Tishah B’Av is a day when we mourn the range of tragedies that have marked Jewish history, beginning with the destruction of both Batei Mikdash. Many of these calamities from throughout the ages are represented in the book of Tishah B’Av kinot that we read in our shuls. While we are generally extremely cautious about adding contemporary prayers, the kinot are an exception, such that most shuls include a kinah commemorating the Holocaust.
In this spirit, there have been efforts to write kinot for this Tishah B’Av that reflect on the profound tragedy of October 7 and its aftermath. Of special note is the rich, poetic, and deeply meaningful kinah composed by Rav Yosef Tzvi Rimon. While all of us will have these events on our mind during Tishah B’Av, some shuls and individuals will seek to express those thoughts in the words of a kinah.
The kinah below, authored by Rabbi Moshe Hauer, executive vice president of the OU, was composed in response to a request from those less familiar with the nuances of Jewish thought and practice. It is an adaptation of one of the existing kinot written in the 11th Century and is shared here for those who may find it appropriate, relevant, and useful.
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Rabbi Moshe Hauer is executive vice president of the Orthodox Union.