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Tisha b'Av Now

Tisha b’Av, Western Wall.

Tomorrow is Tisha b'Av, the traditional day of fasting and lamentation for the destruction of the First and Second Temples and the sorrows of Jewish history.  But ours is a moment of unprecedented Jewish sovereignty and unparalleled Jewish prosperity. And so, many are asking, why bother?

Relevant Links
Should We Continue to Fast on Tisha b'Av?  David Golinkin, Machon Schechter. A learned exposition of the question and its history. The short answer is yes.
Tisha b'Av According to the Rav  Haskel Lookstein, Koren Mesorat HaRav Kinot. Joseph B. Soloveitchik’s reaffirmation of Tisha b’Av in our time. (PDF)
Why Bother  Adina Lewittes, Rachel Brodie, Jewish Week. In the judgment of two outreach workers, Tisha b’Av’s assaults on our comfort must be made meaningful in terms of each individual’s personal narrative.

It's not a new question. The Bible records a query put to the prophet Zekhariah by Babylonian visitors to Second Temple Jerusalem: "shall we weep in the . . .  month [of Av]?" The prophet reminded them that the point of fasting was not merely to abstain but to internalize the moral imperatives that sustain community: "Judge truly, do kindness and mercy, every man to his fellow."  In the end, he said, Tisha b'Av and other, so-called minor, fast days "will become joy and gladness, festivals of cheer; therefore, love the truth and peace." 

The Talmud offers a characteristically close reading of Zekhariah's words, to wit, when there's joy and peace, no fast; in the absence of joy and peace, fasts continue. It also records a nuance in the name of a later sage, Rav Pappa: in times characterized neither by peace nor by persecution—which is to say, most of the time—the minor fast days may be optional. Tisha b'Av, however, commemorating as it does the destruction of both Temples, as well as the ruin of the Bar Kokhba rebellion, must always be kept. Medieval authorities largely agreed.

Does the existence of the state of Israel change things?  One might say the answer depends on what the prophet meant by "peace." If he had in mind a rebuilt Temple and/or universal brotherhood, which is how most traditional commentators understood him, the answer is obviously no.  But what if, as some have thought, he simply meant the presence of Jewish sovereignty or self-rule?

In 1968, Joseph Soloveitchik, the towering Modern Orthodox authority, offered his own view of the matter. Not only had the Temple not yet been rebuilt, but there was a good reason why Tisha b'Av had been observed even when the Second Temple still stood: "the ghost of the [First Temple's]  destruction still stalked the land."  People then fasted not in mourning but in hopeful prayer that the terrors from which they had emerged would never repeat themselves. Which they did—and may yet again.

Another reason for continuing to observe Tisha b'Av was offered much earlier by Berl Katznelson, one of the founders of Labor Zionism. The day commemorates not only the destruction of the Temples but the death, destruction, and suffering of many Jews and Jewish communities throughout history. Without Tisha b'Av and the historical memory it enacted, Katznelson maintained, there would have been no Zionism. His point applies generally today as well, in the Diaspora no less than in Israel.

All this leaves open the issue of how the day is to be observed. In the summer of 1967, in the flush of Israel's stunning military victory, a small group of liberal-minded Orthodox academics undertook to address that issue. The Chief Rabbinate had ruled that the fasts were to remain in place. Very well—but why not, for starters, introduce some changes into the liturgy for Tisha b'Av that would reflect the era's profound historical shifts? 

There was wisdom in the suggestion . The prayers written in the long centuries of Jewish powerlessness are an essential part of the memory that Tisha b'Av seeks to build. The remembrance of exile is still precious in this time of Jewish statehood, reminding us of the fragility of what we have.  But the moral introspection, the "arousal of the heart to open the ways of repentance," which according to Maimonides is the essence of Tisha b'Av, requires awareness also of power and its responsibilities. The liturgical task today is to find an active voice that will wed the necessary memory of exile to the necessary awareness of the meaning of freedom.

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COMMENTS

Independent Patriot on July 19, 2010 at 8:06 am (Reply)
This article is something I have been arguing for awhile. It is also why I gave up fasting on Tisha B'Av. While I do remember the eons of exile and persecution, I do think that the meaning of this holiday has changed and should be one of introspection, redemption and tikkun olam.
Harel Levy on July 20, 2010 at 4:16 pm (Reply)
As for Katznelson's reason, we commemorate the suffering of many Jews and Jewish communities throughout history every year on "Holocaust memorial Day", Tisha B'Av's business is the destruction of the Temple(s), and the beginning of exile. As for the first reason, there are diverse opinions as to whether they were fasting at the time of the Second Temple. In addition, in the Bible(Zekhariah) the simple answer is:"Stop fasting but do justice".I accept "The Chief Rabbinate" as my authority, but we definitely should introduce some changes into the liturgy for Tisha b'Av that would reflect the era's profound historical shifts. I understand people who stopped fasting, and as time goes by, our Rabbis will have to be more convincing when they try to explain the redemption vs. fasting contradiction.
Mordy on July 21, 2010 at 1:27 am (Reply)
'Memory' is so very important. It is very easy, in times of prosperity and freedom, to forget, or to minimalize the experiences of the past. Tisha B'Av is that yearly reminder. Remember, always remember.
john williams on July 21, 2010 at 2:28 am (Reply)
i am studying now for preparation to convert to Judaism. I don't understand the controversy here. What do the majority of Reform Jews do? Do they fast or not? Keep it simple please. thanks, john in NEW MEXICO, U.S.A.

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