Why were the First and Second Jerusalem Temples destroyed? Depending upon one’s perspective, those questions are profound, pointless, or perhaps a combination of the two. But how we answer those questions, especially on Tisha b’Av which mourns their destruction, can be quite meaningful and useful. All the more so for me, who actually yearns to see a Third Temple rebuilt, albeit only the one promised by the Prophet Isaiah — a Temple that will be a house of prayer (silence on the issue of sacrifice) for all people of all nations to access and use.
If we can understand what led to the destructions of Temple One and Temple Two, perhaps Temple Three can arise if we create a world that has adequately addressed the past causes for destruction. And even if not, those past causes are still very present today and they certainly demand our attention. How so? Our tradition teaches that, although they were destroyed by conquering armies, the First Temple was really destroyed because of idolatry and the Second Temple was destroyed because of baseless hatred. Need I say more?
Idolatry is not limited to the worship of stone gods. Idolatry is the false absolutization of the infinite, be it a god, an idea, or a value — be it a good one or a bad one, robbing it of its liveliness and its nimbleness, which are the very things that guarantee its enduring meaning and relevance. However well-intentioned it may be, however right the cause it serves may be, it always brings destruction in its wake. So, in a world increasingly animated by ideological, political, and social idolatries, Tisha b’Av is an ideal time to consider our own idolatries, and what we can do to correct for them.
And as for baseless hatred, the term leaves us room to keep on hating if we really want to, but it also reminds us that such hatreds may have less basis than we want to imagine. So, this Tisha b’Av, we can admit that many (all?) of us have people and things we truly hate. We may even be right about some of those hatreds being well-founded. But not all of them. Imagine a hatred you carry, and then dare to imagine further: As real as that feeling is, it may not be as justified as you tell yourself. What then? What could be built off that awareness? A Third Temple? Who knows. A better tomorrow? Almost without doubt.
Tisha b’Av reminds us that whatever pain we have endured, or continue to endure, we also carry within ourselves the tools we need to build beyond that pain. The rest is up to us.
Listed for many years in Newsweek as one of America’s “50 Most Influential Rabbis” and recognized as one of our nation’s leading “Preachers and Teachers,” by Beliefnet.com, Rabbi Brad Hirschfield serves as the President of Clal–The National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership, a training institute, think tank, and resource center nurturing religious and intellectual pluralism within the Jewish community, and the wider world, preparing people to meet the biggest challenges we face in our increasingly polarized world.
An ordained Orthodox rabbi who studied for his PhD and taught at The Jewish Theological Seminary, he has also taught the University of Pennsylvania, where he directs an ongoing seminar, and American Jewish University. Rabbi Brad regularly teaches and consults for the US Army and United States Department of Defense, religious organizations — Jewish and Christian — including United Seminary (Methodist), Yeshivat Chovevei Torah (Modern Orthodox) Luther Seminary (Lutheran), and The Jewish Theological Seminary (Conservative) — civic organizations including No Labels, Odyssey Impact, and The Aspen Institute, numerous Jewish Federations, and a variety of communal and family foundations.
Hirschfield is the author and editor of numerous books, including You Don’t Have To Be Wrong For Me To Be Right: Finding Faith Without Fanaticism, writes a column for Religion News Service, and appears regularly on TV and radio in outlets ranging from The Washington Post to Fox News Channel. He is also the founder of the Stand and See Fellowship, which brings hundreds of Christian religious leaders to Israel, preparing them to address the increasing polarization around Middle East issues — and really all currently polarizing issues at home and abroad — with six words, “It’s more complicated than we know.”