What am I supposed to do with the pain and loss of 2000 years ago? It's really old and abstract. It doesn't feel relatable or relevant. It feels like an empty, meaningless gesture. The best I can come up with is a feeling of guilt mixed with a little "what's wrong with me". And to make matters worse when I engage in empty, meaningless gestures I feel as though I dull my senses, waste my time and worse miss out on some unknown opportunity.
Historically, the period of three weeks that began Monday night, June 24th this year (17th of Tammuz) and culminates on July 16th (9th of Av) begins with the breaching of the walls of Jerusalem and its eventual destruction and the destruction of the First and Second Holy Temples (Beit Hamikdash) on the 9th of Av. These events are a couple thousand years old. That I feel "distant" from them is an understatement.
Our Sages of blessed memory teach that physical events are the symptoms, not the source. The spiritual backdrop to these events is marked by a 3 week period without the same protections we generally have for the rest of the year. We are journeying on a treacherous path. If we are not careful, calamity can befall us. But if we are present to the challenges and opportunities, great results can ensue.
When we see the pain of others we have an opportunity to get past our personal agenda and go beyond ourselves to help others. Whether its hunger or human trafficking, in our community or abroad, the death of firefighters in the western US, or a priest in the middle east, the empathetic efforts we make can lessen the pain of others. Our Sages of Blessed memory teach in the Talmud that the 2nd Temple was destroyed because of "sinat chinam", baseless hatred. Our work is to step beyond personal agenda and experience baseless love, love without expecting anything in return.
No matter the spiritual backdrop, the universe is always there to provide help and protection when we lovingly engage in enrichment, empathy and selfless work on behalf of the world around us, without personal agenda, just because.
