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Tisha B'Av

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Ohr Somayach

by Moshe Fish, Webmaster, Har Habayit

Ancient script at Temple site: "To the area of the Shofar Blowing"

The Dilemma
Traditional Jewish sources point to two main reasons for fasting and mourning on Tisha B'Av: The first is that it was decreed on this day that the generation which left Egypt would never enter Eretz Yisrael (in more general terms - a separation of the nation and the land). The second is the destruction of both Temples (our symbol of national unity and sovereignty), and the exile which followed.

Today, the nation has been reunited with the land, and Jewish sovereignty prevails. The long, dark exile is over. Jews in most parts of the world are free to return to Eretz Yisrael. Both the nation and the land are flourishing, fulfilling the visions of our prophets.

The dilemma for Jews today is how to reconcile the fulfillment of the Divine promise of our return to Zion and the ingathering of the exiles - to which we are constantly witness - with the obligation to mourn on Tisha B'Av. On the one hand, we mourn for our Temple, which still lies in ruins, but at the same time we know that part of the redemptive process has begun. How are we to deal with this situation?

The Kotel Transformation
A very strange transformation has taken place which has helped Jews deal with this dilemma: The focus of the destruction has moved from the location of the Temple (makom hamikdash) on the Temple Mount (Har Habayit) and concentrated itself on the the Western Wall (Kotel). The Kotel represents the remains of the western wall of Har Habayit (according to most opinions). However, Har Habayit itself - the site of the Temple and symbol of the destruction - has all but disappeared from the consciousness of the Jewish people.

The destroyed Temple has been replaced by an existing wall. Jews pray towards it from all corners of the earth. Even while standing at the Kotel itself we pray facing its stones. The open plaza in front of the kotel has been repaved, the surrounding area has been excavated and rebuilt. State ceremonies, prayer services and barmitzvahs are performed and celebrated against the background of the stones of the Kotel. We build a "kotel" in our minds and hearts, and since Har Habayit and the Temple are blocked from our everyday consciousness, the Kotel has replaced them as the symbol of our connection to God.

Initiating Redemption

Remembering the Temple inspires social action

We have erased Har Habayit from our consciousness in order to deal with dilemma of everyday life. But in doing so we have deadened the process of redemption which we ourselves started. We fail to see the facts: We have a State. We can pray at the Kotel. The Kotel is in our hands. All this is due partly to our own initiative. God rewarded that initiative and helped us rebuild.

Why, then, do we think that the next stage of our redemption is any different? The 'exile' mentality in our relationship to Har Habayit lingers on. We have moved from actively bringing about our own redemption in the establishing of the State to waiting passively for God to finish that redemption. Once we no longer see ourselves as actively responsible for bringing ge'ulah (redemption), we stop making an effort to correct the faults in society that led to our Temple's destruction.

Mourning Today
The answer to the question of whether we still have to fast and mourn today is obviously yes. Our exile is not completely over. Most of world Jewry remains in the Diaspora - in 'exile' - even if it is self-imposed. Our Temple still lies in ruins and, moreover, strangers have built a shrine over our holiest site. Our national sovereignty, for all intents and purposes, does not extend to Har Habayit. The euphoric cry of the paratroopers after conquering the Old City of Jerusalem in '67, "Har Habayit is in our hands!", is in effect no longer true today.

And, if anything, there is an added reason to mourn: We mourn the fact that we have built a Kotel in our hearts and minds and abandoned the active fervor of initiating our own redemption. Most importantly, the same sins that plagued Jewish society before the destruction exist today.

Beyond the Wall

If this Tisha B'Av is to bring with it any change - bearing in mind that the main point of any fast is the repentance which it is meant to initiate - then on a personal level let us repent and correct the inter-personal sins which led the destruction. Let us try to see beyond the many walls and barriers which we have erected to divide us. Let us replace causeless hatred with causeless love for all fellow Jews.

On a national level let us return to actively bringing about our own redemption, and recognize that the focus of our mourning on Tisha B'Av is not the Kotel: the focus is beyond the wall, to Har Habayit.

The place exists. It is real. If we want redemption, let us visit the site (after proper preparation). Let us keep it alive in our consciousness and make it part of our everyday reality. Let us truly mourn the fact that strangers control our holy site and that another building stands in the place of our holy Temple.

If we remember this every day - and not only on Tisha B'Av - then perhaps we will be inspired to change the society we live in for the better, and ultimately to bring about the redemption of Har Habayit. Today, it is all in our hands. We can mourn and we can also continue to rebuild.