At sundown tonight, Jews around the world will begin observance of Tisha B’Av, the ninth day of the month of Av on the Hebrew calendar.
On Tisha B’Av, we remember the atrocities committed against the Jewish people throughout history. Chief among these is the destruction of the first and second temples in Jerusalem, as well as the exile of the Jews of Israel who were dispersed to “the four corners of the earth” in the first century.
Tisha B’Av is a day of mourning, considered the saddest day on the Jewish calendar. We fast, and we refrain from activities considered pleasurable. It is customary to sit on the floor, just as we do when sitting shiva after someone dies. In synagogue, we read from the biblical book of Lamentations, which describes the destruction of Jerusalem and the first temple.
This year, the Jewish people will certainly not be mourning alone. The entire world is hurting. The coronavirus has turned our world upside down. Hundreds of thousands of people have died. Economies are crumbling, and the long-term implications of both the virus and our drastic economic downturn are simply unknown.
But if you’re sharing in our grief, you should also share in the message of hope we have through Tisha B’Av. Because as we mourn all that we have lost, we also look forward to what God has in store for us.
According to the Talmud (Judaism’s oral tradition), after the destruction of the second temple, a renowned rabbi, Rabbi Akiva, traveled with his colleagues to Jerusalem to see the ruins. When they caught their first glimpse, his companions were overcome by grief, and they cried. But Akiva laughed.
When asked how he could witness such destruction and laugh, Akiva cited to his fellow rabbis prophetic Bible verses that speak not just of the destruction that lay before them, but of the rebuilding of Zion. Since the prophecy of destruction came true, Akiva said, he knew that the other prophetic words would be fulfilled as well. Jerusalem would be restored.
The Jewish people know that the destruction of the first and second temple isn’t the end — nor are the rest of the tragedies we remember on Tisha B’Av. Even as we mourn, we hold fast to the belief that better days are coming. Our mourning for what was leads the way to our longing for what will be. On Tisha B’Av, we do not grieve to wallow in fear and pain. Our grief over all that we have lost reminds us that we must not give up hope.
Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, the former chief rabbi of Great Britain, once wrote, “To be a Jew is to be an agent of hope in a world serially threatened by despair.” This is a worthy goal we must aspire to. We all have it in ourselves to move forward boldly or to succumb to the despair and chaos that seem to be all around us.
We must not give up — both for our own sake and for the sake of the world and our neighbors. In the spirit of Sacks’s words, let us all seek to be “agents of hope,” shining our light into dark places and bringing a spirit of love, generosity, and unity to our world.
Yael Eckstein is the president of the International Fellowship of Christian and Jews.
