The Nine Days leading to Tisha B’Av are among the most emotionally complicated days of the Jewish year. They culminate in the ninth day of Av, traditionally understood as the saddest day on the Jewish calendar. On Tisha B’Av, we remember the destruction of the First Temple in Jerusalem in 586 BCE and the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE. Over time, our people gathered other catastrophes into this day as well, placing centuries of exile, persecution, and loss within one sacred container of grief.

Jewish history has, unfortunately, given us additional days of mourning. We observe Yom HaShoah. We observe Yom HaZikaron. October 7 has now entered our communal consciousness as another date of unbearable sorrow. But for many generations, Tisha B’Av was the day upon which the Jewish people placed almost all our grief.

The rabbis made a striking choice when they interpreted the destruction of Jerusalem. They certainly understood the geopolitical power of Rome. They knew that empires crush rebellions and that history is shaped by military, economic, and political forces. And yet, they taught that the Temple was destroyed because of sinat chinam—causeless hatred among Jews.

Perhaps that........

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)