The Children are Ready

In this season of traditional mourning for the Holy Temple, stop to think: What are we really mourning for? Where does this process take us?

What does the Holy Temple, and the lack thereof, really mean to Israel and the world?

The Temple Institute has released a thought provoking video to refocus people’s attention during the period of the Nine Days and Tisha B’Av. As my first ever Times of Israel blog entry, I thought I would explain our thoughts behind the video.

The video articulates the irony, that people have become entrenched in mourning for the sake of mourning, instead of contemplating the true meaning of the day: the loss of the Beit HaMikdash, a universal house of prayer and peace for all nations, and the promise of the future.

The upbeat video features two children building in the sand at the beach as their father is immersed in the worrying headlines of his newspaper. The children, joyfully playing in the sun-drenched day at the beach, and just enjoying being children, are unspoiled and innocent. Unlike their father, they haven’t yet been taught that certain things are impossible. The headlines are meaningless to them.  The story ends with a surprise twist, leaving the viewer with a very unconventional yet striking message for this year’s Tisha B’Av.

Note also that the little boy’s older sister clearly leads and instructs her brother. Jewish tradition emphasizes the innate spiritual superiority of women, who lead the nation from exile to redemption.

In the face of recent terrorist attacks launched against our country’s citizens, this is an uplifting clip that reminds us of our strength in the face of a tumultuous history, and our ability to rebuild despite adversity.