My car broke down next to the Walmart near the Cielo Vista Mall earlier today because it was out of fuel. I hopped out of the car and approached a perfect stranger walking away from the memorial and asked him if he could give me a lift to the nearest gas station. He gladly agreed.
Andrew is a journalist from out of town writing a story on how educators will speak to their students about the unspeakable tragedy from last Shabbat, as school begins on Monday.
We swapped a few thoughts on the matter and I commented to him that the killer travelled all the way across Texas just to kill people because he was motivated by senseless hatred. We need to respond by doing acts of senseless love and compassion, and this short ride to the gas station for a perfect stranger was a great example of that.
It’s the perfect tradeoff - blunt hate with love. Destroy senseless hate with senseless love.
This Shabbat is Tisha B’Av - the national Jewish day of tragedy and mourning, typically observed through a 25 hour fast, but this year is different. Since the ninth day of Av occurs on Shabbat, and Shabbat is a day of pleasure and rejoicing, the sadness and pain of the observance will be delayed to Saturday night and Sunday.
Although the commemoration of the destruction of both our Holy Temples and other tragedies is delayed - the positive elements and messages of Tisha B’Av are magnified specifically when it occurs on Shabbat.
According to tradition the second Holy Temple was destroyed as a result of rampant hatred and the political bickering that rocked the Jewish nation at the time. People despised others for no explainable reason. Although Torah scholarship flourished at the time and there was no issue with idolatry and the like, the atmosphere was so toxic and tensions ran so high that G-d deemed it unworthy for the Holy Temple to remain in our midst.
That’s why Titus and the Roman legions were successful in capturing Jerusalem, destroying our Holy Temple and banishing us into exile.
But G-d promised we will return as soon as we fix the problems, and the way to correct senseless hatred is by engaging in senseless love.
As we observe Tisha B’Av and especially in light of El Paso’s shocking tragedy this week, let us focus our energies in reaching out to others, offering a helping hand and a kind word. Increase in Tzedakah giving, especially in the frequency of your giving. Set aside a Tzedakah box at home and at the office and make charity a permanent and consistent aspect of life.
May our combined efforts usher in the era we are all so desperately waiting for, when peace and tranquility will fill the world with the coming of Moshiach, even before we observe the fast this Sunday.