Churban Bayis

I was looking through Kinnot in preparation for Tisha B'Av and thinking about the Kinnot that were added at various times in history. There are Kinnot that were written about the churban in Yerushalayim, Babylonia, Spain and Germany.  In all these Kinnot, through each generation of horrors, the vision of the churban comes alive again and again.  We have lost our home.  We have lost precious leaders. We have lost innocent children.  We have no safe home to return to.  We have no comfort.  What would a Kinnah for our generation look like?  How could we put our churban into words?

On Tisha B'Av we mourn the loss of our home base

The Bayis at our center is now in disgrace

We beseech you Hashem to rebuild our safe place

The BAYIS defamed and defiled by

those to whom You have entrusted its care

The BAYIS where leaders have hurt others

innocent, vulnerable and scared

The BAYIS destroyed by drug addiction, internet affliction

the absence of spirituality

The BAYIS destroyed by sadness and grief, worry and pain

depression and suicidality

On Tisha B'Av we mourn the loss of our home base

The Bayis at our center is now in disgrace

We beseech you Hashem to rebuild our safe place

The BAYIS set ablaze by anger and jealousy

as the walls filled with smoke

The BAYIS where a child is hurt purposely

held and then choked

The BAYIS where families

argue constantly without taking a break

The BAYIS where a neglected child

In bed stays awake

On Tisha B'Av we mourn the loss of our home base

The Bayis at our center is now in disgrace

We beseech you Hashem to rebuild our safe place

The BAYIS where children are devoured

by parents jealous retaliation

The BAYIS where a spousal affair

is now a full conflagration

The BAYIS where sadness reigns

and tears run deep

The BAYIS where obsessions and compulsions 

prevent a good night's sleep

On Tisha B'Av we mourn the loss of our home base

The Bayis at our center is now in disgrace

We beseech you Hashem to rebuild our safe place

The BAYIS where feelings are ignored

and no one seems to care

The BAYIS where each waking moment

is met with great fear

The BAYIS where beds are not cozy

not safe or secure

The BAYIS destroyed by lack of trust

how much more to endure

On Tisha B'Av we mourn the loss of our home base

The Bayis at our center is now in disgrace

We beseech you Hashem to rebuild our safe place

We beseech you Hashem

Fortify this new BAYIS to be strong

To protect and to nurture

be filled with great song

a BAYIS with shalom

between husband and wife

where children are safe

from words sharp as a knife

We beseech you Hashem

Send us peace, send us splendor

We need a new BAYIS

To house hearts to tender

On Tisha B'Av we mourn the loss of our home base

The Bayis at our center is now in disgrace

We beseech you Hashem to rebuild our safe place

Malkie Schick, LCSW is the Director of Behavioral Health at Ezras Choilim Health Center Monroe, NY and can be reached at mschick@echckj.org .