To Fast or Not to Fast

This week we discussed Tisha B'Av (the 9th of Av), which is coming up over the summer. On Tisha B'Av we commemorate the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem (both actually, first by the Babylonians and then for a final time by the Romans), followed by the exile of the Jews from their homeland.

Because it was such a tragic date in Jewish history, we have begun to commemorate other tragic events on that day as well, such as the capture of Beitar during the failed Bar-Kochba revolt and expulsions of the Jews from England in 1290 and Spain in 1492.

Tisha B'Av was decreed by the Rabbis of the Talmud to be a day of fasting (also, we recite services without a tune and sit on the ground). I do fast, but I have always been a bit ambivalent about it. I could understand having a memorial service or saying special prayers, but fasting seems a bit harsh (especially in August!) Moreover, the Jewish people can now call the State of Israel home again. Because of this, there are many Conservative rabbis who believe that you only need to fast until mincha (instead of nightfall). On the other hand, others feel this is not adequate. After all, maybe it's necessary to keep the memory of this catostrophic event alive through something as powerful as fasting. What do you think of this half-day practice?

Sh'mita Controversy in Israel

Our guest this week discussed the laws of "sh'mita" in the parasha. Sh'mita is the sabbatical year (every seventh year), when the land is supposed to lay fallow and not be worked or farmed. It also involves letting people get out of their loans if they are too far in debt.

In modern times, rabbis have found loopholes in order to let poor farmers continue to work on the shmita year; for example, they would "sell" the farmland to non-Jews for the year (sort of like selling our chametz on Pesach) so they could still work the land and keep their livelihood.
This past year there has been a big controversy in Israel, because the Chief Rabbinate has ruled that the loopholes no longer apply and that the original law from the Torah should be kept. This ruling has caused many problems, especially for small farmers who don't want to lose business.
Where do you stand on this debate with the Chief Rabbinate?

Check out the story NPR did on the controversy. You can listen, or read the transcript of the radio interview.

Remembering

This past month has been filled with memories, many of them negative or painful: before Purim we read the Torah portion that instructs us to remember Amalek, the tribe that sought to destroy the Israelites and from which Haman descended; at Pesach we saw ourselves as having come out from slavery; at the end of Pesach we recited the Yizkor prayer in shul in memory of family members who have passed away; on Yom Hashoah we remembered those who perished in the Holocaust; and on Yom Hazikaron we memorialized Israel's fallen soldiers and the victims of terror attacks.
That is a lot to remember! Especially due to the nature of these particular memories, it can be an emotionally draining period. Does this period bring you down? Or give you resolve? Do you personally find benefits - or downsides - to all of this collective memory? How do all of these memories affect you? Your Jewish identity?