Another Jewish holiday has come and gone, but this one was rather sad. It's called Tisha B'Av, the 9th day of the month of Av, commemorating the destruction not once, but twice, of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem.
It's a day of mourning that begins at night, with a 24 hour fast. And that's really the part of hate.
Actually, I hate the whole thing. Being sad is a real bummer. I read the children the story of Tisha B'Av, which is definitely holocaust-like, and then watched several holocaust shows to reinforce the sadness.
What struck me about the story of Tisha B'Av is that the Jews in Jerusalem at that time were incredible warriors. The modern state of Israel's fighting ability is a continuation of a long tradition of really tough Jews.
Granted, the last two thousand years have somewhat tarnished the reputation, but that has certainly been put to rest. When G-d is on our side, there's really no enemy that can beat us.
That's the message from Tisha B'Av - unity. Jews need to stick together and not fight each other. We need to be sensitive to each other's feelings, and agree to disagree. A hard sell, no less, in this day and age of political correctness.
We are told the Holy Temple was destroyed because one person humiliated another person in public, in full view of the respected Rabbis at that time. Let us hope and pray that this kind of destruction never happen again.
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