Tisha B’Av Wrap-Up

With Aliyah less than 2 weeks away, there’s a lot going on that made it hard to get into the mood of Tisha B’Av. Right now, I’m actually homeless and unemployed. Well, homeless only in the sense that we’re between homes for the next two weeks. But the unemployed part is for real.
Anyhow, a few things that came up over Tisha B’Av, here in Yenem’s Velt (not far from Yehupitz), where we’ll be with our good friends, the local Rabbi and his family, through Shabbos:

• Regarding the Kinot about Pinui Azzah, I can’t imagine that this will be a lasting phenomenon. The fact that the events occurred so close to Tisha B’Av put it on everyone’s mind last year and this year. Some people will continue to say them, but it won’t ‘make it’ in the mainstream.


• On the same topic, I got a chance to look at some of the Kinot for Pinui Azzah, and some of them had some truly classic lines. For example, one says, “כף הטרקטור תלויה ועומדת, מונפת מעל לשומרון”. Aaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh! Somebody call the Academia Le-lashon Ivrit! Let me state, in no uncertain terms, that the word ‘tractor’ has no business in a Kinah. Another Kinah is more of a manifesto than a lament. It includes lines like

היהודים – והמתיוונים;ציונות המאמינה – והציונות האפיקורסית
היא תברר: מי לה', ומי לסטרא אחרא? מי שומר ברית, ומי מחלל ברית

If you don’t understand those lines, then consider yourself better off. I’m not sure what he means by the whole bit about violating the covenant. As far as I know, pro-disengagement circles are not practicing epispasm (look it up).

• One of my kids stepped on, and broke, my glasses this morning. So before shul this morning, my host ran out and picked up some Krazy glue (I couldn’t drive). Later, the glue must have fallen out of my pocket, and Raphi, the 2-year-old, found it, had gotten the lid off, and was moving it toward his mouth before our host noticed, pulled it away, and made sure that all of my son’s digits were still distinct. I thought ‘tidbak leshoni le-chiki in lo ezkereichi’, which I thought was a darn funny Tisha B’av joke.


• Something I’m not proud of, I missed mincha today. The ADDeRebbetzin was nursing and fasting, a nasty combination, and needed help getting the kids to sleep. I got Raphi to sleep, went to get my tefillin, and noticed that it was one minute after sunset. I don’t regret what I did, but should have had the foresight to daven earlier. Anyhow, the sensation that there’s just nothing I can do is a very strange one. I did a tashlumin for mincha, but there’s nothing to make up not wearing tefillin for a day. Very disconcerting.