Eggs and Ashes....Hold the Music
Tonight is Tisha B'av...the 9th day of Av. It is a fast (i.e "slow") day. This day commemorates many horrible events from our past history and so we remember it with a day of fasting and mourning (see 9 Days of Dirty Laundry for more details). The MJCCA seems to have forgotten about the millions of Jews who perished at both temples, the Spanish Inquisition and the Meraglim (spies), as they are having a concert tonight. I would have loved to attend had it been on another night, as the Israel Scouts are performing and they are one of my summer highlights. But, tonight I will forgo the experience for one that is as meaningful but more solemn. One custom during the evening before Tisha B'av is to eat a "seudah mafsekes " (a pre mourning meal). This meal is to consist of bread, hard-boiled eggs and ashes.
"What??" Now, my husband claims that I have a selective memory and that I choose not to remember certain things. I have to agree that if I were going to choose something to forget, eating an egg dipped in ashes would surely be one of them. Yet this time I claim that this is a "new" ritual and not something I have ever experienced (I lost count of the new ones a few years ago). My daughter says, "I'm not eating that. It’s not healthy (spoken from a true guardian of health....hmmm). I ask my husband "Don't ashes have carcinogens in them?" He does not reply. Looks like we will be eating ashes tonight in preparation to fast and mourn. My friend has always suggested eating a tablespoon of peanut butter before a fast. She claims this is a true hunger-preventer. I am wondering how ash flavored peanut butter is going to feel in my throat. Either way, we will go into Tisha B'av with intention. We will think back to the times of destruction and look to a time when we can rebuild. If you have never had an opportunity to experience Tisha B'av with a community, I suggest you do so. It is meaningful, grounding and a thought provoking experience (with or without the ash-dipped egg).
www.marriedtoayid.com
"What??" Now, my husband claims that I have a selective memory and that I choose not to remember certain things. I have to agree that if I were going to choose something to forget, eating an egg dipped in ashes would surely be one of them. Yet this time I claim that this is a "new" ritual and not something I have ever experienced (I lost count of the new ones a few years ago). My daughter says, "I'm not eating that. It’s not healthy (spoken from a true guardian of health....hmmm). I ask my husband "Don't ashes have carcinogens in them?" He does not reply. Looks like we will be eating ashes tonight in preparation to fast and mourn. My friend has always suggested eating a tablespoon of peanut butter before a fast. She claims this is a true hunger-preventer. I am wondering how ash flavored peanut butter is going to feel in my throat. Either way, we will go into Tisha B'av with intention. We will think back to the times of destruction and look to a time when we can rebuild. If you have never had an opportunity to experience Tisha B'av with a community, I suggest you do so. It is meaningful, grounding and a thought provoking experience (with or without the ash-dipped egg).
www.marriedtoayid.com
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