If you ask any Israeli what they think about the closure of brothels on the Tisha B'Av fast, opinions will be divided between those who believe it is 'religious coercion' and those who think that it is definitely appropriate to consider the feelings of the religious, who are fasting and mourning on this day.
Both positions together reflect the great alienation that has occurred among many members of the Jewish people towards their roots and heritage.
Imagine if you were to ask whether it was appropriate to close brothels on Holocaust Remembrance Day, and they would answer that it was appropriate to do so out of 'consideration' of the feelings of Holocaust survivors.
This answer itself is painful and heart-wrenching, due to the alienation it expresses toward the Holocaust, as if it were the concern of the survivors alone.
Complete weave
The Jewish calendar takes us on a journey into a world of values, feelings, experiences, and content.
Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur give us values of self-examination, forgiveness, and turning a new leaf. Sukkot and Simchat Torah carry within them joy and the experience of unity. Hanukkah emphasizes the place of light. Passover the idea of freedom and the value of humility. Shavuot centers on the place of the Torah and the status of the Ten Commandments.
Within this whole fabric, the days between the Egyptians and Tisha B'Av are also of enormous importance.
While it is much nicer to rejoice and celebrate than to fast and mourn, the connection to Jewish suffering and the difficult chapters in our history is also an essential component of the Jewish experience. The memory of the destruction and the sorrow of exile are what have nourished for generations the belief in redemption and the expectation of the renewal of our days as in the past.
There is a well-known story about Napoleon who saw Jews sitting on the floor of the synagogue and lamenting the destruction.
When he asked when the destruction had occurred, he was told that it had happened more than seventeen hundred years ago. Napoleon was deeply impressed by this and responded: "A people who remember for so many years the destruction of their temple will one day be rewarded with its reconstruction.".
The Sages already expressed this idea in their article: "Everyone who mourns for Jerusalem is justified and sees its joy.".
It is the consciousness of mourning that drives the pursuit of redemption. Those who have felt the pain of exile and know that the current situation is not the right one have an aspiration and a longing for redemption; and this expectation will ultimately be realized.
Grief and vision
This Shabbat, which is adjacent to the fast of Tisha B'Av, is also called 'Shabbat Hazon'.
The simple reason for this is that it reads the haftarah that opens with the words "the vision of Isaiah," but there is also a meaning here of vision and spectacle. Within the grief and pain lies the wondrous spectacle of the sublime goodness that awaits us.
These two feelings are intertwined and one cannot exist without the other. Grief and pain without hope and faith end in sadness and despair.
Hope and faith that are not accompanied by a sense of grief and sorrow for the destruction and exile are not real. It is precisely the combination of grief and hope, sorrow and faith that creates the completeness of the true Jewish feeling.
It is important to connect with the historical memory that is reflected in these days. To grieve the tragedies that have befallen our people. And from the pain, to strengthen the faith and confidence that we will soon attain complete redemption.
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