Tisha B’Av, the ninth day of the Hebrew month of Av, is one of the most serious days of the Jewish year. It commemorates the destruction of the First and Second Temples, along with challenging moments in Jewish history, including expulsion from Spain, pogroms in Eastern Europe, and more. Many Jews fast on this day and read the Book of Lamentations, as a way to reflect on these dark moments in our history.
In early Reform Judaism, Tisha B’Av was often de-emphasized or even eliminated from practice altogether. Reform leaders hoped to distance themselves from what they saw as a focus on pain and exile. They preferred to emphasize Judaism’s ethical teachings and its role in modern life and weren’t interested in mourning for a Temple that they no longer hoped to rebuild. They even changed some of our prayers in the Reform prayerbook to reflect this. They hoped to embrace the future of Jews in diaspora, rather than seeing exile as something to mourn.
However, in recent years, many Reform Jewish communities, including our own, have reconsidered this decision, and are bringing commemorations of Tisha B’Av back into their practice. In my view, Tisha B’Av isn’t only about things that happened long ago in ancient Israelite society. There is so much hatred, pain, and fragility in our world, and Tisha B’Av can give us a space to reflect on these challenges and hope for a better tomorrow. In a world still broken by war, displacement, antisemitism, and polarization, the themes of Tisha B’Av resonate deeply.
As Reform Jews, we can mark Tisha B’Av without desiring to return to Temple times. We can come together for mourning and turn towards healing. We can honor our history and the resilience we have shown as a people to come through to the other side. I hope you will join us this Saturday night, to do so, as our temple community marks Tisha B’Av, reminding ourselves that memory is important, and from the ashes, we can turn towards new beginnings.
Shabbat Shalom,
Cantor Sydney Michaeli
