I went over to Temple Beth Zion yesterday for Shabbat and then later on for the Tisha b'Av service at 9:15. Tisha b' Av is the saddest day in the Jewish calendar. The previous three weeks leading up to it are periods of mourning for the destruction of the Temple of Solomon, both in 70 A.D. when it was destroyed by the Romans and 586 B.C. when it was destroyed by the Babylonians. Michael made many, many drawings of the Temple for my synagogue project. I had to go - in Michael's memory. Also for the cumulative losses....in the last five years I have lost Roby, my mother and now Michael. It's a lot.
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| Temple of Solomon, c.900 B.C., Preliminary Study. Drawing by Michael Robinett. Copyright 2015. Do not Reproduce without permission from Carol Miller. |
The book of Lamentations is read in dim light and candle light in the synagogue. It began with a silent meditation. It was so quiet in that room you could hear a pin drop. So many people came to mourn the loss of the Temple over 2,000 years ago.
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| Arch of Titus in Rome. Depicts the Romans carrying off the gold ritual implements in the Temple. It is still there today. It appears in all art and architectural history books. | |
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3 comments:
It's definitely true that the older we get, the more we have to deal with loss. I think the only thing we can do is to go on as best we can, and to honor their memory. It sounds like this was a very meaningful service.
Thank you Ellen. I appreciate your thoughtful reply. The world has taken on a very surreal quality. Everything is different. Your thoughts on loss have a lot of resonance as I try to adjust to the new reality.
Bernice, Jews were living in Rome during the time of the Temple of Solomon. It is one of the oldest Jewish communities in the world. I was told by a friend who lived there for a year with her family that Jews in Rome did not walk under the Arch until Israel emerged in 1948. Up until then, they walked around it. Nice to hear about your experience with Roby.
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