The following was taken from past Tisha B’Av events with Rabbi Brovender and adapted by Rabbi Johnny Solomon.
The Kinnot
As we have said elsewhere, Kinnot – though we often think of them as telling the story of the destruction – are, in fact, the story of how the destruction was overcome and of the continuation of the story. The Kinnot themselves teach us that history changed, and that history was not destroyed, and that history proved the life of Am Yisrael.
The structure of the Kinnot
The structure of the Kinnot are very directed.
All the Kinnot that were written by Rabbi Elazar HaKalir are related to Megillat Eichah. We then move from themes of Eichah to the rejuvenation of the Jewish people through the Torah. And then, finally, the Kinnot take us to Tzion – to Eretz Yisrael, even though there is no Beit HaMikdash.
Later came the Kinnot for the Holocaust – a topic that I do not feel I can say anything about. Still, the Kinnot for the Holocaust were added to those of Tisha B’Av, and as a result, the Holocaust becomes part of the history of Am Yisrael.
צִיּוֹן הֲלֹא תִשְׁאֲלִי – Tzion (Zion), surely you will enquire
In this Kinnah, Rav Yehuda Halevi expresses the love we have for Eretz Yisrael. We know that the Rambam writes in his Yad HaChazakah that when the Sages would come to Eretz Yisrael, they would ‘kiss the borders of Eretz Yisrael, kiss its stones, and roll in its dust.’
What this means is that the only way to relate to Eretz Yisrael according to the Rambam and according to Rav Yehuda Halevi – neither of whom had the merit to live in Eretz Yisrael – is that you love Eretz Yisrael. What this teaches us is that the fundamental mitzvah that Am Yisrael must fulfill is Ahavat Hashem (the love of God), and according to the Rambam and Rav Yehuda Halevi, that mitzvah can be best achieved in Eretz Yisrael.
In fact, Tzion – in terms of the way in which we use that term – was introduced by Rav Yehuda Halevi.
In Hebrew, the word Tzion can be read Tziyun which is a distinguishing marker. What this means that it represents something and is not like everything else. Israel distinguishes itself because it is not like other places, and that is what Rav Yehuda Halevi says – that he loves everything about Eretz Yisrael and that the only way to relate to Eretz Yisrael is through love.
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