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RECOMMENDED READING

THE PSYCHOLOGY OF TISHA B’AV AND KINOT

Yehudit Jessica Singer talks with Rabbi Dr. Tzvi Hersh Weinreb,
Translator of The Lookstein Edition Koren Mesorat HaRav Kinot

On Tisha B’Av we recite Kinot, the Great, who lived in the 2nd Century expression of prayer is something we
mournful poems that intensify the C.E. It seems clear from an analysis of don’t do enough of.
sad ambience of the day. Which his poems that he lived in Israel and
themes would you say are central to followed Minhag Eretz Yisrael. The last phrase we read in Megillat
Kinot? Eikha is Hadesh Yameinu K’Kedem
We know that he was prolific. He
I’m convinced that was an expert in Tanakh, Hazal and (renew our days as of old). What
throughout the Midrashim, and alludes to the whole does that mean to you?
generations, the spectrum of sources in his piyutim. Even though we have a traumatic
writers of kinot He also wrote many of the piyutim history as a people, we did have
wrote them to that we see in the mahzorim for Rosh a feeling of closeness to G-d in
express their grief, Hashanah and Yom Kippur. He plays a “Yemei Kedem” that seems absent
as a personal and lot with the Hebrew alphabet, as seen nowadays. The key word in that last
national catharsis. That in the first four chapters of Eikha. phrase of Eikha is “Eilekha” (to You);
is ideally the feeling that we should He incorporates the Aleph-Bet in we’re asking for that experience of
have when we read them. Obviously, different permutations; sometimes the closeness to G-d. It’s important to
we don’t have the same feelings that pattern is obvious, but often it’s not. realize that religious observance
panged the original authors, but that’s Because HaKalir wrote many piyutim, doesn’t necessarily correlate with an
the task of the teachers today: to they were gradually incorporated as experience with G-d. David HaMelekh
convey to the reader the expression of the kinot were being assembled, but had a traumatized, difficult life, but he
pain, which can be therapeutic. there are other authors identified. was close to G-d. That’s what Tehillim
is all about! He was close to G-d even
One theme that is strikingly absent when he sinned.
from the kinot is the quest for Should we continue to write our own
revenge, for nekama. While we do kinot in modern times? Eikha ends with “renew our days as of
find this in Tanakh, it doesn’t appear Rav Soloveitchik was against old.” That phrase captures something
in the kinot. Instead, they express the writing new kinot. He opposed new so strong.
powerlessness of the Jews in Galut. innovations to tefila, but some people
When you’re really powerless, you disagree with this approach to kinot. Rabbi Dr. Tzvi Hersh Weinreb is the Editor-
don’t have room for revenge. in-Chief of The Noé Edition Koren Talmud
Bavli and the author of The Person in the
When we produced The Koren Parasha: Discovering the Human Element
The name Elazar HaKalir is seen Mesorat HaRav Kinot, we felt that in the Weekly Torah Portion (Maggid Books/
time after time as the author of the we needed to include the kinot OU Press)
kinot. How were his poems selected for the Holocaust since so many Yehudit Jessica Singer is Marketing
as the “authoritative” kinot? Do we congregations do say them. Manager at Koren Publishers
have any historical information Since I’ve been leading the Tisha B’Av
about who he was, and why he webcast for the OU, many people
penned such dirges? SPECIAL FOR ALL HAMIZRACHI READERS!
have contacted me with examples of
Most of the Ashkenazi kinot are kinot they’ve discovered or written, Get an extra 10% off and free
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(Tractate Hagiga 13a), HaKalir was the – especially in the 21st century. It was collection. Offer valid until September 1,
Tanna (Mishnaic scholar) Rabbi Elazar done throughout the ages; personal 2019. Offer valid in US & Canada only.

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