Sunday, August 14, 2005
Tisha B'Av
Rabbi Yitchak Ghodsi of Skokie's Kollel Toras Chessed gave the following introduction to the Tisha B'Av Kinnos (dirges) last night:
Every Jewish holiday features a different way of connecting with Gd. Some are through joy, some through repentance, some through redemption. What is Tisha B'Av?
In "Al Naharos Bavel," the psalm we recite before Grace after Meals in memory of the destruction of Jerusalem, we say "HaZorim B'Dima B'Rina Yiktzoru- Those who plant with tears will reap with joy." What does it mean to plant with tears? And why should that be a good thing?
A story is told in the holocaust of a pious Jew who never ate non-kosher food in his life. One Nazi guard heard of this piety, and eager to mock it, sought out this Jew for ridicule. Sensing his evil intention and hoping to spare this Jew, the guard's informants fooled him by referring him to one Jew who had always lived secular and ate non-kosher his entire life. When the Nazi approached this irreligious Jew to test the values he thought this man held, this Jew stood resolute by the traditions of his people and refused to eat non-kosher, not to let his barbarian neighbor ridicule him and his people. For his refusal, the Jew received a fatal beating.
This Jew united with his creator after a life of completely atheistic living. But it took a fatal, final test for him to come to this conclusion. For him, he needed a moment of life or death to choose the eternal. He connected to Gd through trial, succeeding in "planting with tears." This too is the opportunity of Tisha B'Av. Like any holiday, it offers a unique way to connect with Gd. For some, this will be the emotion that they can connect with.
The deeper lesson of Tisha B'Av is that, unfortunately, it is often that we connect through the tragic. The opportunity is there for us to connect through the joyous. Were we able to go through life and regularly connect with the divine through the abundance of reward He bestows, we wouldn't have to suffer the tribulations that serve as a reminder of the closeness that He desires with His creations.
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The important lessons here are that there is no singular way to find a connection with Gd in this world, and also that we are given difficult experiences, not because Gd doesn't care about us, but specifically because He wants us to connect with Him. Unfortunately, we have consistently shown that only under duress is our desire to come close to Him restored.
With that in mind, I tried to spend time on Tisha B'Av not simply focusing on general topics related to the holiday, but to meditate on internalizing its message and looking for opportunities for self-improvement. I found many opportunities, too many for this post. But I will share a quick thought.
For a time our hearts were joyous,
Prophets preached,
And King Solomon ruled
In cities of gold.
Levites sang their song,
And the High Priest presided
Over the temple rites,
But all these voices were silenced.
Then our voices cried out in pain,
Cities burned,
And families torn
In violence and famine.
Holy books desecrated,
And scholars smothered
Along with their hope,
All because our hearts were silent.
But our hearts did not bleed out,
Refuge was found,
And institutions formed
To enable a new continuity.
Wealth has been amassed,
And scholarship has bloomed
Guiding us through exile,
But yet the voices are silenced.
Even today the voices ring hollow,
Ideas ignored,
And opinions attacked
If they pose a challenge.
Recommendations abstained,
Insight never heard
By the absent majority,
And yet my heart remains silent.
Every Jewish holiday features a different way of connecting with Gd. Some are through joy, some through repentance, some through redemption. What is Tisha B'Av?
In "Al Naharos Bavel," the psalm we recite before Grace after Meals in memory of the destruction of Jerusalem, we say "HaZorim B'Dima B'Rina Yiktzoru- Those who plant with tears will reap with joy." What does it mean to plant with tears? And why should that be a good thing?
A story is told in the holocaust of a pious Jew who never ate non-kosher food in his life. One Nazi guard heard of this piety, and eager to mock it, sought out this Jew for ridicule. Sensing his evil intention and hoping to spare this Jew, the guard's informants fooled him by referring him to one Jew who had always lived secular and ate non-kosher his entire life. When the Nazi approached this irreligious Jew to test the values he thought this man held, this Jew stood resolute by the traditions of his people and refused to eat non-kosher, not to let his barbarian neighbor ridicule him and his people. For his refusal, the Jew received a fatal beating.
This Jew united with his creator after a life of completely atheistic living. But it took a fatal, final test for him to come to this conclusion. For him, he needed a moment of life or death to choose the eternal. He connected to Gd through trial, succeeding in "planting with tears." This too is the opportunity of Tisha B'Av. Like any holiday, it offers a unique way to connect with Gd. For some, this will be the emotion that they can connect with.
The deeper lesson of Tisha B'Av is that, unfortunately, it is often that we connect through the tragic. The opportunity is there for us to connect through the joyous. Were we able to go through life and regularly connect with the divine through the abundance of reward He bestows, we wouldn't have to suffer the tribulations that serve as a reminder of the closeness that He desires with His creations.
-------------------------------
The important lessons here are that there is no singular way to find a connection with Gd in this world, and also that we are given difficult experiences, not because Gd doesn't care about us, but specifically because He wants us to connect with Him. Unfortunately, we have consistently shown that only under duress is our desire to come close to Him restored.
With that in mind, I tried to spend time on Tisha B'Av not simply focusing on general topics related to the holiday, but to meditate on internalizing its message and looking for opportunities for self-improvement. I found many opportunities, too many for this post. But I will share a quick thought.
For a time our hearts were joyous,
Prophets preached,
And King Solomon ruled
In cities of gold.
Levites sang their song,
And the High Priest presided
Over the temple rites,
But all these voices were silenced.
Then our voices cried out in pain,
Cities burned,
And families torn
In violence and famine.
Holy books desecrated,
And scholars smothered
Along with their hope,
All because our hearts were silent.
But our hearts did not bleed out,
Refuge was found,
And institutions formed
To enable a new continuity.
Wealth has been amassed,
And scholarship has bloomed
Guiding us through exile,
But yet the voices are silenced.
Even today the voices ring hollow,
Ideas ignored,
And opinions attacked
If they pose a challenge.
Recommendations abstained,
Insight never heard
By the absent majority,
And yet my heart remains silent.
# posted by Josh : Sunday, August 14, 2005
