Tisha B’Av Tisha B’Av is widely regarded as the saddest day on the Jewish calendar. It commemorates the destruction of the First and the Second Temples in Jerusalem and the exile of the Jews from the land of Israel. It has become a remembrance day, in which we can reflect on all the other major calamities which have befallen the Jewish people. I will highlight a few key events which have contributed towards the significance of this day, in the history of our nation. • The First Crusade (1096), Expulsion from England (1290), Expulsion from France (1306) and the Expulsion from Spain (1492). • The 1941 formal approval for The Final Solution” for the Jews in Europe. Then a year later in 1942 the mass deportation of Jews from the Warsaw Ghetto, on the way to the death camp - Treblinka. • In 1994 – Buenos Aires Argentina - the AMIA bombing of the Jewish community center killing 85 and injuring 300. According to the Jewish tradition, the Second Temple was destroyed because of the “baseless hatred” (Sinaat Chinam) that existed between different groups. Baseless hatred is when a person (or a group) hates another without any practical reason for doing so. The other is hated simply because he has a different approach, view, or just being different. There are three major insights which I gained from Tisha B’Av: 1. Firstly, Baseless hatred emphasizes the importance of unity and the need for tolerance amongst the citizens of Israel. We must be more tolerant and respectful towards the beliefs and the opinions of the others. Not only between left or right wing supporters or between religious and secular Israelis but also between Jews and Arabs. 2. Secondly, the Exile, the expulsions, the Holocaust and other disasters that struck the Jewish communities in Europe reminds us of the danger of anti- Semitism. The disturbing anti-sematic images that came from parts of Europe over the last couple of weeks tell us that this is not an issue limited to the past. Today anti-Semitism is being kept alive by radical Islam. 3. Thirdly, the current conflict in Gaza with its anti-Sematic and anti-Israeli sentiments, reminds us just how important it is to have a Jewish state. With its strong army, thriving economy, cohesive and consolidated society, Israel provides a source of pride to the Jewish communities in the Diaspora during times of peace and safe haven in times of crises. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tisha_b%E2%80%99Av
Posted on: Mon, 04 Aug 2014 06:00:01 +0000
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