Tisha B'Av - Eli Tzion (kinnah 45) - Grief is Unexpressed Love

This kinnah, the last of the kinnos, is a kinnah of hope. It speaks about the pain of a woman in labor and the pain of a young bride who lost her husband. The cry of labor is a cry that understands that while this may be exceptionally painful it is for an ultimate purpose. The cry of a young bride is a cry that speaks to the absolute chaos of this world. In her grief, as she refuses to let go of her husband who has passed on, she is giving language to her eternal love and the hope that she will one day be reunited with her husband. We are tasked to live within the tension of both cries, both of which give us an infinite sense of hope. (This kinnah was given over in NCSY Kollel)