Tisha B'av is not a happy day for the Jewish people. On that
day we commemorate the destruction of the First and Second Temple and we
basically add on all of the other tragedies that have happened over time. This
is not a widely "celebrated" holiday amongst the Jews, but most
people who do observe it, fast in memorium of the destruction of the temples.
For Tisha B'av this year, we had the opportunity to be in Israel. A high
percentage of the Chicago cohort decided to fast. I mean "when in
Rome" or this time, Israel.
We started out the day by learning a tune to the words
"If I forget Jerusalem may my right hand wither." It was very special
and seemed to fit perfectly with the theme of Tisha B'Av. We then began
discussing Sinat Chinam (baseless
hatred) and Ahavat Chinam (baseless
love). Sinat Chinam is one of the
supposed reasons of the destruction of the Second Temple and Ahavat Chinam is what needs to happen in
order for the Third Temple to be built. We talked about ways there is still Sinat Chinam in the world and solutions
to try and eliminate it. Afterwards we talked about Ahavat Chinam and things we can do to work towards it. We then
split into two groups and designed our own temples.
Later in the day we went to the new settlement Eliav. There,
we designed masks that reflected how we think people see us and how we see
ourselves. We shared with everyone and after the activity the people who were
not fasting went to volunteer at a synagogue and helped clean it, while the
fasting people rested and had a limmud (text study). All in all the group who
planned the day gave everyone a very meaningful Tisha B'Av.
-- Barb
Sodos
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