Tonight is Tisha B'Av, the Ninth day of the month of Av, a day of remembrance and mourning for the two destructions of Jerusalem and the Temple, and the tragedies of Jewish history. This year’s Tisha B’Av is different. In our lifetime, Tisha B’Av was mainly focused on remembering tragedies of the past as an impetus to strive for a better future of spiritual renewal. We reflect on a personal level, striving to improve ourselves. Nationally we aspire for spiritual revival of the Jewish people, culminating in the rebuilding of the Temple in Jerusalem. The renewal of the Jewish homeland through the State of Israel demonstrated to us that we were on that path.
But this year, we are not just mourning the past, we are experiencing one of the worst tragedies to happen to the Jewish people in modern history. Indeed, the Holocaust was the greatest Jewish tragedy of all time. And yet, in the aftermath of those horrors came a belief that the birth of Israel, our homeland, now gave Jews the ability to defend ourselves, and such a tragedy would never happen again. To have atrocities and disasters occur in our own land, and continue to happen through the ongoing loss of our brave soldiers, the ongoing captivity of the hostages, the immediate existential threat to Israel by Iran, Hezbolla and their allies, and the global renewal of anti-semitism, shakes us to our core. It might make us feel emotionally wounded, vulnerable, afraid, and might even lead us to question our faith.
However, I would like to suggest that putting the ongoing challenges that we are experiencing daily here in Israel in the context of Tisha B’Av can help us to reframe our feelings. 354 days a year, we celebrate the Jewish experience. Some of the Jewish holidays recognize the struggles of Jewish history all the while celebrating not just our survival but our triumphs over evil, with the help of G-d. and our spiritual renewal which we strive to reaffirm each year. One day of the year, Tisha B’Av, and the eight days leading up to, it we remember the tragedies; the physical suffering and vulnerability of our people, and the spiritual disasters and personal failings that we fell into as well. It is a day of national mourning for the Jewish tragedies of the past which are many.
As such, the lessons of Tisha B’Av teach us to realize that Jews throughout history have gone through these difficult moments. From our history we can understand that part of the Jewish condition was the challenge of being different, of standing up for light, goodness, morality and G-dliness for which the world often hates us and attacks us. Yet, we continue with the determination of our mission, the understanding of the righteousness of our cause, and reaffirm our presence in Israel and the strength of our Jewish lives.
Tisha B’Av also heightens our awareness that we need to reflect upon ourselves and our own weaknesses and failings, on a personal and communal level, through self improvement. Our sages tell us that when tragedy strikes, to re-examine our own actions and to use it as an impetus to change for the better. We are told by our teachers in the Talmud that Jerusalem was destroyed by the Romans because of our in-fighting and needless hatred between Jews. On a practical level, it is evident when there is internal discord between Jews that we are weakened and vulnerable to external enemies.
The Prophets and Sages however emphasized the spiritual implications of this inner strife. If we are fighting with and hating our Jewish brothers and sisters, then the Almighty is telling us that the our purpose of living in Israel to build a flourishing society together based on Jewish Torah values is not being fulfilled, and therefore this gift is taken away from us. Before October 7th we saw much civil strife within our country, and many were afraid that the fabric of our society was indeed tearing apart. And then tragically we were brought back together in unity and purpose to stand up to our ennemies. That unity is starting to fray again, and Tisha B’Av is a time for us all to remember the lessons of history and to reaffirm that we may have strong disagreements over the future of our country, but we cannot let those disagreements devolve into hatred. I can feel passion for my beliefs, but not at the expense of bringing down the other. Together let’s look within ourselves to renew our love for every Jew, in our everyday lives, and practice needless love to overcome needless hate and build a better future together in the land of Israel.
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