I am development a thought here, which may take several posts to clarify.
On Tisha b'Av we mourn the destruction of the Beit haMikdash, but really we mourn the fact that we have not yet been zochim to rebuild the Mikdash, and any generation in which the Mikdash is not built is a generation which deserved to have the Mikdash destroyed in its lifetime.
In short, we are mourning our guilt of the same crimes that led to the Hurban.
So,we are mourning the desecration of Shabbat, the lack of him-her morals, the lack of care about human life and, evenif all thatw ere okay, we are distraught over the internal hatred within Am Yisrael.
T"U b'Av, on the opposite extreme, is a special date which marks the tribes being allowed to marry each other.
In other words, HaShem accepted / condoned/ wanted the tribes to each strengthen their own identity before assimilating into each other.
And even after that, the Shevatim continued to have separate nahalot and separate leaders, and were still expected to maintain their individual identities, even as people might choose to marry into a different tribe and adopt a new "religious identity".
So, maybe the secret to deserving to rebuild the Mikdash lies in recognizing that each tribe, each stripe,has its value for some portion of Am Yisrael. That we need to understand each group, each community, each "aliya" and its needs.
And when we can accept each tribe on its own terms, we can allow people to choose to which tribe to belong; and allow even our most beloved treasures, our children, the freedom to choose which part of Am Yisrael suits them the best (after we have imparted to them our customs and beliefs).
I think we have to start by learning each other's histories, and understanding what makes each Jew "tick".
Midreshet Beit Shemesh led a beautiful tour this spring of Old Beit Shemesh. For me, who made aliya from Canada, to really see the poverty that began Beit Shemesh, gave me a much better appreciation for how Danny Vaknin became mayor, and why he made some of the choices he made. He did not grow up in the wealth and modernity of Toronto. His voters were not college educated. They cared much more about spending time with people they love than about being efficient workers who can earn "that much more if they would just work harder."
And, in fact, the North African Jewish culture's values provide more family and community stability than the modern North American race-to-the-top, he-who-dies-with-the-most-toys-wins mentality. And I am sorry for my part in devaluing their culture.
I would like to work on a sociology project now - using my love for writing in order to help Jews understand each others' backgrounds, feelings and needs. Those with whom I agree, and those with whom I completely disagree.
I would like to do this in a respectful manner, to help us all learn to respect each other, and in this way help us find ways to make our national revival a truly unifying experience.
Input and feedback is most appreciated.
Chana
