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Rabbi Daniel Rowe - The Hebrew Word That Explains Human Suffering

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Author: Rabbi Daniel Rowe
Categories: Religion
Tags: religion
Views: 2 · Last viewed: 2026-10-14 23:14 UTC

Short Summary

Main recommendation: Rabbi Daniel Rowe argues that Tisha B'Av should be used to feel the pain of the world and to shift from self-centeredness to unity, so that the grief leads to a God-centered relationship and rebirth. The talk frames the Hebrew word Eicha ("How can it be?") as the key to the day's sorrow, and links it to God's question Ayecha ("Where are you?") in the Garden of Eden.

Key Points

  • Eicha ("How can it be?") captures Tisha B'Av's sorrow: the destruction of both Temples, and the disbelief that Jerusalem and God's home could fall.
  • The speaker says people repeatedly refuse to believe catastrophes are possible, citing the 1492 expulsion from Spain, the Inquisition, pogroms, the Crusades, and the Holocaust, and calls this disbelief an "illusion" that disillusionment breaks.
  • The speaker links Eicha to Ayecha ("Where are you?"), which he says share the same Hebrew letters and which God asks Adam in the Garden of Eden.
  • Baseless hatred (sinat chinam), which the Talmud blames for the Temple's destruction, is explained as self-centeredness: each person sees themselves as the center of reality.
  • The remedy offered is seeing through others' eyes, seeing each other as "twigs on the same branch," and becoming God-centered and unified.

Details Worth Noting

  • Concrete instructions:
    • Use Tisha B'Av to reflect honestly on pettiness and self-centeredness, not only on historical loss.
    • When in conflict, try to see the situation through the other person's eyes before judging them as evil.
    • Recognize that the other person's hurt is real from their perspective, and try to forgive that they too are imperfect.
    • Focus on unity and love with others, rather than on punishing or excluding someone who wronged you.
    • In the weeks after Tisha B'Av, reflect deeply on who you want to become, so that by Rosh Hashanah you can present a new plan.
    • On Rosh Hashanah, stand before God and respond "Hineni" ("we are here") to God's call.
  • The speaker cites his rabbi, Rabbi Berkovitz, who said the "baselessness" of hatred is the self-centered self.
  • The speaker notes the Talmud says the Temple fell because of sin of baseless hatred, which he presents as deeply rooted in personal grievances.
  • Tisha B'Av falls on the 9th of Av; the speaker notes the 8th of Av was the last day Jews could remain in Spain in 1492, with hunting beginning by the 9th.
  • Rosh Hashanah is presented as the anniversary of man's creation in the Garden of Eden, and the shofar's call is linked to the beginning of the world and the messianic era.

Bottom Line

The talk treats Tisha B'Av's grief as a call to dismantle self-centeredness and restore unity, turning mourning into a commitment to reconnect with God and each other before Rosh Hashanah.