The First Tisha B'Av Since October 7th

Key Findings:

Tisha B’Av is a Jewish day of commemorating and mourning tragic events in Jewish history. One of the many events that this day recognizes is Jerusalem’s capture by the Romans, which marked the beginning of the Jewish people’s journey into a long exile from their homeland and holy city. 

The author discusses two concepts in Jewish thought – the “Covenant of Fate”, which represents a centuries long era of exile, persecution, and suffering, as well as the “Covenant of Destiny” which the Jewish nation entered into when the State of Israel was established in 1948, and when Jerusalem was recaptured in 1967. 

The paradigmatic transition from the former to the latter occupied a variety of Jewish minds – from the secularists of Labor Zionism to the religious writings of Joseph B. Soloveitchik. Regardless of divergence in political attitudes within Israeli society, one thing was collectively felt by all – that the exile had ended. The shift from the Covenant of Fate to the Covenant of Destiny symbolized a shift from a surviving people to a thriving people. 

Tisha B’Av is closely related to the condition of the Covenant of Fate. The issues Israel faced right before October 7 were related to political division within Israeli society. Though this time in Israel was challenging and painful, it is a completely different pain than the aftermath of Oct 7 and the Israel-Hamas war at large. The author argues that, within a short amount of time, the Jewish people are deeply reminded of the Covenant of Fate.