From the Rabbi

This Shabbat has a special name – Shabbat Chazon, which means the Shabbat of Vision. It is always the haftarah of Parashat Devarim, and it is always read on the Shabbat preceeding Tisha B’av, which will occur on Monday night and Tuesday. The haftarah does not lament the destruction of the Temple and our loss of sovereignty in Israel. It focuses instead on the behaviors and attitudes which the prophet saw as the root cause of the destruction. The haftarah asks us to consider our own behavior in light of Tisha B’av. Is it the kind that could contribute to eroding our relationships and tearing the fabric of our society or is it the kind that would have a positive effect and result in stronger relationships.

The main event that we commemorate took place more than 2400 years ago. It is admittedly difficult to mourn for the Temple when we are so far removed from the world which surrounded it. This year, however, it might be somewhat easier (if that is even the right word) to put ourselves in the proper frame of mind because of the tragedy of October 7^th. As Rabbi JJ Schacter put it, we have a head start into the grieving, the anxiety, the worry, the unsettledness because we have been mired in those emotions for almost a year now.

We can – and we should – bring all of those emotions with us to our Tisha B’av observance. They will be at the forefront of our thoughts. Our liturgy will incorporate lamentations written in direct response to the October 7^th tragedy. They will help us reach back not only one year but many years into the past, urging us the to reflect seriously on events of today and of yesterday.

The full Tisha B’Av schedule can be found below. May this be the last Tisha B’Av we observe in this way.

Shabbat shalom