A Tenth of Av Prayer for All Who Suffer

הַבִּ֣יטוּ וּרְא֔וּ אִם־יֵ֤שׁ מַכְאוֹב֙ כְּמַכְאֹבִ֔י Look and see! Is there any agony like my agony?![1]

Yesterday, we wallowed in justified self-pity for the Jewish history of suffering, which knows no parallel.  Our naïve hope that our generation might be different was shattered on October 7, 2023, when our people were wantonly, savagely, and mercilessly attacked by the evil Hamas.  There has been little or no comfort in the ensuing months, as those atrocities have been downplayed, ignored, and even justified by many, including those whom many of us once considered friends and allies.

Tisha b’Av was, perhaps, a moment to concentrate on our own suffering to the exclusion of the suffering of others.  And so, yesterday, we asked You, dear God, to remember all the tragedies that have befallen our people, from exiles to inquisition, from pogroms to the Holocaust.  And then, October 7.  Especially October 7.

But even if our suffering is unparalleled, we dare not allow that to obscure the suffering of others for more than a moment.  For Your prophets, oh Lord, called upon us to be a light onto the nations,[2] and your sages taught that exclusive self-interest can render one’s existence meaningless.[3]   We are ever mindful that the best way for our prayers to earn your beneficence is to beseech you to show the same beneficence to others.[4]

And so, as we turn our calendar to the 10^th of Av, we broaden our focus and accept our responsibility for prayer and action to ease the pain of all who suffer, be it from flood or from famine, from disease or from war.

We dare not avert our gaze even from those who have suffered or perished as part of our national aspirations for security through self-determination.  In truth, we know not how many of them were innocent, for only You, who can count all the stars and call them by name[5] can examine the heart of every person.  So, too, we cannot be certain which of our actions have been thoroughly justified and when we could have done better, for You alone are the True Judge of all who are on earth.  But the death of even one innocent person is a tragedy, and to You who prefers repentance over punishment,[6] even the suffering of the wicked is worthy of grief.  As Your book of Eikhah vividly demonstrates, suffering, no matter how justified, is worthy of lamentation.

And so, on this 10 of Av, we mourn all suffering throughout the world, recognize our responsibility for its alleviation, and invoke your inspiration for that quest.  We also pray that You inspire all who inhabit the earth with compassion and empathy for the needs of the Jewish people.  May our aspirations for security never be seen as a threat to others who aspire to the same, so that all people of good will may live in peace and tranquility.  Teach us to prioritize the safety of others over our own personal prosperity, the needs of others over our own desires, caring for the stranger over hurting our adversaries, and love of others over hatred of our enemies.  May our remembrance of past tragedies and cognizance of contemporary suffering herald fulfillment of the prophecy:

בִּלַּ֤ע הַמָּ֙וֶת֙ לָנֶ֔צַח וּמָחָ֨ה אֲ-דֹנָ֧י ה’ דִּמְעָ֖ה מֵעַ֣ל כׇּל־פָּנִ֑ים וְחֶרְפַּ֣ת עַמּ֗וֹ יָסִיר֙ מֵעַ֣ל כׇּל־הָאָ֔רֶץ כִּ֥י ה’ דִּבֵּֽר׃ {פ} וְאָמַר֙ בַּיּ֣וֹם הַה֔וּא הִנֵּ֨ה אֱ-לֹהֵ֥ינוּ זֶ֛ה קִוִּ֥ינוּ ל֖וֹ וְיוֹשִׁיעֵ֑נוּ זֶ֤ה ה’ קִוִּ֣ינוּ ל֔וֹ נָגִ֥ילָה וְנִשְׂמְחָ֖ה בִּישׁוּעָתֽוֹ׃

Death will be destroyed forever.
My Sovereign GOD will wipe the tears away
From all faces
And will put an end to the reproach of God’s people
Over all the earth—
For it is GOD who has spoken.

In that day they shall say:[7]
This is our God;
We trusted in the One who delivered us.
This is GOD, in whom we trusted;
Let us rejoice and exult in God’s deliverance!

[1] Lamentations 1:12.

[2] See e.g. Isaiah 42:6, 42:16, 49:6, 60:3.

[3] See e.g. Mishnah Avot 1:14.

[4] Babylonian Talmud Bava Kama 92a.

[5] Psalm 147:4.

[6] See e.g. Ezekiel 33:11.

[7] Isaiah 25:8-9, Trans. Revised JPS, 2023.