This week’s torah portion is the second in the Book of Deuteronomy. The recapitulation of previous messages from the torah takes place in Deuteronomy and in this portion we have a second presentation of the Ten Commandments and the Shema and V’ahavta.
This week we also commemorated Tisha B’Av—a major Fast Day –in which we commemorate great tragedies in Jewish history, most notable the destruction of the Temple in ancient Jerusalem. It is a day of mourning here in Israel. The commemoration began on Wednesday night with those praying sitting on the floor, as if mourning for a close family member, the chanting of the Book of Lamentations, and sad songs sung. From sundown until the next evening is a complete fast—no food, no drink, no water.
Although I understand Tish B’Av’s great significance, I do not fast. I fasted for years as a way to deepen my understanding of the great losses that had befallen our people and to mourn for the destruction of Jerusalem. But when I moved to Israel, when I moved to Jerusalem, I stopped fasting.
I do not fast for a number of reasons. The destruction of the Temple made it possible for rabbinic Judaism to develop and for the development of a democratic Judaism that represents the people more than the priestly class. I do not mourn the end of a caste system, the sacrifices that took place in the Temple, or the authority vested solely to the Kohanim. The destruction of the Temple eventually made it possible for liberal Judaism to flourish with its sense of autonomy, the rights of women to be full partners in worship and the inclusion of members of the community who had been literally relegated outside the Tent of Meeting. To pray for the rebuilding of the Temple (which is a central part of the Tisha B’Av prayers) would negate the democratization and modernization of the contemporary synagogue and Jewish community as we know it.
I do not fast as my fast would ask for not only a rebuilding of the Temple, but also a rebuilding of Jerusalem. I live in a rebuilt Jerusalem. It is a magnificent modern city that is a juxtaposition of the ancient and modern and is increasingly becoming a hub for commerce, industry, and highlight for all of the Middle East. Jerusalem is not only rebuilt—it is constantly being rebuilt. The ancient stones intermingle with modern skyscrapers; the alleyways of the Old City are adjacent to a high speed train that can take you from Jerusalem to Tel Aviv in 28 minutes.
The Tisha B’Av fast mourns the destruction of Jewish unity. But the concept of unity is a false concept—a romanticizing of the past. The Jewish people have never been one. In ancient times we had infighting between sects and groups, most notably the Sadducees and the Pharisees. And today, that infighting is perpetuated by the blatant impunity and corruption of the Chief Rabbinate who defiles the name of God and tradition in their interpretation of their brand of Judaism that makes no allowances for the rights of women, the non-Jew among us, and members of the LGBTQ community.
I will not mourn and fast on Tisha B’Av because the rebuilding and rededication of the Temple is predicated on the oppression of others living here in Israel: refugees, foreign workers, non-Jews, Palestinians, and Muslims. I cannot fast of Tisha B’Av when my fasting represents the negation of the rights of others and their oppression.
So how will I observe Tisha B’Av? I will not go out to lunch or dinner—instead, I will stay home and read the ancient Book of Lamentations and modern words by poets such as Yehudah Amichai who understand the conflicted nature of this holy city I call home.
On Tisha B’Av we sing: “Return us, O God and we shall return”- it is the last line of the Book of Lamentations. Tis Tisha B’Av, I pray that we return to a Judaism and an Israel blessed with fairness and goodness, righteousness and peace.
Shabbat shalom.
Cantor Kent