Tisha B'Av Approaches
An elderly Jewish mother is approached by a beggar. "I haven't eaten for three days," he informs her. "Force yourself," she replies.
Sometimes I force myself not to write here and sometimes I force myself to write. What does it depend on? What is the better way to go? Do I know? Sometimes I wonder who reads this and sometimes I wonder who doesn't. Is this something I should be thinking about?
Tisha B'Av is approaching. It's a Jewish People day; it's not a me day, or a you day, but an us day. Sigh.
A few hours and there will be no food.
But what may it mean to go deeper than food?
Can it just be about not eating?
Doesn't eating or refraining reflect something internal?
Everything external is a mirror
For something that is or should be going on inside.
Going deep is hard but for this we live.
How can we stay on the outside?
I - Must it always comes back to me?
Jewish People - bigger than each of us
Kites tug at hands as you (You) tug at my heart.
Love - why G-d destroyed a Home and not a People
Many thoughts swirl in my head as mourning looms
Nothing lasts forever save for G-d
Ony G-d is One
Please help me G-d
Quickly as an eye blink bring redemption
Return me to You and I will return
Save me for the sake of your name
Turn my eyes toward your return to Zion
Underneath, hurt people hurt people
Virtue - deep within is what's needed
Why so long? When already, when?
Xs are marked on the heads of us all
Your servants have drunk dirty water
Zero tolerence should be for lack of mercy.
posted by rabbi neil fleischmann @ 5:11 PM
4 Comments:
"Love - why G-d destroyed a Home and not a People"
It's amazing - that one line got to me more than weeks of preperation and divrei Torah, more than hours of kinot and reflection and physical affliction. It's so beautiful. It's almost provided me with that feeling I've been after this Tisha B'av. Thank you so much.
i c what u did there :-)
I love the "U" verse, even though it is sad. Sad and true.
Thanks Eric. That's a wow. In the post after this I write about this idea. When I referenced the concept I didn't remember that I'd blogged about it. I'm gratified that it was meaningful to you and appreciate very much that you told me.
Anne, thanks. I wonder if it was obvious that I went through the alphabet. I did that because many of the prayers we recite on this day are written in alphbetical styles.
PS - In the Tisha B'Av post I forgot to mention that in that poem of Kalir it's not only the second letter of the opening prase of each stanza but that each of the first three phrases of each stanza start with the same letter as the second letter of the word in order (aleph, then bet, etc.)
Also, hurt people hurt people is a line that a friend of mine learned at 12 step meetings and passed on to me (after I hurt her).
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