This meme really struck home for me when I saw as we were observing the fast day of the 17th of Tammuz, last week. The Meme begins by pointing out that 17 is a combination of 10 and 7- Oct 7th. And then it drives home the central reason why we fast on the 17th of Tammuz, which is that the walls of Jerusalem were breached during the second Temple period and led to the destruction of the Temple on the 9th of Av, 3 weeks later. In a post October 7th wall we understand the consequences of when a wall is breached. When barbaric hordes breach our walls, overrun our defenses, we experience wanton destruction and catastrophe. If in the past we had a hard time connecting to the Fast day of the 17th of Tammuz, all one needs to do is read this meme and reflect on October 7th and you will know exactly what the Jews in the year 70 ce experienced.
This perspective may help we resolve another question I always had. Why do we fast on the 17th of Tammuz and also on the 9th of Av? Surely the primary feature of mourning was the destruction of the Temple itself on the 9th of Av? Why also fast for Jerusalem’s breached walls?
This meme inspired me towards a new approach, that must inform our entire existence during this time of the three weeks and throughout this war.
This week we witnessed Israels vaunted Mossad carry out, yet again, thrilling, dazzling acts of heroism. Beginning with the assassination of Fuad Shukr, identified by the Israeli military as Lebanese armed group Hezbollah’s most senior commander, second only to Nasrallah himself. Done in the heart of Lebanon, its capital city Beirut. And then the assassination of Ismail Haniyah ,the leader of Hamas Yemcha Shemam. This was particularly dazzling. In the heart if Iran, its capital city Teheran, in a secure military facility that houses many high ranking officials, on the day of the new presidents inauguration. These were remarkable feats. And for many of us this is the Israel we were used to. The Israel of 1948 war of Independence, the Israel of the 6 Day War, the Israel of the raid on Entebbe. But October 7th rocked our world. When they breached our walls on October 7th, we realized how vulnerable we are. We realized that our defenses are surmountable. That we are surrounded by Islamic militants that have hundreds of thousands of rockets aimed at us, that we are incredibly dependent on the US diplomatically and militarily, that we are profoundly profoundly vulnerable.
If you ask me what the message of October 7th is, a huge part of it must be that we are indeed profoundly vulnerable and live only by the grace of G-d.
This is what it means to have your walls breached. Its when you realize that all of your defenses, are not enough. That no matter how strong they look, no matter how thick and tall they were, no matter how much technology is being used to strengthen them, you are vulnerable. And this is the difference between the fast of the 17th of Tammuz and Tisha B’Av. You see Tisha B’Av is destruction. Its desecration. Theres nothing left. We cease to exist. Our sovereignty is lost. We are gone. Finished. But that is not what the three weeks leading up to Tisha B’Av are about. They are about living in a reality of breached walls. Recognizing just how vulnerable we truly are.
- Tisha B’Av is about destruction, 17th of Tammuz is about being vulnerable.
- Tisha B’Av is when its all over, 17th of Tammuz is about when theres still time.
- Tisha B’Av is about a new reality, 17th of Tammuz is about a new perspective.
Being vulnerable is very scary. You feel at the mercy of other. You cannot help yourself. But the truth is that there are some very big advantages of vulnerability. One of the most watched Ted Talks of all time is with some named Brene Brown. As of Friday it had 65,738,394 views. Its titled the Power of Vulnerability. You see, as Brown puts it, we like to numb vulnerability. We sacred of exposing our weaknesses. For example, we sacred to tell someone we were fired, were sometimes scared to compete because we might lose, were scared to tell people how were really feeling because we are worried what they will think of us. So we mask or numb our feelings of vulnerability by putting up a facade. We put on a strong face. We don’t take risks. We imagine ourselves, safe, secure and in control. In a certain sense, we put emotional distance between us and the others in an effort not to display emotional weakness. But the truth, is that study after study has found that they key to a meaningful relationship is being vulnerable to someone. Its when we stop putting up a facade and they accept us for who we really are.
This is the lesson of 17th of Tammuz. Its not about destruction, its about vulnerability. Its when all of the might and strength we thought we had disappears and we realize only HaShem can help us. We realize all of our defense mechanisms are not enough. The purpose of the 3 weeks is to become vulnerable before G-d now that our walls have been breached.
R Meilich Biderman gives a beautiful metaphor about life. He says there was once a master artist that drew the most lifelike paintings. People couldn’t tell the difference between the painting and the real thing. Once he was hired to draw birds in a synagogue. And they were so perfectly drawn that when people came in totes synagogue for the first time, they screamed for the janitor to get the birds off the roof! People mistook therm for live birds. Then he painted a box shelf this was even better than the birds. You see for the birds, the other people thought they were real. But for the bookshelf, even the artist himself thought they were real! And do you know what happened. The artist was holding a cup of coffee in his hand and he tried to put it on the bookshelf and it spilled all over the floor! The artist even tricked himself to thinking the bookshelf was real.
My friends, in life sometimes we are like the artists. We paint things, we build things, we amass wealth and success, relationships endeavors that we think are real. We think we have really done something! But we forget that really it is all in G-d’s hands. This is the purpose of the 17th of Tammuz. When are walls are breached, when we realize that we are not in charge, we are not so secure, that these are just paintings and illusory- then we realize just how vulnerable we are. But as Brown points out, there is power to vulnerability. We are able to turn to G-d, realize that our walls have been breached and recognize that he is the only one we can turn to. The purpose of the 3 weeks is not the same as Tisha B’Av. Its to be vulnerable before G-d, turn to him, exposed, out in the open, and tell him we crave a relationship with him. To tell hime we realize the walls we have built, the companies we have, the power we have amassed is truly not enough. And it is only because of him that we can continue to be.
And with great humility and trepidation, I suggest that perhaps this is one of the core messages of Oct. 7th. As the meme I began with suggested:
Af Echad Lo Traich LHasbir HaShana Lama Tzamim KShifritzah HaChoma