Let’s talk about ‘the other Three Weeks’

Everyone is familiar with the” Three Weeks”. They start on the 17th day of Tammuz ( a half fast) and reach the apex of mourning on T’isha B’Av ( full fast). This time period commemorates in the first instance, the breaking of the walls of Jerusalem and culminates on T’isha B’Av, the complete destruction of both Batei Hamikdash. This is a period of intense sadness and lamentation. There are a myriad of laws detailing restrictions on activities to emphasize the magnitude of the tragedy that befell the Jewish people. To paraphrase a famous line from Maus, “ and then our troubles began…”.

But, let’s talk about the “ The other three weeks” in which we now find ourselves. It begins with the incredible crescendo of Pesach. We experience excitement, joy, and most importantly
newness- from the new beginnings of freedom, to new and refreshed relationships, new food, new dishes, new shoes, and of course, new clothes.

Then suddenly, only a mere four days later, we are plunged into unimaginable depths of sadness and sorrow. We commemorate the greatest attempted annihilation of the Jewish people in history. There are those that claim that Yom HaShoah should not be given special recognition, but rather, it should be subsumed into T’isha B’Av. I understand that argument. But, I would posit the following instead. The magnitude and the enormity of the death and destruction of the Shoah requires that each of us, as actual witnesses, or as the recipients of witness statements, to ensure that the memories of our people be remembered, honored, and granted exceptional significance for one special day.

And then, once more, only five days later after Yom Hashoah, less than 24 hours from now, we will be thrust even deeper into sadness, and mournfulness. But this time together with our sorrow , we pay tribute, we give honor, and we accord gratitude for the ultimate sacrifice that has been made by our bravest, our most courageous men and women. There is not one blade of grass, not one stone, not one grain of sand of our blessed land that has not witnessed the sacrifice of our most valiant, for whom it may be said from their eternal life, that “for your tomorrow we gave our today.” ( John Maxwell Edmonds)

Then as the night falls to our 24 hours of honor, tribute, and mournfulness, abruptly, and with a shudder, we are to be released from all our sorrow into the jubilation that marks Yom Haatzmaut, the culmination of “the other three weeks”. We conclude with joy and delight, and in the only way Jews can celebrate- a barbeque of course ! We, the collective ” we” of the Jewish people are privileged to experience and bear witness to Jewish sovereignty over Eretz Yisrael . This is a date and time that should cause bells to ring within the hearts of every Jew and every right- minded person in the world. The establishment of Jewish sovereignty over the land of Israel is not something that can be taken for granted. Ask any of those who are witnesses to Yom Hashoah or Yom Hazikaron. And to every naysayer who complains of the problems, the conflicts, the corruptions, the travails, the current tragedies of our beloved and enslaved hostages, and the myriad of challenges that face the State of Israel, none of it can deny or negate the ultimate importance of our return to the land of Israel and the establishment of a Jewish state. And to those who say otherwise, I say, go and read , really read the story of the Jewish people.

And so, that is “ the other three weeks”. The joyful highs of Pesach, the depths of sorrow and sadness of Yom Hashoah, and Yom Hazikaron, and then back up to the jubilation of Yom Haatzmaut. Welcome to the roller coaster of “ the other three weeks”. Welcome to being a Jew.

We are ultimately bound to this land, Eretz Yisrael. I am immeasurably grateful to be able to live in this, our land, something not granted to my parents, my grandparents, my great grandparents, and beyond. Once more, I say, Blessed is Hashem, that has brought us to this moment in history. Happy 77!