Can't We All Just Get Along?

The saddest day in Jewish history has passed by, yet again.

It has not been transformed into a day of rejoicing, yet again.

We all sat through another repetition of Eichah, yet again.

The tears continue to flow from heaven to below as our world remains unchanged. Unchanged by the years of sorrow, self-absorbed by the hatred that has seeped into our very essence and hardened by the continuous pain that afflicts our nation. Look how far we have come and look how far we have strayed. Everyday there are Jews in this world who wake up and see G-D in their lives and everyday there are Jews in this world that block the light of G-D from shining through.

It has been said over and over and over again that the only way to rebuild the holy temple, and the world, is through love. Through an intense love that acknowledges that G-D created each human for a reason. It is only through the fulfillment of each person's potential that the world can reach a state of completion. Knowing that each of us has a unique mission in this world we should really get cracking and figure out what that is. Worrying or judging another person's attempt at figuring out their journey in life is a waste of our own. We insist that our judment or criticism of another person is for the greater good, or it is for G-D's sake. But who are 99% of us kidding, it is about our own pride. It is about us not wanting to exert the energy that it would take to see our own faults and correct them, so we project our issues onto others. But this is not going to take us far.

As Jews we are known for our stubborn behavior: there is the joke about the person on a deserted island who built two Shuls so he could say, "I go to the other one", or the joke about 2 Jews having 3 opinions. It is true, we are opinionated, stubborn and persistent. And thank G-D for that, but there are always two sides of a character trait; side one you win and side two you lose. In our obstinance we tend to forget that we are all fighting on the same team. We forget that sometimes we have to put aside our own will and submit to the will of something greater. We forget that we are supposed to use our horns to chase away evil and unite against darkness. In our blindness to the bigger picture we forget that is our mission as a people to bring light to the world.

However, we can only do that if we are all on the same side of the mechitza and on the same side of this great divide that we call our pride. If we can see another perspective for just a moment, we will realize that our true pride will emenate only when we are together and acknowledging each other's worth. Bashing another Jew is like cutting off your right hand to spite your left; you are only hurting yourself.

So let's take up the challenge (because that is one thing we are famous for) and fulfill the words of the Baal Shem Tov regarding the commandment to 'love a fellow Jew like yourself'. He explained that just as you see your faults and yet you still love yourself, so too should you be able to see another's faults and love them just the same. Let's use our pride to unite and spread the warm light of G-Dliness in this world and make evil darkness a thing of the past. If we can rise to the task, with G-D's help, we will merit to see the 9th of Av as a day of celebration not of mourning.

Move over Eichah, our days of lamenting are over.