Tisha b’Av, literally “the 9th of [the month of] Av”, is a day which has existed on the Jewish calendar since sometime in the darkest days of our national despair after the Jerusalem Temple was destroyed by the Babylonian Empire in 586 BCE. In the millennia since then, the day has come to symbolize all that our Exile has come to mean to us. We have come to know the vulnerability of the unprotected weak to the uncaring strong, the wandering of the homeless who have no sure refuge, and the poverty of those who are marginalized by the community.
Today Jews are strong and fully accepted members of our American community, and the lesson we carry from Tisha B’Av is repeated throughout our Torah: “you shall not oppress the strangers among you, for you know their feelings, since you yourselves have been strangers.” (Ex. 23.9). We observe Tisha B’Av best today by acting to ensure that no one will ever again experience the suffering and vulnerability we have known in exile.
And as my favorite slogan reads, “it is not enough to be compassionate; you must act.” So I invite you to join me in observing Tisha B’Av by participating in our congregation’s volunteer evening at the Oregon Food Bank on Tisha B’av, July 20, arranged by our Rodfey Tzedek social justice committee. We will begin with a special blessing to dedicate the evening’s work to our highest purpose: gemilut hasadim, the acts of loving kindness which sustain the world.
Shir Tikvah at the Oregon Food Bank, July 20, 6:30-8:30 -contact the office at 503-473-8227 for more information and to RSVP.