By: Yoni Meta
From Tammuz 17th to Av. 9th, Am Israel is devastated by the loss of the temple
and what were the first two Jewish states. In that sense, today we are at an
intermediate time: Israel – as a people – is not in a state of war, but neither there is
complete nor absolute peace. We built our State, but we are still very far from the
prophecy that Isaiah conveyed (2: 4): “No people will return to take up arms
against another or receive instruction for war.”
In the middle of these three weeks that separate the fall of Jerusalem (Tammuz
17th) and the destruction of the Temple (Av 9th), an Haftara is read in which
Irmiahu, like Moshe, says that he is not able to speak with the people. God
answers him with a very particular phrase: “Before I formed you in the womb I
met you and before you were born I sanctified you”, and for more the text
continues: “I chose you today over the towns and kingdoms to tear off and to
destroy, to ruin and to tear down, to edify and to plant.”
At first glance, it is possible to emphasize that the place that both leaders, Irmiahu
and Moshe, will have in history seems to be more imposed than voluntary.
However, the truth is that every person, since its creation, is called to change this
world and make it a better place, but not for its own benefit but for future
generations.
Today we know that the destruction of the Jewish states was a consequence of the internal division between us, and the fact that every year we go again through the process of these three weeks, implies that we still did not do enough to change
that.
As a part of the jewish people, we have an obligation to try to reach every Tisha
Be Av renewed, knowing that it on in us not only to change the history of the
People of Israel, but also the world. As Jews, our history calls us to be active in any place where we stand without anything frightening us, because we know that we do not do it for the here and now but for the future.
Along the way, we must understand two things: the first, that we are necessarily
going to bump into the typical difficulties that are going to make us fall into the
idea that nothing can be achieved, only to understand that after tearing off,
destroying, ruining and demolishing, it arrives the time to build and plant. The
second, that all of us, from our conception, were created with the necessary
instruments to change this world, we just need to decide to do so.
As madrichim, and as heirs of those who led revolts against Nazi terror and raised
a state in the middle of a swamp against all kinds of odds, we must take up the
challenge of building and planting even in the most difficult times, using
education as main instrument.
In every machane, every peula and every moment we have with our chanichim,
we have the possibility of changing a person and, through it, the world.
It is we, as educators, who must begin the change through the transmission of our
values. As we say in Darkeinu: “The Madrich is a pillar on which our entire
educational structure is based. It is the personal example of our madrichim and
bogrim – that gives ethical foundations to our educational task.” In other words,
we all – as madrichim – have the necessary tools to start a real change and turn
history around.
Thus, we hope to continue with our mission, so that next year we can, far from
fasting, celebrate Tisha B’av, celebrating that after our effort and struggle no
people returned to take up arms against another, nor did they receive instruction
for war.
