On Tisha B’Av, the ninth day of the month of Av, which this year falls on July 26, we will be remembering the destruction of the First and Second Temples and a number of other calamitous events that tradition dates to this day.
While many of the rituals (including fasting) of Tisha B’av mirror those observed on Yom Kippur, the holidays are fundamentally different. Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the year, the day we look to the future and hope to commune with God, ends on a joyous note, while Tisha B’Av, a day of communal mourning commemorating tragedies that have befallen the Jewish people, is the saddest day of our year.
Although the First Temple was destroyed by the Babylonians and the Second by the Romans, the rabbis held the Jewish people responsible for these cataclysmic events, contending it was our nation’s errant behavior, sinning against God and each other, that caused the destruction.
Fast forward 2000+ years: We find ourselves in a climate crisis that threatens all humankind, not just the Jewish people, and we are called on to act urgently to save our planet. We have the responsibility to act, for Jews and non-Jews alike.
As we approach Tisha B’Av this year, mourning for the Jewish past, may we see the holiday as a wakeup call to protect Temple Earth for ourselves and future generations. At the end of the day, may we commit ourselves to do what we must do to protect all life on Earth.
By Rabbi Judith Edelstein, D.Min., JCAN NYC Member