navi Yeshaya’s prophecy, during the time of Moshiach, tefillin will be worn where ashes were once placed.
