Dear Healthy Jew,
I can’t say I’m a big fan of Tisha Be’Av videos — even though it might be the most popular film genre in the Orthodox Jewish world.
But hey, if you can’t beat ’em, join ’em.
So last week, I filmed a little something together with my good friend, hiking partner, and renowned tour guide, Nesanel Eisenman. Please pardon our Hebrew slang if that’s not your thing; I translated everything in the subtitles.
We visited the ancient ruins of Khirbet Itri, a major Second Temple era city in the heart of the Judean Lowlands.
As we walked through its homes and synagogues, we reflected on a mostly overlooked aspect of the Destruction we mourn today. The Talmud teaches that one must tear their garments not only upon seeing the ruins of Jerusalem and the Temple, but also upon witnessing the destruction of Yehudah, or Judah.
Mourning Yehudah, as we discuss in the video, means mourning the loss of ordinary Jewish life in Israel. After all, the name “Jew” comes from Judah.
In our fractured, traumatized Israel, we must now work and pray to restore and revive the land of Yehuda.
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Be well,
Rabbi Shmuel Chaim Naiman
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