Tisha B'av

Today was Tisha B'av, the 9th Day of the Jewish month of Av. The day commemorates the destruction of the second temple in Jerusalem, and the end of the temple period for the Jewish people.

It is customary for observant jews to fast on Tisha B'av, from the evening of the day before to the sundown of the day.

While I'm not a particularly observant Jew, I find fasts compelling, and have always gained a certain satisfaction from fasting in the middle of summer. So, I snuck out of LSAT class early last night, ate a large sandwich and soup from Cosi, and came home to begin my fast. This was in contrast to my ordinary late Monday night workout and midnight meal.

Instead, I came home early and lay in bed, reading the newest harry potter book, which is arguably appropriate as it contains a great deal of loss, trauma, and suffering... so far, not much else after 500+ pages.

I slept in this morning later than I had in 4-5 months, which was confusing and nice. I do feel that i've lost this ability to sleep for long periods, to let go for almost half the hours in a day.

I spent the rest of the day working and running errands, before attending a workshop for New York Cares, an organization through which I plan to volunteer in New York City. The workshop focused possible ways to volunteers in New York, and was required by one of the organizations which which I plan to work.

Throughout the day, I had a hard time focusing on sorrow and grief, though the lack of food and caffeine certainly had an effect.

As an old teacher of mine once said: it is very difficult to force yourself to feel a certain way as part of religious observance.

Yet, the day did feel separated and reflective.