From Despair to Joy

The past few weeks in the Jewish calendar have been fraught with remembrances and commemorations of ancient and contemporary tragedies that have befallen the Jewish people from the start of the Three Weeks on the 17th of Tammuz, to the Nine Days, and finishing with the 9th of Av. During this time, we focused on disaster and despair. We remembered the destruction of the First and Second Temples in Jerusalem. We were reminded about the sin of the scouts in the desert and the crushing of the Bar Kochba Revolt in 135 CE. We recalled the Spanish Inquisition.

But now we turn our hearts and minds toward joy and happiness. The High Holidays, Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, are just seven weeks away. Just days after the mourning of Tisha B’Av, we have the enjoyment of Tu B’av, the fifteenth of Av. Tu B’av is often referred to as the Jewish Valentine’s Day. In ancient times, unwed men and women would dress in their finest clothes and go out together into the fields and mingle to find the perfect match.

The idea of transitioning so quickly from anguish to happiness is not uncommon in Judaism. We have suffered much throughout our 3000-plus-year history, and through it all, we have persevered. We take the time to show reverence for our loss and display veneration for our achievements. What better way to ritualize the idea of rising from the ashes of the Temples than to celebrate the idea of young couples joining in marriage to help continue and perpetuate the faith and culture of the Jewish people.

As we make our way to fall holidays over the next seven weeks, let’s find ways to celebrate the wonders and treasures of Judaism.

Shabbat Shalom

Rabbi Bradley Tecktiel