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6.  Rav  Kook  adds  that  Torat  Eretz  Yisrael  justification  for the destruction:  for  G-d is  is Tisha B’Av – and that his ability to appear
          includes not only the  study of Gemara,  yashar and G-d could not tolerate tsaddikim  depends on each and every one of us.
          but also returning to learn  Tanach,  like these… Rather, [G-d prefers] people who
          Jewish thought,  Mussar,  Chassidut,  act  in  a  way  that  is  yashar  even  in  worldly
          Hebrew, Israeli geography, military,  matters, not those who act crookedly even  Eicha Today: Heightening
          agricultural and national mitzvot, and  for the  sake of Heaven; this causes the   Grief and Initiating Hope
          analyzing redemption.             destruction of creation and the annihilation   Sarah Medved and Esty Rollhaus
                                            of the world’s population.
                                                                                 While Megillat Eicha may have  served as
      Accepting Others                      When we are unable to disagree agreeably;   a powerful cathartic avenue  for  Yirmiyahu
      Rabbi Dr. Kenneth Brander             when we are unable to engage with others   and his contemporaries, does this cathartic
                                            whose customs differ  from ours, think   experience  still resonate with us today?
      The  Netziv,  Rav  Naftali  Tzvi  Yehuda  Berlin,  differently or desire different outcomes in   How ought we to relate to this text, as
      explains in his introduction to Bereishit that  life, we add to the destruction.  Jews generations removed  from the
      the difficult atmosphere which prevailed at                                overwhelming emotional experiences of
      the time of the Second Temple’s destruction   I  served as community rabbi of Boca   firsthand observers?  The mere  fact that we
      was due to the lack of tolerance and piety   Raton,  Florida,  which  in 14  years  grew   still read Eicha, that we recall and mourn
      amongst religious leaders and those engaged   from 60 to 600  families. I  saw with my   a  destruction  that occurred  so  long  ago,
      in Torah study:                       own eyes how Jews who were distanced
                                            came closer to Judaism precisely because   indicates an aspect of our unique national
      We may explain that during the  Second  we did not disparage them and were not   character. In “Out of  The  Whirlwind,” Rav
      Temple, there were tzaddikim and chasidim,  condescending toward the  streams of   Soloveitchik describes the distinction
      as well as those who toiled in the words  Judaism with which they had been affiliated.   between aveilut chadashah, mourning  for a
      of  Torah; however, they were not yesharim  Derogatory discourse distances people,   recent, personal loss, and aveilut yeshanah,
      [literally:  straight] in their dealings with  even if the depths of their hearts are thirsty   national mourning “due to a historic disaster
      others.                               for a spiritual encounter with G-d.  that took place 1,900 years ago. This category
                                                                                 is the handiwork of man…The aveilut is a
      Due to the baseless hatred in their hearts  It is not a coincidence that the trop, the   result of recollection of events. Judaism here
      towards each other, they  suspected that  cantillations, of the Book of Lamentations   introduced a strange kind of memory, a very
      those who disagreed with them on religious  and the Book of Esther are remarkably   unique and singular memory.”
      matters were  Sadducees or heretics.  This  similar. What separates these two scrolls are
      brought them to bloodshed under  false  not the Masoretic musical notes, but rather  This  type  of  memory,  he  argues,  is  based
      pretenses and many other evils until  the tone in which they are voiced. This is a  on Judaism’s belief in a unitive time
      the  Temple  was  destroyed.  This  is the  keen reminder that the Mashiach’s birthday  consciousness.  We do not acknowledge the

































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