Sunday was the Jewish Holy day of Tisha B'av, the day that marks the destruction of the first and second temple. Painful things have happened to Jews on this day through out history. This day marks not only the destruction of the temples, but also the day that Jews were expelled from England, and later Spain, and the day the Warsaw ghetto transports started to Treblinka.
The first Tisha B'av happened in the desert.
The Jews were poised to cross into the promised land, but they stalled.
They were afraid. So 12 spies were sent into Israel. When they came
back, 10 of the spies were terrified. These ten convinced the rest of
the people, thousands of people
according to legend, to quit without even trying.
The first Tisha B'av happened in the desert.
The Jews were poised to cross into the promised land, but they stalled.
They were afraid. So 12 spies were sent into Israel. When they came
back, 10 of the spies were terrified. These ten convinced the rest of
the people, thousands of people according to legend, to quit without even trying.
This is where things get interesting. A group of people who had been blessed with repeated miracles and gifts lose their courage and refuse to budge. They stopped cold and wailed that it would be better to be a slave than to face danger. It would be better to sit that to try. It would be better to give up now and have nothing, than to take a risk. This pisses off G-d who sends them back into the desert for 40 years. Only after the generation of slaves dies off can they enter Israel. Generational issues at play.
What an interesting message for a "new bride" to hear.
We can live out our fears by giving up before we try, or we can try, and try, and try and succeed. Maybe this is why Ric and I are still together after 25 years. Like any other marriage there was as much good as bad, and many moments that seemed over-whelming. We could have quit. We could have given up. But for whatever reason we were able to look at each other and commit to trying.
us through seven major surgeries, four college degrees, the loss of six close family members, and an assortment of financial, profession and personal trials. And somehow through it all we have managed to pull together, to try again, and to succeed.
So, with a new Ketbuah and new wedding vows, we want to add this to our journey, a pledge to always try before we quit. All things worth having take effort, including a strong marriage. When both people are willing to try amazing things can happen.
Love this blog!
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