A weekend in Jerusalem

Hey all,


After a really hectic week, things are starting to fall into place. I finally got my last suitcase on Friday (they left it outside the wrong apartment, classic), decided last night on where to live ('שכונה ג), and got everything settled with the bank and mail (have a new number, so give me a call or email at any time!). I'm also looking forward to setting up some Arabic classes, so hopefully that'll work out too.

Now then, I decided this past weekend to go to Jerusalem for the weekend, having always wanted to be there on Tisha B'av (warning: here comes the Jewish part of the post). First off, thanks so much to my friend Daniel for hosting me! Shabbat was really wonderful. Tisha B'av, I suppose, had my hopes up for being uber-meaningful. I mean, the organizers for the reading of Eichah on the promenade overlooking the Old City were clearly American and had been to JTS for at least one service, because it was styled just like it, except that the songs were rushed through and were not super-inspiring, as I have found them to be at JTS in years past. Nevertheless, it was so interesting to juxtapose the living, breathing Jerusalem with the dead, burning Jerusalem of Eichah, that same Jerusalem in which the most merciful and compassionate mothers ate their own children out of hunger (Lam. 4:10). The cry of Jeremiah to his God, ראה ה' והביטה למי עוללת כה, "Look, O Lord and see, who [else] have you treated like this!?" did not awaken the same feelings here in Israel as it did in years past. I think there is a reason for that. Seeing Israel alive and well, with businesses open, with people going about doing their daily jobs, feeding the hungry, tending to the widow and orphan, and making space for all sorts of people and opinions within this tiny country, is really inspiring. It's quite the opposite of Lamentations' portrayal. And I would go so far as to say that Tisha B'av is thankfully partly a thing of the past. That's what struck home the most. We really are building on the lessons of our ancestors to make this land filled with life and holiness, one of justice and peace, one in which these days of mourning become days of happiness and joy, just as the prophet Zechariah once foretold (8:19).

And I hope we continue to do just that! Shavua tov, have a great week!