Tisha B’Av
Rabbi Bernie Fox
Recognizing the sins of our ancestors and
our own iniquities on Tisha B’Av
“There are
others days on which all Israel fasts because of the tragedies that occurred on
these dates. This is in order to move
the hearts of the people and to open the road to repentance. And this is a memorial to our evil actions
and the actions of our ancestors that were like our current behaviors to the
point that these behaviors have brought these sorrows upon us and our
ancestors. Through the recollection of
these matters we will repent as it says: And they will confess their iniquities
and the iniquities of their ancestors.”
(Maimonides, Mishne Torah, Laws
of Fasts 5:1)
Each year we observe four fast days that
commemorate the destruction of the first and second Temples and the suffering
associated with these events. The fast
of Tisha B’Av is the culmination of these fasts and commemorates the actual
destruction of both Temples. The above
quotation introduces Maimonides’ discussion of the laws governing these fast
days.
In his concise manner Maimonides makes a
number of important points:
• These
fast days were created to commemorate the destruction of the two Temples and
the associated suffering and to place us upon the path to repentance.
• The
fast days should cause us to recall our own iniquities and failings and those
of our ancestors.
• The
destruction of the Temples and the related suffering are a direct result of our
failings and the sins of our ancestors.
• Recognition
of the relationship between sin and suffering should motivate our repentance.
• Repentance
requires that we confess our own sins and those of our ancestors.
Maimonides’ comments raise a number of
questions. First, it is generally
assumed that the observance of Tisha B’Av and the other three fasts
commemorating the Temples’ destruction and the related suffering are designed
to recall these events and to recognize these events as national and spiritual
tragedies. However, Maimonides does not
support this position. Instead, he
proposes that these fasts are observed in order to acknowledge our
responsibility and that of our ancestors for these calamities. Maimonides’ contention that we are
responsible for these disasters is difficult to understand. The first Temple was destroyed in 586 BCE
and the second was destroyed in 70 CE.
However, Maimonides attributes these tragedies to the sins of our
ancestors and to our own behaviors. How
can we be held accountable for these disasters?
Second, Maimonides explains that these
fasts are intended to lead us to the path of repentance through recalling these
events. How does this occur? How does the recollection of these long-past
calamities bring us to the path of repentance?
Maimonides’ contention that subsequent
generations bear responsibility for the destruction of the Temples is reflected
in the statement of the Sages that any generation in which the Temple is not
rebuilt is regarded as if the Temple was destroyed in its time.[1] On its simplest level, this statement means
that the absence of the rebuilt third Temple is as great a tragedy as the
destruction of the second Temple.
However, on a deeper level the message of our Sages is that our
behaviors and conduct determine when the Temple will be rebuilt. In other words, the Temples were destroyed
as a result of the sins of previous generations. The Temple will be rebuilt through the repentance of their
descendents. Every generation in which
the Temple is not rebuilt endures its absence because of its failure to properly
return to Hashem. Therefore,
Maimonides’ contention that the absence of the Temple is a consequence of the
sins of our ancestors and our own iniquities accords with the position of the
Sages. Our ancestors’ behaviors led to
the destruction of the Temples and our own failings are responsible for the
delay in its rebuilding.
This explains Maimonides’ assignment of
responsibility for these events to generations living centuries after their
occurrence. This interpretation of the
Sages’ comments also explains how recalling past calamities leads to
repentance. In recalling these
disasters, we are not merely remembering a misfortune in our ancient past. We are recognizing that the destruction of
the Temples was the beginning of a calamity that continues into the present –
our own time. We share responsibility
with our ancestors for this disaster.
Once we recognize that our behaviors are responsible for the continued
delay in the Temple’s rebuilding, we will be motivated to address and improve
our behaviors.
We now better understand Maimonides’
comments regarding these four fasts.
However, in order to more fully understand Maimonides’ position, it is
helpful to consider his general perspective on the purpose of fasting.
Fast Days and their objective
“It is a
positive commandment to cry out and to sound the trumpets in response to any
affliction that comes upon the congregation ….
This is characteristic of repentance.
At the occasion of a tragedy, when the congregation cries out and sounds
the trumpets, they all realize that the evil that has befallen them is a
consequence of their actions…. And
this will case the removal of the affliction from upon them…. But if they do not cry out and do not sound
the trumpets but say that these events are merely natural events and
happenstance, this is the path of cold-heartedness and it will cause them to
cling to their evil actions. And upon
the affliction will be added more affliction …” (Maimonides, Mishne Torah, Laws of Fasts 1:1-3)
In these opening sentences of his Laws
of Fasts, Maimonides explains the purpose and objective of fasts. All fasts are a response to an affliction or
suffering. The Sages may declare a fast
in response to drought or famine. A
fast may be declared in reaction to an impending attack by our enemies. The fundamental aspect of the observance is
not cessation from eating and drinking or other self-imposed hardships endured
during the fast. Instead, the most
essential element is petition and supplication. More specifically – the essential element of the observance of a
fast is recognition and acknowledgement that our suffering is not merely a
consequence of simple misfortune or chance events but instead, it is a
consequence of our actions. All
blessings and suffering experienced by the Jewish nation are expressions of
Hashem’s will and His providence. In
turn, He blesses or punishes us in response to our behaviors.
In the context of this perspective on the
function and purpose of fast days it is possible to more fully appreciate
Maimonides’ understanding of Tisha B’Av and the other three associated
fasts. According to Maimonides, all
fasts days have three shared elements:
• They
are a response to a present affliction.
• The
ultimate objective of the observance is to relieve the affliction.
• This
objective is achieved through accepting responsibility for the tragedy –
through recognizing that our actions are the cause of the calamity.
Therefore, although Tisha B’Av and the
other three related fasts are observed annually, they are fundamentally
indistinguishable from a fast declared in response to an emerging, onrushing
disaster. Both are responses to current
afflictions. The delay in the rebuilding
of the Temple is a current, present-day affliction and it is a consequence of
our actions.