Preparing, and Unprepared

An earnest message to my child as she makes her own way in a broken, angry, anguished world, and a quiet plea to us all to open our hearts with love.

At first glance, Tu B’av, the Festival of Love, seems to be the Jewish equivalent of Valentine’s Day.  But, a deeper look at the strange origins of this holiday reveals the transformative possibilities of this day.  It all begins with an ax. 

Tisha B’Av is the day we devote to contemplating destruction and ruin.  How should we observe it, this year, when we are already carrying so much grief?  And how can our tradition, and the story of one London rabbinical student, spur us to action?

Right now we are in the period of the most concentrated grief in the Jewish calendar leading up to Tisha b’Av next week. This year, in Los Angeles, we are in an extended period of the same. From the fires through the ICE raids beginning last month, we have gotten no reprieve. What insight does our parsha lend us about how to live in this valley of grief and also let our grief be a catalyst for action?