holding in my sadness for so long. And my mind opens, and his eyes are the first two stars in the dark sky. I find myself right there in the desert again, and Tisha B’ Av is about to end.
I am poised to take my first drink of water from the wadi waiting for one more star to be revealed.
Then I remember! They say the messiah is born on Tisha B’ Av 29.“ Happy birthday,” I gasp.“ I didn’ t get to wish him a happy birthday, and I didn’ t get to say goodbye,” I say wistfully to the night. I sink my back into this land they had turned from a wasteland into a lush landscape with just the use of rainwater. I know we have all the answers right here. I feel some rain and I know we don’ t have to wait for a new generation to heal the world.
And suddenly, in the depths of me, a savior is born.
29
Eichah Rabbah 1:51
47