Three Weeks of Poetry: A Closer Look at the Kinnot

Three Weeks of Poetry: A Closer Look at the Kinnot

By Torah in MotionReligion & SpiritualityJudaism
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Three Weeks of Poetry: A Closer Look at the Kinnot episodes

  • 9. Woe Unto Me: The Pain of Hunger
    The real human cost of the destructions of the temples is sometimes lost in our desire to make it meaningful for Judaism as a whole. Rav Elazar Hakalir brings us right back into the awful pain and hunger of the day.
    20 min
  • 8. The Enemy Enters: Titus in the Temple
    Despite the wanton destruction of all the is sacred Titus decided not to destroy the western wall. In this kinnah we will learn why and discuss  how a heavenly voice tries to awaken God.


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    23 min
  • 7. Ei Ko: Where are all the Promises?
    In this kinnah we ask G-d’s why He does not fulfil His promises. Yet at the same time we discuss why the destruction of the Temple is a reason for joyous song.

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    28 min
  • 6. And Jeremiah Cried: The King Who Did Everything Right, Until He Didn't
    He found a lost Torah scroll. There was no greater leader since Moshe. Then one fateful decision cost him his life. Why did one of Judah's greatest kings ignore Yirmiyahu's warning—and what can his tragic mistake teach us about the limits of conviction and the necessity of humility?

    Click here for Kinnah text. 

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    21 min
  • 5. We Did This to Ourselves
    The Temple fell because of war. But this Kinah says something darker: we
    destroyed it from within. We had everything, community, purpose, daily ritual, and we
    threw it away. This is the mourning of a people who woke up too late to what they'd lost.

    Click here for Kinnah text. 

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    29 min
  • 4. When Your Own People Become Your Worst Enemy
    What destroys a society from within? In this kinah, Rav Elazar HaKalir traces the Temple's destruction not only to Rome, but to corrupt leadership, a public eager to embrace comforting falsehoods over painful truths, and the tragedy of internal division. Yet even amid devastation, the kinah closes with an enduring message of hope: the Jewish people will one day return to their land.

    Click here for Kinnah text. 

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    25 min

About Three Weeks of Poetry: A Closer Look at the Kinnot

From the publisher's feed

Please join Rabbi Jay for Three Weeks of Poetry: Connecting to the Kinot  a daily podcast from 17 Tammuz through 9 Av. In each minute episode, we'll uncover the history, literary beauty, and…