Rabbi Moskowitz Memory #05: Tishah b’Av — The Most Enjoyable Day of the Summer

Here is yet another Facebook post I wrote during Rabbi Moskowitz's shivah. This one is about the many happy memories I have of Tishah b'Av with Rabbi Moskowitz.

Jun 05, 2024

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The Torah content for this week has been sponsored by Judah and Naomi Dardik in honor of Rabbi Moskowitz's second yahrzeit and in appreciation for all those whose love of Torah and excitement for ideas shines in their teaching.

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In honor of the second yahrzeit of my rebbi, Rabbi Morton Moskowitz zt"l, I will be reposting all the "Rabbi Moskowitz Memory” Facebook posts that I wrote during the week of his passing. I’m not going to edit any of them unless I find a typo. I want to preserve the spontaneous writing I did during that intense period of grieving.

I wrote this on June 3, 2022, during his shivah.

TIshah b’Av 2015, 3-4 hours into our learning

Rabbi Moskowitz Memory #05: Tishah b’Av — The Most Enjoyable Day of the Summer

If I had to associate Rabbi Moskowitz with a particular day of the year, that day would be Tishah b'Av: the most enjoyable day of every summer. No, I'm not being facetious. For me, and for those of us who were in Seattle at that time of year, Tishah b'Av was the day we looked forward to the most each summer because we knew we were in for some of the most enjoyable learning of the entire year.

First, some background info. Tishah b'Av is the saddest day on the Jewish calendar. It's the day on which we mourn for the destruction of the First Temple and the destruction of the Second Temple, which initiated the 2000 year exile we are currently in. We also commemorate numerous other tragedies and massacres which occurred throughout Jewish history. In the weeks leading up to Tishah b'Av, we observe customs of mourning, and on Tishah b'Av itself, we observe the full laws of "sitting shivah." We also fast for 25 hours (i.e. no eating or drinking) from sundown until nightfall of the next night.

One of the laws we observe during that 25 hour period is the prohibition of Torah study. The reason given for this is "the commandments of the Lord are upright, causing the heart to rejoice" (Psalms 19:9), and the joy of learning takes us away from the mourning which is the focus of the day. The only Torah study which is permitted on Tishah b'Av is a selection of texts and topics which focus on the mourning itself and the tragic events which we are commemorating.

Some Jews observe this prohibition in a stringent manner. They maintain that it is prohibited to feel happiness while learning. They even go so far as to prohibit any learning which involves in-depth analysis, since that type of learning is deemed to be too enjoyable for the solemnity of the day. All I can say is: thank God we don't follow such stringencies!

We'd usually head on over to Rabbi Moskowitz's house at around 2pm. In the early days, we'd gather in his basement Beit Midrash (study). It was especially important to get there early so you could get a comfortable seat, since you knew you'd be sitting there for a while. Summer days are long in Seattle. The fast typically isn't over until after 9pm. We'd start learning at around 2pm and just keep on learning, with people coming and going, until the last people had to leave. These sessions would run for 4, 5, sometimes 6 hours.

If that sounds like torture to you, then I wish you could have been there to experience it yourself! The learning was fantastic! We'd move from topic to topic within the text we had chosen for that year. The learning would have the same energy as usual (except for those who had difficulty fasting), and there was an added quality generated by the fact that we had nothing else we needed to do that day. This was the activity of the afternoon.

I don't remember exactly which texts we learned each year because all the years run together. One year we did the stories in the Talmud about Kamtza and Bar Kamtza. The next year he wanted to do those same stories again. We were a little frustrated with this at first because we had just learned them the year before, but sure enough, we arrived at completely different ideas the next time. Another year we learned Yirmiyahu (Jeremiah). Another year Yeshayahu (Isaiah). Another year Eichah (Lamentations). Most recently it was Midrash Eichah.

Rabbi Moskowitz's basement would be jam packed with people. Usually, additional chairs needed to be brought in. The summer heat plus the body heat pushed the limits of our physical comfort, especially because we couldn't eat or drink. One year, whether because of the crowd size, the temperature, or both, we decided to move upstairs, where there was more room and air conditioning. That's where we held Tishah b'Av learning at the Moskowitzes until it stopped. The photo you see here is an "action shot" depicting our upstairs Tishah b'Av learning in 2015. This was around 3-4 hours in. As you can see, Rabbi is still going strong.

One particular Tishah b'Av stands out in my mind: Tishah b'Av 2012, the summer that Rabbi Moskowitz’s only son Shmully (a"h) died. Shmully died on July 1st, which was a Sunday, and the shivah lasted for the duration of that week. Tishah b'Av was three weeks later. I expected Rabbi Moskowitz to cancel Tishah b'Av class that year, as well as our summer learning - at least, for July. But nope, that's not what happened. Rabbi Moskowitz insisted on holding his annual class, but needed extra help preparing, on account of the time crunch, and I wanted nothing more than to help him. It started with one chavrusa (partnership) learning session in the morning. At some point, he asked if we could also learn in the early evening, and of course I agreed. Then, as we got closer to Tishah b'Av, we ramped it up to three times a day. I believe the pattern was that we'd engage in new analysis in the morning. Then he'd review it and call me in the afternoon to clarify and sharpen various points for teaching. In the evening we'd move to new material, which we'd go over in preparation for the next morning's analysis.

By my recollection, Tishah b'Av class that year was great. But what I sensed was even more important to Rabbi Moskowitz was the preparation for that class. I had prepared with him in the past, but had never seen him prepare with such intensity. "Fervor" and "frenzy" are words that come to mind. I sensed that having this class scheduled for the near future, which so many of his students looked forward to every year, is part of what helped him to cope with the unimaginable tragedy of losing his son so unexpectedly. Rabbi Moskowitz frequently brought up ideas from Shmully while we prepared, which I appreciated because I never had the privilege of interacting with him in any meaningful capacity. I was glad to be an audience for these ideas, since I knew that it was impossible for him to share Shmully's Torah during shivah.

A few years ago, Rabbi Moskowitz's health issues prevented him from giving class on Tishah b'Av. Several of us still gather together in Seattle to learn in the afternoon at a different location. I don't think it's a surprise that the experience isn't the same. I have a feeling that Tishah b'Av will always pale in comparison to those happy memories of what for most others is the saddest day of the summer.

I think it's quite fitting that the last sentence I ever heard from Rabbi Moskowitz was a joke - nay, a meta-joke - about Tishah b'Av. Jonny and I visited Rabbi and Mrs. Moskowitz during Chol ha'Moed Pesach this past year. Not only were we blessed with the opportunity to visit him (which was not guaranteed, due to his fluctuating health), but we actually spent a good 45 minutes there. Although he wasn't very talkative, he was lucid and in a good mood. Jonny and I shared with him lots of memories from over the years and we mentioned how much of an impact our Tishah b'Av learning had on us, and how we looked forward to it each year. One of us mentioned how ironic it was that the day of summer filled with the most laughter was Tishah b'Av. Much later on in the conversation, shortly before we left, someone cracked a joke, and we all started laughing. Rabbi Moskowitz then said: "We're laughing so much, and it's not even Tishah b'Av yet!" That cracked me up all over again.

The Talmud recounts a time when Rebbi Akiva was walking towards Jerusalem with his fellow scholars. When the ruins of the Temple came into view, they tore their garments in anguish. As they approached, they saw a fox running out of the area where the Holy of Holies used to be. The scholars cried. Rebbi Akiva laughed. They asked, "Why are you laughing?" He responded, "Why are you crying?" They answered, "If from the place about which it is written, ‘And the stranger who enters there, shall die,’ we see a fox coming out, should we not cry?’” Rebbi Akiva retorted that if the prophecies about the destruction of the Temple came true in such detail, then we can be assured that the prophecies of redemption, rebuilding, and future rejoicing will also come true. Upon hearing this, they said: "Akiva, you have comforted us. Akiva, you have comforted us."

Although this week has been filled with grief and tears, it has been filled with far more laughter and joy. It has been wonderful to reminisce with friends and fellow students of Rabbi Moskowitz, reliving all the happy times we've had over the decades. Rabbi Moskowitz was so filled with simchas ha'chayim (joy of life) that even in the wake of this churban (destruction), it is possible - no, it is easy - to recall him, smile, and laugh. And this laughter is what will carry us forward into the future without him. Rebbi, you have comforted us. Rebbi, you have comforted us.

If you have any thoughts on this or any of your own memories of Rabbi Moskowitz you’d like to share, I would love to hear them! I’ll make sure they reach Mrs. Moskowitz as well.

The Rabbi Schneeweiss Substack

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