{"id":3799,"date":"2024-08-13T21:03:40","date_gmt":"2024-08-14T01:03:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/utj.org\/viewpoints\/?p=3799"},"modified":"2024-08-13T21:03:40","modified_gmt":"2024-08-14T01:03:40","slug":"a-tenth-of-av-prayer-for-all-who-suffer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/utj.org\/viewpoints\/2024\/08\/a-tenth-of-av-prayer-for-all-who-suffer\/","title":{"rendered":"A Tenth of Av Prayer for All Who Suffer"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u05d4\u05b7\u05d1\u05bc\u05b4\u05a3\u05d9\u05d8\u05d5\u05bc \u05d5\u05bc\u05e8\u05b0\u05d0\u0594\u05d5\u05bc \u05d0\u05b4\u05dd\u05be\u05d9\u05b5\u05a4\u05e9\u05c1 \u05de\u05b7\u05db\u05b0\u05d0\u05d5\u05b9\u05d1\u0599 \u05db\u05bc\u05b0\u05de\u05b7\u05db\u05b0\u05d0\u05b9\u05d1\u05b4\u0594\u05d9 Look and see! Is there any agony like my agony?!<\/em>[1]<\/strong><\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

Yesterday, we wallowed in justified self-pity for the Jewish history of suffering, which knows no parallel.\u00a0 Our na\u00efve 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.\u00a0 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.<\/p>\n

Tisha b\u2019Av was, perhaps, a moment to concentrate on our own suffering to the exclusion of the suffering of others.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 And then, October 7.\u00a0 Especially October 7.<\/p>\n

But even if our suffering is unparalleled, we dare not allow that to obscure the suffering of others for more than a moment. \u00a0For Your prophets, oh Lord, called upon us to be a light onto the nations,[2]<\/a> and your sages taught that exclusive self-interest can render one\u2019s existence meaningless.[3]<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0 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]<\/a><\/p>\n

And so, as we turn our calendar to the 10th<\/sup> 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.<\/p>\n

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.\u00a0 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]<\/a> can examine the heart of every person.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 But the death of even one innocent person is a tragedy, and to You who prefers repentance over punishment,[6]<\/a> even the suffering of the wicked is worthy of grief.\u00a0 As Your book of Eikhah vividly demonstrates, suffering, no matter how justified, is worthy of lamentation.<\/p>\n

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.\u00a0 We also pray that You inspire all who inhabit the earth with compassion and empathy for the needs of the Jewish people.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 May our remembrance of past tragedies and cognizance of contemporary suffering herald fulfillment of the prophecy:<\/p>\n

\n

\u05d1\u05bc\u05b4\u05dc\u05bc\u05b7\u05a4\u05e2 \u05d4\u05b7\u05de\u05bc\u05b8\u0599\u05d5\u05b6\u05ea\u0599 \u05dc\u05b8\u05e0\u05b6\u0594\u05e6\u05b7\u05d7 \u05d5\u05bc\u05de\u05b8\u05d7\u05b8\u05a8\u05d4 \u05d0\u05b2-\u05d3\u05b9\u05e0\u05b8\u05a7\u05d9 \u05d4’ \u05d3\u05bc\u05b4\u05de\u05b0\u05e2\u05b8\u0596\u05d4 \u05de\u05b5\u05e2\u05b7\u05a3\u05dc \u05db\u05bc\u05c7\u05dc\u05be\u05e4\u05bc\u05b8\u05e0\u05b4\u0591\u05d9\u05dd \u05d5\u05b0\u05d7\u05b6\u05e8\u05b0\u05e4\u05bc\u05b7\u05a3\u05ea \u05e2\u05b7\u05de\u05bc\u0597\u05d5\u05b9 \u05d9\u05b8\u05e1\u05b4\u05d9\u05e8\u0599 \u05de\u05b5\u05e2\u05b7\u05a3\u05dc \u05db\u05bc\u05c7\u05dc\u05be\u05d4\u05b8\u05d0\u05b8\u0594\u05e8\u05b6\u05e5 \u05db\u05bc\u05b4\u05a5\u05d9 \u05d4’ \u05d3\u05bc\u05b4\u05d1\u05bc\u05b5\u05bd\u05e8\u05c3\u00a0{\u05e4} \u05d5\u05b0\u05d0\u05b8\u05de\u05b7\u05e8\u0599 \u05d1\u05bc\u05b7\u05d9\u05bc\u05a3\u05d5\u05b9\u05dd \u05d4\u05b7\u05d4\u0594\u05d5\u05bc\u05d0 \u05d4\u05b4\u05e0\u05bc\u05b5\u05a8\u05d4 \u05d0\u05b1-\u05dc\u05b9\u05d4\u05b5\u05a5\u05d9\u05e0\u05d5\u05bc \u05d6\u05b6\u059b\u05d4 \u05e7\u05b4\u05d5\u05bc\u05b4\u05a5\u05d9\u05e0\u05d5\u05bc \u05dc\u0596\u05d5\u05b9 \u05d5\u05b0\u05d9\u05d5\u05b9\u05e9\u05c1\u05b4\u05d9\u05e2\u05b5\u0591\u05e0\u05d5\u05bc \u05d6\u05b6\u05a4\u05d4 \u05d4’ \u05e7\u05b4\u05d5\u05bc\u05b4\u05a3\u05d9\u05e0\u05d5\u05bc \u05dc\u0594\u05d5\u05b9 \u05e0\u05b8\u05d2\u05b4\u05a5\u05d9\u05dc\u05b8\u05d4 \u05d5\u05b0\u05e0\u05b4\u05e9\u05c2\u05b0\u05de\u05b0\u05d7\u05b8\u0596\u05d4 \u05d1\u05bc\u05b4\u05d9\u05e9\u05c1\u05d5\u05bc\u05e2\u05b8\u05ea\u05bd\u05d5\u05b9\u05c3<\/p>\n

Death will be destroyed forever.
\nMy Sovereign GOD will wipe the tears away
\nFrom all faces
\nAnd will put an end to the reproach of God\u2019s people
\nOver all the earth\u2014
\nFor it is GOD who has spoken.<\/p>\n

In that day they shall say:[7]<\/a>
\nThis is our God;
\nWe trusted in the One who delivered us.
\nThis is GOD, in whom we trusted;
\nLet us rejoice and exult in God\u2019s deliverance!<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

[1]<\/a> Lamentations 1:12<\/a>.<\/p>\n

[2]<\/a> See e.g. Isaiah 42:6<\/a>, 42:16<\/a>, 49:6<\/a>, 60:3<\/a>.<\/p>\n

[3]<\/a> See e.g. Mishnah Avot 1:14<\/a>.<\/p>\n

[4]<\/a> Babylonian Talmud Bava Kama 92a<\/a>.<\/p>\n

[5]<\/a> Psalm 147:4<\/a>.<\/p>\n

[6]<\/a> See e.g. Ezekiel 33:11<\/a>.<\/p>\n

[7]<\/a> Isaiah 25:8<\/a>-9, Trans. Revised JPS, 2023.<\/p>\n\n

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And so, as we turn our calendar to the 10th 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.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":3804,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[160,134,93,78,133,136],"tags":[],"coauthors":[89],"class_list":["post-3799","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-anti-semitism","category-holidays-2","category-israel","category-modern-judaism","category-tefillah","category-tisha-bav"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/utj.org\/viewpoints\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3799","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/utj.org\/viewpoints\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/utj.org\/viewpoints\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/utj.org\/viewpoints\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/13"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/utj.org\/viewpoints\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3799"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/utj.org\/viewpoints\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3799\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3807,"href":"https:\/\/utj.org\/viewpoints\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3799\/revisions\/3807"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/utj.org\/viewpoints\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3804"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/utj.org\/viewpoints\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3799"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/utj.org\/viewpoints\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3799"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/utj.org\/viewpoints\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3799"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/utj.org\/viewpoints\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=3799"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}