Next Saturday night and Sunday, we will be commemorating
Tisha B’Av, a day of national Jewish mourning. Tisha B’Av is the anniversary of
a number of tragedies that have befallen our people – among them the destruction
of both Temples in Jerusalem, as well as the return of the spies in the desert,
and, more recently, the Expulsion from Spain.
There are those who have suggested that since the Land of
Israel is once again under Jewish sovereignty, and Jerusalem is a bustling
metropolis, that it is no longer necessary to fast on Tisha B’Av. There are
others who suggest that Tisha B’Av is particular to Orthodox Judaism, and on
principle refuse to participate in a fast which represents a longing for a
future where Orthodoxy will be “large and in charge.”
I suggest that both of these views are myopic, overly
literal, and entirely miss the metaphorical point of Tisha B’Av.
Here are the reasons that I will be fasting once again this
Tisha B’Av:
I am fasting because we as a people are more concerned with
what other Jews think than how we ourselves behave. Judaism is first and foremost a religion of
personal responsibility, where the actions of individuals towards each other
and our Creator matter, and are the foundation upon which our society is built.
“Litmus tests” of others’ belief, while certainly good press, are a side show
and at best a distraction from the important work we need to do as individuals
and communities. Fear of people, rather than fear of Heaven, is now the standard
operating paradigm.
I am fasting because we have turned our religion into an
exclusivist one – so much so, that we need to find ways to be “inclusive” of
others. The Torah admonishes us numerous times that our mitzvot are intended to
model an attitude of inclusion, especially to those who are marginalized within
our society. Inclusion – whether it be of those with different theological
beliefs, genders, birth religion, sexual orientation, physical disability,
race, or family background – is essential, not an afterthought or add-on.
I am fasting because we have set all sorts of “high bars” that
individuals must meet or exceed to be members of our particular “club” –
whether it be political, economic, or religious. We fail to follow the rabbinic dictum not to
judge others whose circumstances differ from our own, and fail to recognize
that each individual’s circumstances are different, people are humans, and many
fail to live up to our expectations. We
feel compelled to label anyone and anything in sight, rather than having an
appreciation for the fact that life is messy and people are unpredictable and inconsistent.
I am fasting because we sow the seeds of discord by making
pronouncements and self-fulfilling prophecies about those with whom we disagree,
and then we go about engaging in behavior to ensure that those pronouncements
and prophecies come about. We actively exploit schisms within our people, or create
new schisms where none have existed before, for personal or political gain.
I am fasting because the security of Am Yisrael and Medinat
Yisrael is threatened on a daily basis. The divisive forces from within the
Jewish people, a number of which I have enumerated above, prevent us from being
unified in the face of numerous external forces which threaten us collectively
as a people.
I am fasting because God has exiled Godself from us for
close to 2000 years, because of our manifold sins of sinat chinam – baseless hatred.
Apparently, we still have not learned our lesson.
Oy na lanu, ki chatanu. Woe is to us, for we have sinned.
