Tisha B'Av
Wednesday, August 10th, 2005 01:53 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
lethargic_manIt's approaching Tisha B'Av, the traditional anniversary of the destruction of both Temples. I have never fasted yet on Tisha B'Av. Frankly, I can't bring myself to be moved by the tragedies of my people's past. To be sure, it's terrible what happened, but that was two thousand years ago; it doesn't affect me.
Since I got involved with Masorti, however, I've become less antipathic to such parts of my religion. And in particular, I was struck by hearing how the Fast of Gedaliah, which commemorates the assassination of Gedaliah, the governor of Judah after the Babylonians had carried off the king and most of the population into exile, has become popular among Israelis as a way of commemorating the assassination of Rabin.
I think much of my problem with Tisha B'Av in this respect is the fact I don't identify it as applicable to tragedies of the recent past, because these have their own recently instituted days: Yom Hazikaron (Remembrance Day) and Yom Hashoah (Holocaust Memorial Day). There have been those who have suggested that ultimately these will become merged with Tisha B'Av, which I think ought to happen, but not for another fifty years yet, until all those whose lives were personally touched by the Holocaust are dead.
So now I'm considering going to shul on Saturday night, and possibly going to something on Sunday too. But fasting's probably going too far for me, for this year at least.
Since I got involved with Masorti, however, I've become less antipathic to such parts of my religion. And in particular, I was struck by hearing how the Fast of Gedaliah, which commemorates the assassination of Gedaliah, the governor of Judah after the Babylonians had carried off the king and most of the population into exile, has become popular among Israelis as a way of commemorating the assassination of Rabin.
I think much of my problem with Tisha B'Av in this respect is the fact I don't identify it as applicable to tragedies of the recent past, because these have their own recently instituted days: Yom Hazikaron (Remembrance Day) and Yom Hashoah (Holocaust Memorial Day). There have been those who have suggested that ultimately these will become merged with Tisha B'Av, which I think ought to happen, but not for another fifty years yet, until all those whose lives were personally touched by the Holocaust are dead.
So now I'm considering going to shul on Saturday night, and possibly going to something on Sunday too. But fasting's probably going too far for me, for this year at least.
