Devarim (Shabbat Chazon), 5786 - En-VISION-ing a Better Tomorrow

This weekend, we are starting the Fifth Book of the Torah, called Devarim or Deuteronomy. In addition, this particular Shabbat - the one that precedes Tisha b’Av (the saddest day on the Jewish calendar) every year - has a second name: Shabbat Chazon. The name - Chazon - comes from Isaiah's "vision" of the imminent destruction of the city of Jerusalem. Shabbat Chazon always precedes Tisha b'Av, when we commemorate the destruction of both Ancient Temples (in 587 BCE and 70 CE), as well as several other calamitous events in Jewish history. Sometimes, however, it feels as though Tisha b'Av has lost its relevance. We grieve atrocities that befell us 2,500, 1,000, or even 500 years ago, and they simply don't feel current or apropos. It's hard to "sell" a day like Tisha b'Av to folks, at least compared to - say - Chanukah or Purim, or even Pesach. Tisha b'Av is also a fast day, and I think the lack of food is a deal breaker for some people as well - what kind of a Jewish holiday has NO food?!? The truth is, however, I think it's a shame that more people don't observe Tisha b'Av. Our service begins at nightfall, and we chant a special book, called Eicha, Lamentations. The chanting is haunting and beautiful, and the whole service has a powerful, reflective, even cathartic feel to it. And let's face it; everyone could use a good cry once in a while. I truly don't mean that facetiously; we often ignore the healing and restorative powers of sadness and grieving. Tisha b’Av can add something very meaningful to our lives... if we let it.

We focus so much of our energies on trying to be happy all the time, even though that isn't real life. With all the uncertainty in the world these days - wars, terror, pandemics, and climate change - we need to address our fears and concerns… but in a healthy and supportive way. We need to help one another process what's happening all around us, and find ways to still feel hope and optimism in the face of our challenges. To me, that is why Tisha b'Av is actually a holiday filled with hope, just hidden under the guise of sadness. We are MEANT to misinterpret Shabbat Chazon, because it starts as a vision of destruction... but we, the readers, are meant to transform it into a vision of faith, optimism, and rebuilding. Our ancient rabbis tell us that the Messiah - should that person choose to some day show up... - will be born on Tisha b'Av; thus turning a day of national mourning into great joy and celebration.

The thing is, you and I can't make the Messiah appear. Not on our own, anyway. I, for one, am not going to waste even an ounce of energy on the hope of a personified, individual, savior-Messiah. That just ain't my religion. That doesn't mean that all of us, here today, are powerless to affect change. On the contrary; in the absence of external salvation, we must be the agents of change. No one else is going to solve this for us. No one else is going to fix the world on our behalf. We cannot acquiesce responsibility and think that somehow the work will still get done. It won't. So even though we begin Tisha b'Av in sadness, and mourn destructions both ancient and modern, it is ultimately a holiday with a firm focus on the future. The prophet Isaiah's Chazon, his vision, was in the past. You and I can make our own vision for this generation and the one(s) to come. Sometimes that needs to start with a really good cry.