Tisha Beav – Parshat Devarim
Tisha Beav is the saddest day in the Jewish calendar. We commemorate the destruction of both Temples which were destroyed by the Babylonians (568BCE) and the Romans (69CE).
Here is a list of some of the events that have occurred on and around Tisha Beav throughout the centuries
- 132CE –
Bar Kochba revolt crushed. Betar destroyed – over 100,00 killed. - 133CE –
Turnus Rufus ploughs site of Temple. Romans build pagan city of Aelia Capitolina on site of Jerusalem. - 1095CE –
First Crusade declared by Pope Urban II. 10,000 Jews killed in first month of Crusade. Crusades bring death and destruction to thousands of Jews, totally obliterate many communities in Rhineland and France. - 1290CE-
Expulsion of Jews from England, accompanied by pogroms and confiscation of books and property. - 1492CE-
Inquisition in Spain and Portugal culminates in the expulsion of the Jews from the Iberian Peninsula. Families separated, many die by drowning, massive loss of property. - 1914CE-
Britain and Russia declare war on Germany. First World War begins. First World War issues unresolved, ultimately causing Second World War and Holocaust. 75% of all Jews in war zones. Jews in armies of all sides – 120,000 Jewish casualties in armies. Over 400 pogroms immediately following war in Hungary, Ukraine, Poland and Russia. - 1942CE-
Deportations from Warsaw Ghetto to the Treblinka concentration camp begin. - 1994CE-
The deadly bombing the building of the AMIA (the Jewish community center in Buenos Aires, Argentina) which killed 86 people and wounded some 300 others.
Numerous reasons are given in the Talmud to try to understand why we have been exiled but the root of them all is “Sinaat Chinam” – baseless hatred.
Rabbi Avraham Isaac Kook – the first chief rabbi of British Mandate “Palestine” taught that the only antidote to Baseless Hatred is Baseless love! He coined the beautiful phrase “Ahavat Chinam”.
On a practical level we can only love those we come into contact with on a daily basis. It behoves us all to take a moment and pause and reflect on how we deal with people around us- whether family friends, acquaintances or colleagues. How can we improve those relationships. It could be just a simple smile, or a kind word or to offer a listening ear (and to really listen!). To hold off judging someone negatively which is all too easy is an expression of our love of our fellow human being. The opportunities for baseless love are endless.
If only the Jewish people with all their many differences and factions could find a way to love and mutually respect one another then we would repair the damage and merit the full redemption which we pray for every day.
And then the fast day (this Sunday) will be transformed into a festival as per the prophecy of Zechariyah
Zechariah 8:19 says: “So said the Lord of Hosts: The fast of the fourth [month], the fast of the fifth [month], the fast of the seventh [month], and the fast of the tenth [month] shall be for the house of Judah for joy and happiness and for happy holidays-but love truth and peace.”
Shabbat Shalom
PS for those wondering the connection between Parshat Devarim and Tisha Beav a short thought: Devarim begins with Moses recounting the sins of the Jewish people that ultimately led to their wandering the desert for 40 years with only the new generation born in the dessert entering the land. This is the root of Tisha Beav. The Midrash teaches that when the Israelites cried all night over the report of the ten spies, God so to speak responded “if you cry for nothing then I will give you a day that will be for real crying (ie Tisha Beav)”