The Seeds of Destruction are Found in the
Baseless Hatred of the Other

Tisha B’Av can be a challenging day for many Reform Jews to relate to and the draw to observe this traditional day of mourning has not been that strong for many in our community. Tisha B’Av, the 9th of the Hebrew month of Av, is a somber fast day commemorating the destruction of the first and second Temples in Jerusalem in 586 bce and 70 ce, respectively. What connection do we really have to those age-old places of sacrifice lost so long ago? Why mourn when we don’t really want to see the cult of sacrifice reinstated, anyway? And can we still mourn the loss of Israel’s autonomy when Israel, herself, is a modern, independent Jewish homeland today? And, yet, we have an opportunity, now, to take a second look at this ancient day that often gets overlooked in the latter days of summer. Indeed, there are deeper messages to be learned from this holy day that are incredibly relevant for our times.
 

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