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Jewish World Review Mourning and morning By Rabbi Berel Wein Sephardic Jew sitting, per custom, on the ground mourning the Temple, whose remaining wall is behind him Much Jewish effort and assets have been invested in our time in Jewish mourning. More should be invested in the Jewish morning that survives such tragedies http://www.JewishWorldReview.com | This Saturday night, the Jewish world commemorates the sad day of the Ninth of Av. This anniversary date of the destruction of both Temples and of other sad events in Jewish history serves as a stark reminder of the dangerous and inimical world in which we live. Bad things can and do happen in this world and the unthinkable can nevertheless become tragic reality. Any study of the Biblical narrative leading up to the destruction of the First Temple or of the Talmudic description of the climate of the Jewish society before the destruction of the Second Temple will impress the reader with the dreamily unwarranted confidence that our ancestors had in believing that the worst could not happen. Those then of faith, ignored the warnings of the prophets and convinced themselves that G-d had too much at stake to allow His Temple to be destroyed by pagans. Those of lesser faith, may have discounted G-d in the matter but nevertheless were convinced that the foreign alliances that Judah had with Egypt and other powers plus its own strong defenses precluded any national disaster from occurring. History proved them wrong. G-d is never bound by our strictures as to how He should behave and the national alliances and defenses proved unequal to the challenge of Babylonian or Roman might. Thus, the mourning on the Ninth of Av is not only for the actual destruction of the Temples, but also for the false sense of hubris and foolish security within Jewish society that helped lead to the destruction of the two Temples. The Ninth of Av teaches us that there are consequences to all of our actions and policies and that blithely ignoring past errors of judgment, faith and policy spell future disaster. The Ninth of Av also teaches us that there is a morning after the destruction of the Temples. The resiliency of the Jewish people is legendary. The accomplishments of the Jewish people over the past sixty years are breathtaking. The rebirth of the Jewish people as a national entity in Israel, the rebuilding of the Torah/yeshiva/chasidic/Sephardic worlds, the rise to affluence and power of the North American Jewish community, the restoration of millions of Russian Jews to their brethren — these are each major accomplishments in their own individual right. For them to have occurred simultaneously (in the sense of a historical measure of time) is almost miraculous. Jewish mourning, both personal and national, always has self-imposed Halachic limitations to it. The first generation of Babylonian Jews bit off their thumb tips in depression over the destruction of the Temple. Their descendants however went on to create the Talmud and thus guarantee Jewish survival through the ages of hatred, exile and darkness. The rabbis of the Talmud stated that the Ninth of Av would yet be a day of holiday and feasting. But it is incumbent upon us to help create that fortuitous situation. Mourning our tragedies, the destruction of the Temples, the expulsion from Spain, the pogroms and the Crusades, the Holocaust, etc. is all part and parcel of Jewish living. But so is the belief in the morning after tragedy, the rebuilding process, and the attendant rejuvenation of the Jewish people. Much Jewish effort and assets have been invested in our time in Jewish mourning. More should be invested in the Jewish morning that survives such tragedies. All of Jewish life is based on a sense of balance in life and outlook. The Torah abhors extremes of emotion and behavior and unwarranted zealotry. There are sections of the Jewish people today who treasure morning but do very little to guarantee that the morning after tragedy be successful and bright. There are other sections of Jewry that ignore the mourning aspect of Jewish tradition and think that their task is to create the new Jewish tomorrow without reference to the Jewish yesterday whatsoever. It seems clear to me that both groups lack the sense of proper balance that is so necessary for Judaism and Jewish life to flourish in our times. Only an appreciation of what has been lost can fuel the enthusiasm to build the Jewish people anew, both in Israel and in the Diaspora. Denigrating mourning, Jewish tradition, and the Jewish past only serves to eventually cloud the morning skies of the Jewish future. Yet, overemphasis on mourning stunts any future growth and development. The Ninth of Av is a hard day to deal with. But it provides us with brutal and necessary lessons regarding our vulnerability, our past errors, our lost treasures and our possible glorious future. The Ninth of Av 's lessons for our society, its governmental policies and personal deportment should remain with us throughout all of the days of the year. We could then look forward to times of great accomplishment, merciful comfort and consolation and eventual security and serenity here in our land. Sign up for the daily JWR update. It's free. Just click here. JWR contributor Rabbi Berel Wein is one of Jewry's foremost historians and founder of the Destiny Foundation. He has authored over 650 tapes, books and videos which you can purchase at RabbiWein.com. Comment by clicking here. © 2004, Rabbi Berel Wein