A Jerusalem Talmudic institute has published a dirge (‘kinna’) commemorating the destruction of the Jewish towns of Gaza and northern Samaria. The dirge is to be recited as part of the Tisha B’Av service, which commemorates the destruction of both the First and Second Jewish Temples by the Babylonians in 586 CE and by the Romans in 70 CE – as well as subsequent tragedies. The destruction of the towns began the day after Tisha B’Av in 2005.
"This is religious poetry that truly speaks from the heart. It eloquently captures the feelings of the day, of both the destruction of our Holy Temple and the holy communities of Gush Katif and northern Samaria," says Rabbi David Bar-Hayim, the head of Machon Shilo.
"Many words in the dirge have double meanings and reflect the bitterness caused by this modern tragedy. Rabbi Buch has expended great effort to adhere to the historical style of the traditional dirge. All words of his dirge—except for one—are found in the Hebrew Bible although grammar may have necessitated some slight changes. My only regret is that Rabbi Buch's beautiful poetry reflects our current state of mourning rather than celebration. I look forward to the day when we will be able to publish poetry celebrating the rebuilding of the destroyed communities and our Holy Temple."
The dirge, composed by Rabbi Yehoshua Buch, can be downloaded from the Machon Shilo website or by clicking here.