Friday, June 11. The cycle of the Jewish calendar is early this year, with the holidays and months almost at the earliest they can be. Tammuz, the month of intense summer heat and light, falls in early June, not quite the fullness of summer ablaze. But in the Middle East, relentless heat nonetheless surrounds us, pushing us to short tempers and judgment in its intensity.
After three months of spring, full of green shoots, emerging leaves, burgeoning flowers and fruits, the heat of Tammuz begins the summer cycle, leading up to the High Holy Days. Our sages note that G-d goes into hiding, less accessible to us, and more limited in blessing. Our source Alan Lew talks a lot about this cycle, how the process of self-introspection and rededication at the High Holy Days has its root in the breach and fall of Jerusalem in Tammuz and Av. In his book Be Still and Get Going, he notes that “in the summer, in the fullness of the year, the sacred calendar concerns itself with emptiness and collapse”, nothing that “decline and destruction necessarily precede renewal; a tearing down is necessary before rebuilding is possible.” [1] We could also say that the emptiness is the perception of absence of G-d from the world.
In Tammuz, like the walls of Jerusalem, we tear down – our illusions and self-deceptions about the world, ourselves, our relationships with loved ones, and our relationship to G-d. “The walls come down and suddenly we can see, suddenly we recognize the nature of our estrangement from G-d, and this recognition is the beginning of the reconciliation with G-d.”[2] May we weather the intensity of this month with care, recognizing the power and weight of clearly seeing the truth, which tears everything down, and yet enables us to rebuild and renew. — Kirby
We will honor the Full Moon of Tammuz (Keseh Tammuz) with a walking meditation on Friday, June 25. We will observe Rosh Chodesh Av on Saturday, July 10. Both meetups will be at 7:30 am; contact us for location. Social distancing will be observed; please bring a mask.
[1] Alan Lew, Be Still and Get Going: A Jewish Meditation Practice for Real Life, p. 168.
[2] Ibid, p. 169. See “Sources” tab for full citation.
Rosh Chodesh Cleveland 