The fast of Tisha B’av is upon us. Every year, as we approach this time of year, I wonder if there is some cosmic energy that permeates this time. Many people that I speak with find that they are feeling down during this time, that somehow things aren’t working out for them.
Let’s go back for a moment and examine why the Jewish People have observed this day for close to 2000 years.
In ancient Israel, when Solomon was still king, he built a magnificent Temple. In the year 827 BCE* he dedicated the Temple to God. We are taught that although Jews were the ones who worshipped in the Temple, non-Jews from all over the world came to experience its beauty. In the year 423 BCE* on the 9th day of Av*, the first Temple was destroyed. 70 years later the Jews who had been exiled to Babylonia rebuilt the Temple. This second Temple was destroyed in the year 69 CE* on the same day, the 9th day of Av.
There are many Historical tragedies that happened to the Jewish People on the 9th day of Av. Therefore the Rabbis instituted the 9th day of Av as a fast day and the 3 weeks and especially the 9 days leading up to that date as days of mourning. Many will remember all the tragedies’ that have befallen the Jewish people during this time.
As with every holiday, I wonder: How we can make this fast day more meaningful for us today? What is the lesson it is here to teach us?
Tisha B’av is here to remind us of a time when we were hurt by another nation, when people because of greed and power destroyed a beautiful structure, a spiritual sanctuary and allowed a nation to go desolate.
Today, this is still going on, nations are fighting for land because of greed and power. There is still discrimination based on the color of our skin and the beliefs and ritual’s we observe. There is child labor and sex trade both abroad and even in the United States. Food is scarce in some homes and countries, and abundant in others.
For some of us, if we thought about this every day, it would take over our lives, and the everyday realities of earning a living, doing laundry, cooking and eating would be too much to handle. But…
But, just for one day can we choose to not eat or drink in solidarity with those who have no food? Just for one day can we go barefoot in unity with those who have no shoes? Just for one day, can we take the time to step fully into the grief of the world, and the people in it? For one day can we allow the screams of the earth into our own lungs, as we lament the state in which we have allowed our world to decline? For one day can we cry and weep and let despair overtake us?
For one day – can we fully mourn???
Mourning is cathartic. When we designate a specific time to mourn it allows us to completely let go of our inhibitions, fully acknowledge our agony, and take ownership of the hurt.
The beautiful thing about this day is also the fact that it is so finite. The Rabbis teach us that for 3 weeks leading up to this day we increase our mourning’s, but once this period is over, we step into a period of Nachama – of hope. We have to live.
I bless us all that this time of mourning allows us to really shift the state of affairs in this world, that as we step into the pain of the world we also do something to shift this, and may we merit to live in a peaceful more just world.
- Tisha B’av – the 9th day of Av this year is July 28th, but since it is on a Shabbat is observed on Sunday.
- Fast begins on 8:13pm on Saturday July 28th and ends at 9:03pm on Sunday July 29th, please check your local calendar for exact times.
- All dates are Rabbinical sources and may conflict with Historian Sources.
- Av – One of the months in the Hebrew calendar, usually falls in July and/or August in the Gregorian Calendar.
- Customs in which people observe Tisha B’av:
- Fasting - No eating or drinking
- Reciting Lamentations
- Watching or reading documentaries of Holocausts
- No listening to live music
- Not wearing leather shoes
- Not wearing freshly laundered clothing
- No Swimming
- No shopping for new cloths or furniture
- No shaving / or hair cutting
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