Are we really doing all we can to help remedy the reason we were put into this exile in the first place? Are we trying to rid the world of baseless hatred and trying to promote 'free love' and peace?
My Tisha Be'Av this year was vastly different from any I have ever experienced before - even the one here on MTA, which was a very moving one being my first in Israel; but it was all planned out and majority of it spent outside of Jerusalem.
Wanting to plan the 'perfect' experience, I was thinking about attending a reading of Megillat Eicha on Har Ha'Zeitim, overlooking the Temple Mount. Then in the morning I wanted to go visit Armon Ha'Natziv (The Promenade overlooking the entire city) and read Tehillim about the destruction and hopes for the rebuilding. Then to finally attend Mincha at the Kotel, looking up in the sky hoping for that moment of exaltation. Needless to say, only the latter part of this ideal reality took place - and I feel it was for the better.
The eve of Tisha Be'Av saw us attending one of the quickest services I have ever seen, Ma'ariv starting at 8.05pm - and the Megilla and Kinot all finished by 8.40pm..Thinking what to do now, we attending an event we had seen advertise, a public 'shiur' given by a visiting Rabbi from England, Rabbi YY Rubinstein, on the topic of "Tisha Be'Av and the Gaza Flotilla." This shiur reminded me very much of the traditional Tisha Be'Av Mussar Sichah of Rav Yoni back in Melbourne; this however not being a Mussar Sichah, more of a call to action. His main point was that whenever the Jews were exiled over the course of our history, we were exiled into a society whose central system of belief was to practice the actions (the sins) for which the Jews were exiled for; (ie) Idol Worship, Adultery, Bigamy, etc. In the hope that the over-exposure to such actions would remind the Jews of their sins and cause them to repent and be redeemed.
As such, the current exile at the destruction of the Second Temple, we were exiled into a society - the community of the world - who practice 'free hate', baseless hatred, in the hope that we would realise our actions, repent and be redeemed. The most recent miracle was the establishment of the State in 1948 - a sure sign we were on that road to recovery. However, where we find ourselves today, 62 years later, in a world that hates us and our country for no reason other than we are Jews, what are learning from the actions of the world when we as a people still cannot get along.
To paraphrase the Rabbi:
"There is one country that was established, and in it's short history has caused more wars then most countries in the world, to have forced it's neighbors to build up a nuclear arsenal and who itself could cause the destruction of the entire world, a country who in it's short history has brought in hundreds of thousands of people and caused a refugee problem that is impossible to solve, who's poverty is very evident and who's corrupt politicians get worse by the day - but I wish Pakistan and all it's people all the best for it's future endevours.
You all thought I was talking about Israel didn't you? The reason you thought this was because the world is full of Anti-Semites; who refuse to look at the exact same injustices happening in Israel that are happening all over the world. 1 Million people have died and are still in danger in Darfur - you think anyone really cares?!"
The message of Tisha Be'Av is that all Jews, ALL JEWS, whether you are Left, Right; Religious, Secular; Orthodox, Reform; Ashkenaz, Sepharadi; Black, White; need to start showing a little more respect and tolerance, and we all need to start making amends for the future.
As you can see, it was a pretty deep message and a very good one to leave me thinking for the remainder of the night/day.
In the morning, I attended Shacharit at the Shteiblach, the house of fortitude, where a Minyan is always accessible. There was a problem with rooms however, it was free roam to start your own service in any room, which meant all rooms were taken - so I joined a group who had started in the small side room, in the knowledge they would move into the big room shortly. When we moved in, another group had just wanted to start praying. Obviously, a fight broke out, and screaming, 'we were going to move in here,' 'we wanted to start' - kind of made me a bit sick and upset. This was the exact shit we were exiled for, no respect and the inablity to talk and work out a situation. People were shouting out 'join the minyanim together!' (Genius idea there) and I even chirped up and said 'what's all the arguing, just join together or move back next door.' It ended in one of the guys storming out and the rest all joining together..a great start to the day. Starting at 9.30am - we were done by 11am..but sitting on the ground, in the not so big room packed with all Jews mourning the destruction of the Temples and all the bad things that have happened to our people over the years, I was reminded the story of Napolean and the French Jews.
Napolean walked into a Shule during one of his conquests and saw all the Jews on the floor, crying, lamenting and fasting. He quickly asked, 'Who died, what is all this sorrow?'
The response he received was 'no-one has died, it is Tisha Be'Av - we are mourning the destruction of our Temples over a thousand years ago..' To this Napolean answered:
'If this is true, then the Jewish People will surely last forever.'
No matter what happens, to upset us as a people, from the small arguments to large wars; we still have tradition, faith, unity and the belief that all will be better..
We came home, and instead of going to the Tayelet, we stayed to watch sad movies. We watched Hotel Rwanda - which retrospectively was the best thing to do. I was feeling kind of out of the mood, leaving the Shule, coming home and sitting on the laptop - like all had just stopped and taken a pause of the essence of the day.
But watching that movie, really made me think - what are we, as Jews, doing about social injustices in this world? There is a part when one of the TV reporters shows footage and asks someone ' yeah all the people sitting at home in their houses will look up at the screen, watch the atrocities going on, say "Shame" and then look back down at their dinner's and continue eating - no-one gives a shit.'
We are in a generation of apathy - people are beginning to lose the drive and emotion of generations before. We need to really ask ourselves are we doing all that we can to make the world a better place? Are we as Jews really being a light unto the nations, or just another dimming lightbulb in this global community?
During the afternoon, we did visit the Kotel - something that in my opinion is a must on Tisha Be'Av. This is where today's photo comes from. It was either this Menorah, or a photo of a single pigeon sitting atop the Kotel who was looking down on everyone, admiring, for at least 20 minutes. I was thinking to myself, this could be the messenger, just like the dove in the story of Noach, to see whether the world is ready; but obviously this pigeon didn't take back the olive branch.
So as we were walking back up through the Jewish quarter (having walked down through the Arab shuk - a first for me), as I passed the Gold Menorah, which I am far used to seeing by now. yesterday, for some reason, it had a new message for me.
Day 67 - Tuesday 20 July 2010To me, this epitomises the Faith we have as Jews, as religious Zionist Jews, living in the 'now' not stuck in the 'redemptive paralysis' of European Jewry, but understanding that for the Messiah to come and the Temple to be re-built, we need to act to bring it about, and not rely on wholly spiritual revelation. As Maimonodies states, the Messiah isn't going to be some mystical spiritual being, it's going to be a man, a person like all of us - but one who acts, who can bring together the Jewish people, who can reinstate the kingship of David, and the one who puts the final building block in the New Temple.
May we all merit to seeing this man come very soon..and may we all keep realising that there are things in this world that need changing, and do the best in our abilities to help change them.
במהרה בימינו, אמן.
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