Senseless Kindness

Senseless Kindness.

Jerusalem burned, the Holy Temple destroyed. Twice. 490 years apart, the Babylonians and Romans took our prized possession, our crown jewel, sending us into exile.

Tonight is Tisha B'Av - the ninth day of Av, a day notorious for calamity in the Jewish nation. From the spies in the desert to the Spanish Inquisition, to the expulsion from England, this date is always in the mix.

The Talmud relates a fascinating episode that directly led to the destruction:

An individual hosted a party, inviting all of his friends and acquaintances. The postal worker mistakenly delivered an invitation meant for a fellow named Kamtza to another gentleman namedBar Kamtza. While Kamzta was a close friend, Bar Kamtza was his despised enemy. Bar Kamtza, thinking that it was a gesture of goodwill, a truce, arrives at the celebration, looking forward to the end of the long-lasting feud. 

However, Bar Kamtza soon discovers that this was never the intention, when the host insists on him leaving, ignoring his pleas to allow him to stay just this once (even offering to pay for the entire party). Shamed and publicly humiliated, Bar Kamtza vows revenge. He heads off to the Roman emperor, with a claim that the Jews have rebelled. As proof, he suggests that the emperor send an offering to the Holy Temple. Along the way, Bar Kamtza surreptitiously makes a slit on the cow's lip, rendering it unfit. When the emperor's gift was rejected, this was proof positive of a rebellion, and an attack on Jerusalem ensued, culminating with the 9 Av tragedy.

And all of this began from an act of senseless hatred.

So as we mark this day on the Jewish Calendar, let us combat this with senseless acts of love and kindness. Not because the recipient earned our kindness. Not because I understand that kindness is a noble pursuit (it is). Not because it will make me a better person (it will). But simply kindness for the sake of kindness.

This year, the sadness and gloom of Tisha B'Av are mitigated, because it comes out on Shabbat. In this case, the fast day and mourning are pushed off until Saturday Night and Sunday making it that much easier to reverse the effect and transform the experience. For more on Tisha B'Av, click here.

Smile. Give. Love. It will make this world a better place.