Jerusalem has a holy reputation. It is known for its holy sites, fascinating history, and religious passions. Jerusalem has possession of holy sites for all three monotheistic traditions. It has some of the most beautiful churches and monuments of Christendom. It is the site of al-Aqsa mosque and the Dome of the Rock, the third holiest site for Islam. For Judaism, Jerusalem is the holiest city of them all. The importance of this city to the Jewish people is emphasized by over 600 mentions in the Hebrew Bible and the several prayers reminding us of the deep Jewish longing for return. As a part of the Jewish people, I feel that powerful connection to Jerusalem. Every time I have the privilege to go to Jerusalem, I feel something really special in my soul. In my current visit to Jerusalem, I am spending a month engaged in intensive Jewish study in the Aish HaTorah yeshiva. I have learned so much about what it means to be a Jew but I also learned to see the miracles that happen right in front of me.
As I lived in the Old City of Jerusalem for this month, I engaged in a common activity here done by both locals and tourists - people-watch.
It happened to be that during my month in Jerusalem, Tisha B'Av was to take place. For those who do not know, Tisha B'Av is one of the saddest days of the Jewish calendar and it is accompanied by a 25 hour long fast. It is on that day that both the first and second temples were destroyed. If that was the only tragedy on the Jewish people to fall on that day, it would have been enough. It happens to also be the day the First Crusade began which sparked pogroms of thousands of Jews by the Christian crusaders. It is the day the Spanish Inquisition began in 1492 which brought to an end one of the most influential Jewish communities of the time and further dispersing Sephardic Jewry, converting and killing many. It is also the day Germany entered World War I which led Germany down its dark path to the Final Solution and the Holocaust. These are just a few terrible tragedies to list.
So when a Jew reflects on Tisha B'Av, the traumas of their ancestors rests on their souls. It is a day of reflection and sadness comes alongside. But out of sadness, gratitude also comes to mind. As most fasts tend to go, I often feel tired and weak after about the fifteenth hour. I suppose this is the price to pay for having the time to meditate and reflect on a number of things. This fast, I was to have it in the Old City of Jerusalem. I sat on a bench in the small plaza in front of the Ramban Synagogue (the oldest active synagogue in old Jerusalem). As I sat there to meditate on the weight of Tisha B'Av, I struggled to concentrate because of many little loud noises. Those noises came from children. For a moment, I was frustrated because these loud kids running around were disrupting my meditation. After a few minutes, I was able to get to a state of mind where I could move past the noise, but then it hit me. I need to listen to this noise and embrace this noise. This is the noise of a fulfillment of a prophecy!
Zechariah 8:4-5 - So said the Lord of Hosts: Old men and women shall yet sit in the streets of Jerusalem, each man with his staff in his hand because of old age. And the streets of the city shall be filled, with boys and girls playing in its streets.
What an amazing prophecy to witness! And how easy it is for myself or anyone to just walk by it and fail to appreciate such an amazing thing! Coming to this realization really uplifted my mood. This is what the Jewish people live for. Its about creating a Jewish society in which the streets can be filled with children playing together in safety.
From where I was situated, I was walking distance from the Kotel which is the remaining wall of the Temple Mount that Jews pray and cry at. I really wanted to go down to it and pray on this day. Alas, that was not possible. Due to the coronavirus, I was unable to safely go down to the Kotel to pray and reflect. I could look at it all day from the Aish HaTorah balcony, but my hands would not touch it this year. To be so close and yet so far. To go to the Kotel on such a day would have been really important to me. But this year, it just was not meant to be.
I witnessed for myself the fulfillment of a prophecy. If you ever have the privilege to visit Jerusalem then you must go to a public bench, sit down, and just watch. You will witness the fulfillment of a powerful prophecy.
Jerusalem has no shortage of challenges ahead but this is not the piece to discuss that. I think of how important it is for people to have a space to be themselves. I know that Jews are aware of that. Throughout our history, we kept losing our places to be ourselves. We lost Judea two thousand years ago and thankfully we returned to make a new home. But I think of my own history and the places that those before me had lost. I know where in Germany my maternal grandfather used to live. In 1938, he lost that place to be. On my father's side, they were Jews of Poland and Lithuania. They lost their places to be around that same time. I think of my Sephardic and Mizrahi Jewish brothers and sisters who lost their places to be in North Africa and Middle Eastern countries. I have Jewish history on my mind - a history of always having a bag packed and ready to flee elsewhere.
I hope and pray those days are done and that if a Jew packs a bag, its of their own free will and not due to any form of distress or persecution.
Jerusalem is perhaps the perfect place to be on Tisha B'Av. It is not an easy holiday but Jerusalem is not an easy place. It is a city that is often in my thoughts and I hope for its success and peace. I hope that those who feel its holy essence can have the space to embrace that feeling there.
May our prayers for peace and fulfillment be answered.
