Sadness with Hope

·58 min·5 clips

A blind person who declines sight because he doesn't know what he's missing mirrors our unawareness of the Temple's loss.

The episode 'Sadness with Hope' from 'Jewish Talk' is a solo monologue by host Rabbi Anchelle Perl, broadcast from Nassau Community College's radio station WHPC. Perl opens with station promotions and greetings to online and radio listeners before introducing the episode's focus: Tisha B'Av, the ninth day of the Hebrew month of Av, observed this year on August 12th-13th. He frames the central question: why do Jews continue to mourn the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem, an event that occurred millennia ago? Perl argues that the Temple's loss represents a severing of the direct spiritual-physical connection and a collapse of national unity. He uses the analogy of a blind person who doesn't realize what they're missing to suggest that modern Jews may be unaware of the profound spiritual void left by the Temple's absence. A story from 1967 about a non-religious Israeli soldier crying uncontrollably at the recaptured Western Wall exemplifies this unconscious grief. Perl then shifts to discuss the concept of 'dignity' (malchus), positing that Tisha B'Av is about damaged inner dignity, which manifests today in political shouting matches, low self-esteem, and functional addictions. He explains customs like fasting, sitting on the floor, and eating a meal of bread dipped in ashes. The episode delves into Jerusalem's significance, explaining that its Hebrew name, Yerushalayim, means 'awesome harmony' and that it is considered the center of the universe and humanity's point of origin (from Adam and Eve). Perl describes the Land of Israel as a spiritual vortex and portal between heaven and earth. He recounts two Talmudic stories featuring Rabbi Akiva, who laughed while other sages wept upon seeing Rome's power and the Temple's ruins. Perl explains that Akiva, who rose from being a 40-year-old shepherd to a great sage, saw these devastations as harbingers of an even greater future redemption. The episode concludes by linking the mourning period to hope for transformation and the coming of the Messiah, with Perl wishing listeners an easy fast.

As heard by us

Rabbi Perl connects Tisha B'Av, wounded dignity, and Rabbi Akiva's hope for what hardship can become.

Sadness with Hope looks at hardship through Jewish calendar time, linking Tisha B'Av, the destruction of the temples, and the full moon of the 15th of Av to the possibility of dignity being restored.

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Why you'd press play

When today's hardship feels final, you get a Jewish argument for leaving room for tomorrow.

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