עַ֥ל נַהֲר֨וֹת ׀ בָּבֶ֗ל שָׁ֣ם יָ֭שַׁבְנוּ גַּם־בָּכִ֑ינוּ בְּ֝זׇכְרֵ֗נוּ אֶת־צִיּֽוֹן׃

Tisha b’Av (the ninth day of the Hebrew month of Av) begins this month on the evening of July 17 and continues until sundown on July 18. Tisha b’Av is traditionally a day of mourning associated with the commemoration of the destruction of the ancient Temples that once stood in Jerusalem, the first catastrophe in 586 B.C.E. and the second in 70 C.E.

Reform Judaism has had a complicated relationship with Tisha b’Av. Amongst our movement’s earliest innovations was the elimination of all references to the rebuilding of the Temple and a return to sacrificial rites. Early Reformers in Europe and North America did not envision a return to the Land of Israel (then part of the Ottoman Empire) and eschewed the idea of exile in favor of an embrace of the diversity and potential of the Jewish diaspora. Were it not for the dispersion of our people centuries ago, one could argue, Judaism would have disappeared. It most certainly would not have been able to transform into the universal peoplehood that it is today, practicable anywhere and able to survive and thrive despite the odds. For Jews whose energies are dedicated to the upbuilding and sustenance of communities outside the Land of Israel, why mourn a thousands-of-years old event that has either no contemporary relevance at best, and at worst negates the validity of one’s own meaningful existence?

Tisha b’Av is about more than the destructions of Jerusalem. It is a catch-all for Jewish suffering and trauma, allowing us to spend one day reflecting on the worst moments of our shared memory so that we can spend the rest of the year concentrating on what we can do to replace what was lost. Thus even we who do not expect or desire a rebuilt Temple can find meaning in a day of mourning for what once was.

We who are blessed to live at a time of Jewish sovereignty in our ancient homeland, with the technology and access to visit regularly while still living where we do, are called to reimagine the meaning of Tisha b’Av. Traditional Judaism mandates the reading of the Book of Lamentations, a sundown to sundown fast, and restrictions appropriate for a day of grief. However you choose to understand or observe Tisha b’Av, if at all, I hope that in the hot days of July we are all able to pause for a bit to remember that our mission today is to do more than grieve – we are here to live, to create and find meaning, and to leave this world better than we found it. For Jewish people, the fullness of our tradition and its many interpretations give us the means to fulfill our sacred roles.