Shalzed passed by while I was waiting for the bus to come home from shul after the Tisha Ba’av service. “You look tired,” he said.
I smiled. “It’s just because I’m fasting. That’s why I’m taking the bus- I don’t want to walk in the sun.”
“Fasting? Why?”
“It’s called Tisha Ba’av,” I told him. “It commemorates the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem thousands of years ago.”
The light changed to green and a rush of cars came by. Some of the drivers slowed down, probably looking at Shalzed. “So why is it still important?” he asked.
I shrugged. “It’s part of Jewish history. And we still pray for the Temple to be rebuilt.”
“Is that really possible?” he asked. “And do you really want sacrifices to come back?” Shalzed gave me a funny look, like he was reconsidering whether he really wanted me to be the one helping him around Earth.
“We also remember the death and suffering when the temples were destroyed. Along with other suffering throughout Jewish history. The crusades, the holocaust, and now Oct. 7th. . .” A young woman carrying a water bottle covered with NPR and pride stickers glared at me as she passed, then went to lean on the other edge of the bus shelter.
“What’s the purpose of remembering?” Shalzed asked.
I shrugged. “Isn’t it important?” The bus was now at the light, and instinctively I took my fare change out of my back pocket. “If we forget the past, aren’t we doomed to repeat it?” I asked.
“So the lesson is that Jewish people need to keep themselves safe, to make sure all this destruction doesn’t happen again?”
“I think that’s part of it,” I told him. The light changed and the bus began making its way across the intersection. The woman went to the curb, staying on her side of the bus shelter with her back towards me.
“Is the fast also supposed to remind you to help prevent such suffering for others?” Shalzed asked.
The bus pulled over, and I shuffled behind the woman. I couldn’t think of anything in the Tisha Ba’av prayers about that. “Let me call you later,” I told Shalzed. “The fast is over tonight.” I got on the bus, and the woman put her water bottle on the seat next to her as I passed down the aisle. I found a seat at the back, and watched through the window as Shalzed walked away. If he had come to the Tisha Ba’av service, I wondered what he’d think?