Photo Gail Golden (2014)

Transcription

1 Photo Gail Golden (2014)

2 SERVICES CANDLE LIGHTING 5776 JULY - AUGUST SCHEDULE OF SERVICES SHABBAT BALAK FRIDAY JULY 22 6:45 PM 7:59 PM SATURDAY JULY 23 9:00 AM SHABBAT PINCHAS FRIDAY JULY 29 6:40 PM 7:53 PM SATURDAY JULY 30 9:00 AM ROSH CHODESH AV THURSDAY EVENING - FRIDAY AUGUST 5 SHABBAT MATOT - MASEI FRIDAY AUG 5 6:30 PM 7:45 PM SATURDAY AUG 6 9:00 AM SHABBAT DEVARIM FRIDAY AUG 12 6:25 PM 7:36 PM SATURDAY AUG 13 9:00 AM TISHA B AV SATURDAY EVENING AUG 13 8:30 PM (The fast begins at 8:22 PM and ends Sunday evening at 8:20 PM. Sunday Tisha B Av services available at neighboring synagogues). SHABBAT VA ETCHANAN FRIDAY AUG 19 6:15 PM 7:26 PM SATURDAY AUG 20 9:00 AM KEHILLAT CHOVEVEI TZION SHABBAT EKEV FRIDAY AUG 26 6:05 PM 7:16 PM SATURDAY AUG 27 9:00 AM SHABBAT RE EH (ROSH CHODESH ELUL) FRIDAY SEPT 2 6:00 PM 7:04 PM SATURDAY SEPT 3 9:00 AM KEHILLAT CHOVEVEI TZION ROUTE 25A AT NICOLLS ROAD, EAST SETAUKET, NY (631)

3 bafb hiwt Tisha B Av August 13-14, 2016 ~ 9-10 Av 5776 Saturday evening - Sunday Service: Saturday evening, August 13 hkya tayrq J byrim Ma ariv and Reading of Megillat Eicha 8:30 PM In the KCT Bet Midrash Our sages teach that whoever mourns over Jerusalem will merit the future vision of her joy. As it is written in Isaiah (66:10): "Rejoice greatly with her, all who mourn her." vlaw Mvlw Mylwvry PRAY FOR THE PEACE OF JERUSALEM Preparation Through Study Drawn from various sources... ancient, historic and modern... the following selection of personal study materials is presented by the editors with a view toward stimulating thought, study, discussion, agreement and disagreement, and evaluation approaching and leading into the days of the Three Weeks and Tisha B Av. What Happened on these Solemn Days? Shiva Asar B'Tamuz (the 17 th of Tammuz, this year on Tuesday July 15), begins a three-week period of semi-mourning which includes the first nine days of the month of Av (referred to as Bein HaM Tzarim, meaning "between the straits", because it says in Eicha (1:3): "... and her pursuers overtook her between the straits", referring to the calamitous events that befell the Jewish people during that period), and culminates with Tisha B Av (the 9 th of Av). The Mishna describes the tragedies that occurred at various points throughout that calendar period in the times of the two Temples and through our early history, and more contemporary rabbis have extended the categorization of the calamities... Five disasters are described in the Mishna to have occurred on Shiva Asar B'Tamuz: 1. Moshe descended from Mount Sinai, discovered the people worshiping the golden calf, and broke the luchot (tablets); 2. During the siege of Jerusalem before the destruction of the first Temple, the Tamid, the daily sacrificial offering, was suspended because the Kohanim could not get any more sheep for the sacrifices. 3. In the year 70, the Romans breached the walls of Jerusalem before the destruction of the second Temple 4. Apustumus the Wicked burned a Torah Scroll (in the First Temple; an event described in the Talmud, but we are unsure who he was. Some sources claim that he was a Roman general and that this event occurred just prior to the Bar Kochba revolt. Other sources claim that he was a general of Antiochus and that this event occurred around168 BCE.) 5. The Romans set up an idol in the courtyard of the Second Temple, thereby defiling the Temple (described in the Book of Daniel, 12:11.) In more recent times, many more such events occurred on this unique day in the Jewish calendar including these:

4 In 1239, Pope Gregory IX ordered the confiscation of all manuscripts of the Talmud. In 1391, more than 4,000 Spanish Jews were killed in Toledo and Jaen, Spain. In 1559 the Jewish Quarter of Prague was burned and looted. In 1944, the entire population of the Kovno ghetto was sent to the death camps. In 1970, Libya ordered the confiscation of all Jewish property. On Tisha B'Av, five national calamities occurred, described by the Mishna: 1. During the time of Moses, Jews in the desert accepted the slanderous report of the Ten Spies, and the decree was issued forbidding them from entering the Land of Israel. (1312 BCE) 2. The First Temple was destroyed by the Babylonians, led by Nebuchadnezzar. 100,000 Jews were slaughtered and millions more exiled. (586 BCE) 3. The Second Temple was destroyed by the Romans, led by Titus. Some two million Jews died, and another one million were exiled. (70 CE) 4. The Bar Kochba revolt was crushed by Roman Emperor Hadrian. The city of Betar -- the Jews' last stand against the Romans -- was captured and liquidated, with over 100,000 Jews slaughtered. (135 CE) 5. One year later, the Temple area and its surroundings were plowed under by the Roman general Turnus Rufus. Jerusalem was rebuilt as a pagan city -- renamed Aelia Capitolina -- and access was forbidden to Jews. Other grave misfortunes throughout Jewish history occurred on the Ninth of Av, including: 6. The Spanish Inquisition culminated with the expulsion of Jews from Spain by King Ferdinand on Tisha B'Av in World War I broke out on the eve of Tisha B'Av in 1914 when Germany declared war on Russia. German resentment from the war set the stage for the Holocaust. 8. On the eve of Tisha B'Av 1942, the mass deportation began of Jews from the Warsaw Ghetto, en route to Treblinka..K. Observance and Prohibition The Mishna reminds all future generations of B nai Yisrael that as we increase our joy when the month of Adar begins, so do we diminish our rejoicing when the month of Av begins. We do so by limiting business transactions, and by not building or planting for a joyous purpose. Engagements and marriages are prohibited, as is the eating of meat or drinking of wine until after Tisha B Av. The Three Weeks Generally, during the Three Weeks, although customs vary by community, visiting cinemas, theaters, concert halls or any other place where there is public entertainment is prohibited. With the exception of socks and undergarments, new clothes should not be purchased. Haircuts are forbidden during this time. According to some authorities, men who shave daily for business reasons may shave during this period; others allow their beards to grow. The Nine Days The intensity of the three week mourning period increases with the onset of Rosh Chodesh Menachem Av. So, in addition to those items mentioned above, during the days between Rosh Chodesh and Tisha B'Av, we are prohibited from: * Building or performing alterations in one s home, unless the work is important repair work. This prohibition includes painting, wall papering and other forms of home decorations. * Eating meat or drinking wine, except on Shabbat, or at a Seudah Mitzvah, such as a meal after a Brit Milah or a celebration after the completion of studying a section of Talmud (a Siyum ). * Giving clothing to or getting clothing back from the cleaners or doing laundry. Children s clothing, especially babies and infants, may be cleaned during this period. Also, this restriction doesn t apply to clothing warn directly against the body which requires frequent changing. * Weaving, knitting and needle craft work, with the exception of repairing torn clothing, is prohibited during this period. Tisha B Av The observance of Tisha B'Av begins with the Seudah HaMafseket, the last meal before the fast commences. In years when Tisha B Av falls out on Motzei Shabbat, there is no Seudah HaMafseket. The Seudah HaMafseket must be completed before sunset and resembles the meal that is served to mourners after a funeral. Thus it is customary to eat foods that are symbolic of mourning, such as eggs and lentels. At the evening service (Ma'ariv), the entire congregation sits on the floor and recites the Book of Eicha (Lamentations) where the prophet Jeremiah weeps because of the destruction, and we weep with him.

5 The morning of Tisha B'Av is the saddest part of the day. We recite Kinot, and do not put on tefillin at Shacharit, because Tefillin are called "Pe-ar," "Glory," and this is definitely not a day of glory for the Jewish People. Until Mincha on Tisha B'Av, the custom is to avoid sitting on a chair or bench. Instead, one may stand or sit on the floor, just like a mourner during the Shiva period. Beginning at Mincha sitting on chairs is permitted, and we reduce the intensity of the grief that has pervaded us so far. Also, tefillin are worn and we recite those tefillot that were omitted at Shacharit. The prohibitions on Tisha B'Av itself are similar to those of Yom Kippur. The fast on Tisha B Av lasts form sundown to sundown. In addition to not eating or drinking, we are not allowed to wash, anoint oneself or wear leather shoes. Sexual relations are prohibited. In a prohibition more stringent than on Yom Kippur, because study can bring great joy, the rabbis allowed only certain portions of the Tanach and Talmud to be studied on Tisha B Av that reflected the mood of the day, such as the Book of Job, parts of the Book of Jeremiah, and sections of the Talmud which tell of the destruction of Jerusalem..K. The Temple and its Destruction In this article, which the author himself describes as a look into the psyche of ancient Judaism) Rabbi Irving (Yitz) Greeberg explores the horrors associated with the destruction of the Second Temple. In distinction to Greenberg, some have argued that the Temple, although its loss was a great tragedy for Judaism, had outlived its usefulness for the Jewish community, hence the seamless transition to a synagogue based religion. Reprinted with permission of the author from The Jewish Way: Living the Holidays. Rabbi Greenberg was the president of Jewish Life Network/Steinhardt Foundation and founding president of CLAL, the National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership On the ninth and 10th of the month of Av in the year 70, the Roman legions in Jerusalem smashed through the fortress tower of Antonia into the Holy Temple and set it afire. In the blackened remains of the sanctuary lay more than the ruins of the great Jewish revolt for political independence. To many Jews, it appeared that Judaism itself was shattered beyond repair. Out of approximately four to five million Jews in the world, over a million died in that abortive war for independence. Many died of starvation, others by fire and crucifixion. So many Jews were sold into slavery and given over to the gladiatorial arenas and circuses that the price of slaves dropped precipitously, fulfilling the ancient curse: "There you will be offered for sale as slaves, and there will be no one willing to buy" (Deuteronomy 28:68). The destruction was preceded by events so devastating that they read like scenes out of the Holocaust. Hear the words of the ancient Jewish historian, Josephus: Famine: "Famine overcomes all other passions and is destructive of modestyi Wives pulled the morsels that their husbands were eating out of their very mouths and children did the same to their fathers and so did mothers to their infants, and when those that were most dear to them were perishing in their hands, they were not ashamed to take from them the very last drops of food that might have preserved their livesi" Carnage: On the ninth day of Av: "One would have thought that the hill itself, on which the Temple stood, was seething hot from its base, it was so full of fire on every side; and yet the blood was larger in quantity than the fire, and those that were slain were more in number than those that slew them. For the ground was nowhere visible for the dead bodies that lay on it." Civil war between Jews: "The shouts of those [Jews] who were fighting [one another] were incessant both by day and night, but the continual lamentations of those who mourned were even more dreadful. Nor was any regard paid by relatives for those who were still alive. Nor was any care taken for the burial of those who were dead. The reason was that everyone despaired about himself."

6 The exhaustion from all-out sacrifice of lives and fighting in vain was in itself debilitating, but the religious crisis was even worse. God's own sanctuary, restored after the return to Zion in the sixth century B.C.E., the symbol of the unbroken covenant of Israel and God, was destroyed. This cast doubt on the very relationship of the people and their Lord. Had God rejected the covenant with Israel? The Focal Point of Jewish Worship The Temple was central to Jewish religious life in a way that is hard to recapture today. Many Jews believed that sin itself could be overcome only by bringing a sin offering in the Temple. Without such forgiveness, the sinner was condemned to alienation from God, which is equivalent to estrangement from valid existence. But the channel of sacrifice was now cut off. For many Jews, the whole experience of Judaism was sacramental. The Priests served; the ignorant masses watched; their religious lives were illuminated only by those extraordinary moments when multitudes gathered in Jerusalem. There, in the awe of a Paschal sacrifice or at the Yom Kippur atonement ritual, they felt an emanation of divine force that showered grace and blessing on the people and made the Lord's power a stunning presence. For these people, after the destruction there was only emptiness. Responses to the Destruction The majority of the Jews refused to quit. One element in this community reacted with overwhelming despair. The Talmud speaks of "mourners of Zion"who would neither eat meat nor drink wine. They rejected any possibility of normal life and chose not to marry or have children. Simple human activities--having a child, getting married, doing acts of kindness in a community--are sustained only by enormous levels of faith and life affirmation, and trust in ultimate meaning. Considering the tragedy and the threat that still hung over the Jewish community, these people felt they simply could not go on with life as usual. Yet by refusing to live normally, they harnessed despair into a force for action: to make an all-out effort to restore the Temple. Only rebuilding the sanctuary could reduce the terrible angst and restore life to normal. The two major remaining sects, the Pharisees and the Sadducees, shared a common conviction that the Temple must be rebuilt, although the Sadducees, who included the court nobility and priests, were particularly unable to envision Judaism without a Temple. This consensus drove people to drastic action. In the years 115 to 117 C.E., there were widespread rebellions by Diaspora Jewry, which were bloodily suppressed. In 132 C.E., the remaining population of Judea revolted, led by Simon Bar Kokhba. But again, the overwhelming might of Rome was brought to bear. Bar Kokhba and his troops were destroyed, and the remaining population of Judea was deported. With this defeat, hopes for an immediate restoration of the Temple were set back indefinitely..k. Judaism After the Temple Alieza Salzberg is a fellow at the Hartman Institute's Seder Nashim, Beit Midrash for Judaism and Gender and is a graduate student at the Hebrew University where she studies Rabbinic Literature. The Babylonian Talmud relates the dramatic story of Rabbi Johanan Ben Zakkai's escape from the Roman siege of Jerusalem in the year 70 C.E. Before the Romans breach the walls of the city, Ben Zakkai abandons the spiritual and governmental capital of the Judean state, even while the Temple is still standing. He foresees the fall of Jerusalem, and so he has himself smuggled out of the city in a coffin. Through flattery, and by humbling himself before the Roman general, he is able to negotiate a deal, allowing him to establish a new center of learning in the city of Yavneh (Gittin 56b). The historical veracity of this tale is questionable, but the talmudic narrative encapsulates an important shift in the political and religious life of the Jewish people following the destruction of the Second Temple. The story of the founding of Yavneh represents the birth of rabbinic Judaism, a way of life focused on Torah and Jewish law, rather than Temple worship or political sovereignty.

7 From a distance of 2,000 years, it appears that this shift in priorities enabled the spiritual wealth of Israel to become migratory, based on Torah study, not on the location of an altar or a King s palace--jerusalem to Yavneh, to the North of Israel, to Babylonia, and finally throughout the Diaspora. Were the rabbis willing to remodel the former Jewish kingdom into a wandering people unified only by a shared text? Were they enthusiastic about this shift, which empowered scholar over priest and King? Or was the founding of Yavneh a contingency plan, meant to preserve Jewish identity during the years of Roman rule, always awaiting a return to Jewish sovereignty in the Land of Israel? The stories told in the Talmud and Midrash offer a window into the rabbis perspectives, many of whom were already living comfortably in the Diaspora at a distance of hundreds of years from the Temple s destruction. The Bar Kochba Rebellion... If the story of the founding of Yavneh suggests that the rabbis were content to leave the institutions of Statehood and Temple in the past, the figure of Rabbi Akiba--who lived two generations after Ben Zakkai--complicates this narrative. Akiba supported the Bar Kochba Revolt ( ) and even believed that Bar Kochba himself would be the Messiah. In one famous vignette in the Talmud, Akiba is walking with a group of his colleagues near the ruins of the Temple. The group witnesses a fox running over the desolated Holy of Holies. While his companions cry, Rabbi Akiba laughs. The other sages balk at his reaction, but he explains: "Now that I have seen the prophesies of destruction fulfilled, I believe that the prophesies of redemption will be as well" (Makkot 24b). For Akiba, the promise of redemption is very real--and, indeed, lurking right around the corner. The paradigm of destruction followed by Messianic redemption was deep-seated in rabbinic thought. Their expectations were molded by the experience of the destruction of the First Temple, which led to the Babylonian exile but was swiftly followed by a return to Israel and the building of the Second Temple. Some historians suggest that the supporters of Bar Kochba were anxiously anticipating Bar Kochba s victory to lead to such a restoration. However, Akiba's support for the rebellion is judged foolhardy by the majority of sages. In response to Akiba's belief in the Messiah's nearing, one colleague scoffs: "Akiba, grass will grow out of your jawbones [out of your grave], and he will still not have come." (Lamentations Rabbah 2:5 & Jerusalem Talmud, Ta'anit 4:8). Lamentations Rabbah briefly records Rabbi Akiba's optimism, but the narrator swiftly crushes this spirit by brutally recounting the story of the defeat of the revolt, as well as criticizing Bar Kochba. Passively Awaiting the Redemption... Though we can't pinpoint a specific moment of change, rabbinic thought came to accept the reality of subjugation. The Talmud describes a contract of sorts in which the Jews swear not to return to Israel by force, not to rebel against the nations, and not to extend or prematurely shorten the length of their exile; God then promises to prevent the subjugating nations from overly oppressing the Jews while they live under foreign rule. (Ketubot 110b-111a). Does the rabbinic acceptance of exile mean that the rabbis of the Talmud abandoned the idea of Israel as the singular spiritual capital? There is no simple answer. Following Bar Kochba's rebellion, yeshivot continued to flourish in both Israel and Babylonia. In fact many talmudic texts describe rabbis traveling back and forth, fueling a friendly rivalry between these two centers of Judaism. While some rabbis in the Talmud extol the value of learning in Israel, and make decrees against those who would leave, Babylonian rabbis place such a premium on their yeshivot that they too forbid their students to leave Babylonia (Ketubot 110b). An Abiding Love for Israel... Talmudic descriptions of the exceptional nature of the Land of Israel are split as well. The Talmud s statement that "It is better to live in Israel even when it is overrun by non-jews" seemingly encourages Jews to remain in Israel even as the Jewish population there began to dwindle (Ketubot 112). On the other hand, the Talmud describes the Land of Israel as a magical place, where cake and silk clothing grow straight from the ground (Ketubot 111b). This type of description propels the Land of Israel into a myth, a place of perfection and fantasy, reserved for a far-off redemption. Perhaps it is possible to discern two streams of rabbinic thought--one holding on to a realistic dream of strengthening Jewish settlement in the land; the other content to live in the Diaspora and relegate Israel to a distant reverie, symbolizing an eschatological end of days.

8 Even as he established his yeshiva in Yavneh, Johanan Ben Zakkai's facile acceptance of Roman rule perhaps belies his true feelings. He flatters the Roman general with a verse: "Jerusalem will be captured by a 'mighty one'." While Johanan's meekness towards Rome wins the Jews a modicum of protection, the subtext of his flattery is quite subversive. In its original biblical context, "the mighty one" refers to the Jewish messiah, not to a foreign conqueror! It is as if Ben Zakkai is actually teasing the Roman general--who is unfamiliar with the Bible -- saying: We will accept your temporary rule, study our Torah, and bide our time..k. An Introduction to Lamentations Written by Professor Emerita Adele Berlin, previously the Robert H. Smith Professor of Biblical Studies at the University of Maryland. She taught at UM since 1979 in the Jewish Studies Program, the Hebrew Program, and the English Department. Her main interests are biblical narrative and poetry, and the interpretation of the Bible, having written seven books and numerous articles and essays. Lamentations, or Echah in Hebrew, is read liturgically, to a special trope or chanting melody, on Tishah B Av, the Ninth of Av, the day of public mourning and fasting that commemorates the destruction of the First Temple in 586 BCE and of the Second Temple in 70 CE, and around which the commemoration of other Jewish destructions and catastrophes has coalesced. As part of the rites of mourning on this day, the reader and congregation sit on the floor or on low benches when Lamentations is recited by candlelight or dim light, during the evening service (and in some places also during the morning service). The Talmud refers to Lamentations as Qinot, meaning Elegies or Laments. Ancient tradition (b. Baba Batra 15a) ascribes the book s authorship to Jeremiah, who lived at the time of the Babylonian destruction and predicted it. Jeremiah is credited with composing laments already in 2 Chr 35.25, and the book of Jeremiah and Echah share some phrases. Modern scholars, however, believe that most ancient works were written anonymously and only later attributed to well-known figures; in this case, Chronicles ascription of laments to Jeremiah, the shared phraseology in Echah and Jeremiah, and the fact that Jeremiah lived in the appropriate time-period likely led to the book s ascription to him. According to modern scholars, the book was written after 586 BCE and before the end of the sixth century BCE, when the Temple was rebuilt, but the exact time, place, and reason for its composition are unknown. Some see it as an outpouring of raw emotion, while others believe it had a liturgical role from its very beginning. Scholars also debate whether the book was originally a unified composition, or whether five independent poems were brought together to create the current book. The book is comprised of five poems about the destruction of the Temple and the city of Jerusalem that occurred in 586 BCE. This was an unprecedented event that changed the course of Jewish history, both politically for Judah lost its independence and religiously for the Temple, the locus of sacrificial worship, was destroyed. Three major institutions: the priesthood, Davidic kingship, and prophecy were reshaped by the Temple s destruction. Lamentations is an outpouring of mourning and grief over this catastrophe, but even more, it is a commemoration, a memorialization, of that event. It eternalizes the experience the siege, the destruction, the exile probing it from different perspectives and preserving it with astonishing vividness and immediacy. Lamentations helps to make the destruction a central event in the Jewish memory. Ancient empires, especially Assyria and Babylonia, engaged in wars of conquest to expand their territory and to increase their resources, and so it was that Babylonia attacked and defeated Judah. A common tactic was siege warfare. Since cities were walled for protection, they could not be easily defeated initially by a direct attack and were therefore besieged or blockaded until the population that had taken refuge inside was decimated by starvation and disease. At the same time, the attackers employed various technologies (ramps, battering rams, projectiles) to weaken the city walls. Eventually, when resistance from within diminished, the walls could be scaled or breached by the enemy. The people who survived the siege and the attack became captives of war, and many were deported to the conquering empire. This is the historical reality underlying the poetic expression of Lamentations. Each of the five poems has its distinctive tone and theme, and offers a different perspective on the catastrophic defeat. In Chapter 1, Jerusalem, the lonely and shamed city, grieves for her lost inhabitants. Feminine imagery is especially prominent in this chapter, conveying the shameful and the shamed woman, abandoned by her lovers (her supposed allies), emptied of all she holds dear,

9 mocked by passers-by, mourning and deprived of comfort. Chapter 2 depicts the siege of the city and all the horror of starvation and disease that accompanied it. Chapter 3 speaks in the voice of a lone man who experiences the deportation into exile. Chapter 4 portrays the degradation that has befallen the population in the last days before destruction. Chapter 5, sounds like a prayer by those who remained in Judah after the destruction, when it had become a Babylonian possession. upon to bring about the return from exile. Repentance, the antidote to sin, is mentioned but is not central; rather, the idea in Lamentations is that the punishment, though deserved, outweighs the sin (see similarly Isa. 40.2). The immediacy of the disproportionate punishment drowns out everything else..k. Chapters 1-4 are alphabetic acrostics, a literary device found elsewhere in the Bible (e.g., Pss. 111; 112; 145; Prov ), in which each verse begins with successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet. (Chapters 2, 3 and 4, however, have reversed the ayin and peh, an order known from ancient inscriptions ) Chapter 3 is a triple acrostic. Chapter 5, although not an acrostic, contains twenty-two verses, replicating the number of letters in the Hebrew alphabet. In Lamentations this formal device encapsulates the enormity or totality of the destruction (extending from A to Z ). It also structures the incomprehensible events and the amorphous pain that engulfed Judah and its inhabitants. The alphabet helps to render order out of the chaos of destruction, to let the inexpressible be expressed. The book s language is highly poetic and extraordinarily moving. Even though often stereotypical, it effectively portrays the violence and suffering of the events. The experiences of warfare, siege, famine, and death are individualized, in a way that turns the natural into the unnatural or anti-natural brave men are reduced to begging, mothers are unable to nourish their children and resort to cannibalism. The book s outpouring is addressed to God, so that God may feel the suffering of his people, rescue them, and restore them to their country and to their former relationship with him. The entire book may be thought of as an appeal for God s mercy. Yet God remains silent. If the book fails to move God, it fulfills another function, that of public mourning which both relives, commemorates, and attempts to understand a catastrophe of incomprehensible proportion. Lamentations does not create a new theology. Like Jeremiah, it accepts the theological view that the sin of disloyalty to God, that is, idolatry, leads to divine punishment and exile. God has brought about the disaster; the Babylonians (never mentioned by name in the book) are merely divine agents, although not altogether blameless. God, whose power is not diminished despite the Temple s destruction, is called At the Kotel on Tisha B Av Eicha: An Overview The following overview was written by Rabbi Avi Geller, who is a senior lecturer at Aish Hatorah, living in Jerusalem since Eicha (The Book of Lamentations) was written by the Prophet Jeremiah, according to some opinions before the events occurred. The verses follow the Aleph-Beit in three chapters, a hint to the three cardinal sins that caused the First Temple to be destroyed. The third chapter (some say added later) alludes to the destruction of the Second Temple, caused by unjustifiable hatred. It contains three sets of Aleph-Beit, as that sin is as destructive as the three cardinal sins put together. CHAPTER ONE The prophet describes all of the suffering that befell the Jewish people at the time of the destruction of the Temple. "Eicha! How is it possible? The proud majestic city of Jerusalem, in ruins! Her inhabitants in exile! Her enemies rejoicing!"

10 The sages point out the similarity of the word "Eicha" (How!) and the word "Ayecha?" in Genesis when God asks "Where are you, Adam?" The answer to Jeremiah's question - How did it happen? - is that the Jewish people disregarded the Almighty, just as Adam did in the Garden of Eden. Jeremiah paints a vivid portrait of a widow crying in the night, tears on her cheeks, with no one to comfort her, forsaken by all her friends. Likewise, Judah has been exiled and dwells in servitude among the nations, while Zion sits in mourning and desolation, missing the myriad pilgrims who would swarm her gates. Jerusalem remembers the bitter destruction, the glorious era that preceded it, and the fact that no nation came to her aid. On the contrary, the allies they depended on, reneged on them, and rejoiced over Jerusalem's desolation. The prophet reveals the cause. Jerusalem did not have the foresight to contemplate the result of her degeneration. By forgetting her destiny she plummeted all the way down. Jeremiah describes the enemy army entering the Temple, and the people of Jerusalem dying of hunger. To all who pass by, Jerusalem cries, "May you not suffer as I have!" Is there anything to compare this to? (The suffering of Jews throughout history, up to and including the Holocaust, is beyond any historical comparison.) Remembering Jerusalem's past glory, no consolation is possible. However in the end we accept the Divine verdict. The chapter concludes that eventually the enemies of Israel will experience the same bitter end. CHAPTER TWO In broad strokes, the prophet pictures the glory of Israel thrown from Heaven to the ground. Jerusalem is on fire. The prophet pictures children dying of hunger, begging their mothers for food, before expiring on their mothers' bosom. There is no comparison in history to comfort you with, proclaims the prophet. What is the cause of Israel's suffering? False prophets lulled us into a false sense of security. (The Jews didn't believe it could happen...) All the nations pass by (so to speak) and clap and whistle in disbelief: "Is this the glorious, beautiful Jerusalem that was the joy of all the land?!" Israel's enemies open their mouths, whistle and gnash their teeth in satisfaction. "This is the event we have waited for and have finally gotten to see." The Jews beseech the Almighty: "Look at what You have done!" The prophet replies: "Fellow Jews murdered (the prophet Zechariah) in the Temple courtyard (on Yom Kippur) for rebuking them about their deeds." Don't forget the other side of the coin! CHAPTER THREE Jeremiah cries over the fact that he witnessed punishment that previous prophets had only warned of. Jeremiah was chosen to express the pain of Jewish suffering. He sees his life as dark, as God has closed the windows of Heaven before his prayers. Jeremiah has been ambushed as by a bear or lion, and is now the laughingstock of his people who ridiculed his prophesies. They embittered his life and broke his teeth. He feels no inner peace. He has no future, yet he still hasn't lost his faith. From the depth of his pain, he turns to the Almighty in prayer. "Remember me and all of my suffering!" Suddenly: inspiration and comfort! Jeremiah is consoled. God's kindness and mercy never ends. Miracles surround us constantly in life. God is good to those who trust in Him and seek Him out. One must never give up hope and always wait for God's salvation that will eventually come! Suffering brings us to the realization that we have free will and we should cry over our mistakes and misdeeds - the cause of all suffering. When we make a personal introspection of our deeds and fully return to God, we shall admit our responsibility. Then God will hear our prayers, fight our fights, and repay our enemies all that they have done to us. CHAPTER FOUR This chapter begins with another description of Jerusalem's destruction. The gold was tarnished, the shine of the Temple darkened. The precious stones (the Jewish people) thrown into the streets! Precious Jewish children, given over to cruel enemies. Their tongues stuck to their throats in thirst and no one gives them bread. The pampered children who were used to delicacies are now picking in the garbage dump. Their bodies so ravaged by hunger as to be unrecognizable. Their faces darker then soot. Their skin shriveled on their bones. The victims of the sword were better off than those who starved to death in agony. Merciful women cooked their own children! The nations and their kings could not believe their eyes. The blind trip over corpses in the street and are covered with blood. The Jewish people waited in vain for their allies (Egypt) to come to their aid. The Midrash says that

11 the Egyptians were on their way when they noticed bones in the Red Sea and remembered their ancestors. Our enemies were lighter than the eagles. They chased us from the mountains and ambushed us in the desert. The righteous king Yoshiyahu was killed as a result of our deeds. The chapter ends with a prophesy of the Second Temple's destruction - "Rome rejoice!" - and a consolation that in the end "You will drink from the same cup of retribution. Zion - your sins are atoned and you will suffer no more." CHAPTER FIVE "Remember the Almighty!" This last chapter is one loud outcry of prayer, faith and hope. Remember what has happened to us and see our degradation. Strangers have taken our inheritance; our houses are occupied by others. We must pay to drink our water and buy our own firewood. Death through hunger... young and old mercilessly destroyed. Our joy turned to mourning. Our crown fell off our heads. Lamentations ends with a description of a desolate Mount Zion with foxes wandering freely about her holy abode. "For this do our hearts ache and our eyes dim." However, the book ends with a fervent prayer for the future: "May You, Almighty, forever rule on Your throne for all generations. Why have You forsaken your people for so long?" And our final request: "Return us unto You and we will return (the ba al teshuva movement!) Renew our days as of old!" ~ The Talmud says that when the Sages were walking through Jerusalem after the destruction, they noticed foxes strolling through the Holy of Holies. The Sages all began to weep, except for Rabbi Akiva who was laughing. When asked to explain, he declared: "Now that we have witnessed the fulfillment of the dreadful prophesy of Jeremiah, we can also be certain that Zechariah's prophesy about the rebuilding of the Temple will be fulfilled soon and in our days! Amen!.K. KCT Dedicatory Opportunities Expand We are delighted to note that the Kehillah provides a range of dedicatory opportunities for those wishing to ensure the programmatic and fiscal health of the Kehillah, both in the short-term and long-term views, both quietly and more noticeably. While more evolve constantly, the exciting opportunities include a holiday service a special Kehillah mailing the annual High Holiday mailing a scrumptious Shabbat or Yom Tov Kiddush a Shabbat or holiday Scholar-in-Residence the KCT website, listserv, library, podia... Please ask about these and other exciting possibilities for your generous support!.k. NOTES Please ask about arranging for Memorial Plaques in the KCT Memorial Alcove

12 Thoughts to Carry With Us as We Return to Life After Tisha B Av WATER FROM THE SOURCE No blessing is so fervent as the one over water fresh from the faucet adorned with ice cubes and a quarter of a lemon at the end of Tisha b'av. The crunch of snap peas cold from the fridge and sweet as sugar their texture, crisp and bright against the tongue almost brings me to tears. A day immersed in trauma, the fallen temple of justice mothers wailing for their sons -- Our fast can't bring children back to life, rebuild what is broken. But it reminds me people know this emptiness daily and have nothing to eat. And that other hunger for an end to prejudice, for a world redeemed... G-d, rouse my thirst for righteousness. Make me care for this damaged world. THE HOUSE OF RACHEL When Nebuchadnezzar goose-stepped his armies And the gas chambers were filled by Pharaoh Angels crawled, they said, And kissed fleshy toes. When the steely bayonets of Babylon Carved Jew-stained days And swastikas streaked the sunburnt pyramids. Rachel's womb was barren, they said, Barren as the untuned dunes. But there were trying times, And they learned by the light of the flashing bayonet, And built a Beis-Medrash in the hollow of a pyramid. And while armies, sterile as steel Hostile as time, rusted in the sun, The warm sweet sounds were heard. Heard by the unborn born, On concrete continents with push-carts woodenly clacking On Jew-hawking streets, Where mothers were stooped so their sons could climb from their backs, They heard. They heard and they came, They came and they courted, They courted and they loved, The sons, and suitors of Rachel. And out of her womb, she bore sons. Written by Rabbi Rachel Barenblatt, blogging as the Velveteen Rabbi, this poem s title is drawn from the Hebrew song U Shavtem Mayim B Sasson (Isiaiah 12:3)..K. Written by Rabbi Nota Schiller, the Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshivat Ohr Somayach in Jerusalem, and an influential figure in the Ba al Teshuva movement..k.

13 Sinat Chinam... Why? Still? And After All These Years? The hatred that flows freely or hidden, from no basis or foundation, with no remedy or purpose, for individual or collective, that grows and expands as it takes root the fuse that traditionally is credited with igniting the tragedies over the last two millenia of Jewish life is still with us today, live and well, poisoning generation after generation Sinat chanam.. that drives conflict and genocide across many continents, and fuels the conversations while disrupting the dialogue clouds the celebration of Jewish diversity in favor of destructive strategy and manipulative corruption of authority that spreads at the speed of electronic transmission, to unsuspecting and receptive alike, to easily corrupted and to willingly driven that teaches that we are better off without you, that fosters the arrogance of ungodliness that fosters a worldview that we have no obligation but to ourselves that replaces We and Us by Them and Otherness, that separates and tears irreparably, that replaces optimism and hopefulness by cynicism, fearfulness, doubt and anger But Rather, Ahavat Chinam In the words of Rav Kook (Abraham Isaac Kook, ), the first Ashkenazic chief rabbi of British Mandated Palestine... If we were [to be] destroyed, and the world with us, due to baseless hatred, then we shall rebuild ourselves, and the world with us, with baseless love ahavat chinam. (Orot HaKodesh Vol. III, p324) And further.. Listen to me, my people! I speak to you from my soul, from within my innermost soul. I call out to you from the living connection by which I am bound to all of you, and by which all of you are bound to me. I feel this more deeply than any other feeling: that only you all of you, all of your souls, throughout all of your generations you alone are the meaning of my life. In you I live. In the aggregation of all of you, my life has that content that is called life. Without you, I have nothing. All hopes, all aspirations, all purpose in life, all that I find inside myself these are only when I am with you. I need to connect with all of your souls. I must love you with a boundless love... The time is now... the place is right here... the ones we await are ourselves! Tisha B Av 2016 ~ 5776