Fast of the 9th of Av: From Darkness to Light

During this time when many are on vacation and those who can escape the heat are escaping, our services are sparsely attended, even on Shabbat. Cultural and recreational events are also postponed until September. A partial exception in the summer desert, however, is the fast of Tishah Be-Av, the 9th of Av, which this year fell on July 22nd and 23rd, last Wednesday and Thursday. On Wednesday evening in particular, there were quite a few (for July) people who gathered to read the book of Ekha, the Lamentations, by candlelight and seated on the floor as is tradition.
This is a universal tradition, but one that is particularly evocative in Turin, if only for a practical reason: since our synagogue is located below street level, the darkness beyond the dim candlelight is a true darkness, without streetlamps, the moon, or windows opposite to dim it. At the end of the reading from the book of Ekha, a kinah (elegy) is read, in which all the stanzas end with the word choshekh (darkness); The Turin custom is to extinguish all candles except the officiant’s. At the end of the reading, the last candle is also extinguished, plunging us into almost total darkness, perfectly suited to recalling the mourning for the destruction of the First and Second Temples of Jerusalem and for all the tragedies that occurred on the 9th of Av, as well as for all the anguish and misfortunes of today. After a few moments, which seem endless, of total darkness, the lights are turned back on to allow those present to exit without harm. It almost feels like waking from a dream, or, more accurately, a nightmare. The lights, which seem brighter than usual after the darkness, remind us that yes, we cried tonight, but tomorrow we will console ourselves; little by little, the rules of the day will become less rigid, and eventually, even the fast will end.
The darkest moment is often precisely the one preceding the light. The Turin customs for the evening of Tisha Be-Av help us remember this.

Anna Segre