If you missed it on Tuesday, watch this…
The community marked Tisha B’Av this Tuesday in a joint event with Pinner United Synagogue. The 9th of Av is the saddest day in the Jewish calendar, being the anniversary of the destruction of the 2nd Temple in Jerusalem in the year 70 CE. The event at Northwood was well attended and started with a presentation of the powerful film above, produced by Aish.
The film recounts 5 shocking but inspiring stories of bravery and heroism on October 7, the Jewish world’s blackest day since the Holocaust. The tales are told by the parents and families of the individuals who fell that fateful day and by those who made a stand against terror. As one mother reflected, Tisha B’Av marks 270 days since October 7, the same time that I carried him in my womb – heart breaking.
We cannot begin to imagine their pain, still so raw, yet in parallel with the message of Tisha B’Av, these stories are also full of hope and commitment to rebuild, not just their own lives but to scrape together the still-warm ashes and form them into something positive and inspiring. Yes, the film is sad, yes it’s harrowing but its positive message is so compelling. If you missed it on Tuesday you won’t spend a better hour than to watch this.
After Mincha, Rabbis Grunwald and Green gave their own perspectives on Tisha B’Av….
Rabbi Grunwald from Pinner gave a new perspective on the familiar Gomorrah story of Kamtza and Bar Kamtza who was mistakenly invited to a banquet by his enemy and pleaded with him not to make a scene when the error was revealed. He drew a parallel with the story of Rav Yochanan ben Zakai who miraculously escaped Jerusalem in 70 CE but, when apprehended by the Roman Emperor Vespasian and granted one wish, pleaded only for the salvation of the Yeshiva in Yavneh where he taught but did not ask for the Beis Ha’Mikdash to be saved. Was this really a glaringly missed opportunity or was it in fact an inspired ‘compromise’ to save education and thereby safeguard the future?
Rabbi Green emphasised that Tisha b’aV is not merely focused on the calamities of the past, but on the joy of the future redemption. Although many unfortunate events occurred on Tisha b’Av, the primary commemoration is of the destruction of the Temple. The question is, how can mourning last for thousands of years?