Nine Days

 I have a good life, really and truly I do.  But a few things "went wrong" for me during these past couple of weeks. One thing that went wrong is that my kupah (health insurance) for some reason initially rejected a request made for a "hitchayvut" (permission, guarantee of coverage) for a CT scan ordered by my orthopedic surgeon.  It was later corrected.  I have yet to make the appointment though, and the procrastination is yet another thing that "went wrong".

I made the mistake too, of scheduling my driving test during these two weeks.  Sure enough, I failed -- 525 NIS down the drain.  I failed not because I had done anything wrong.  I failed because the tester failed to inform me in time to make a left turn and I was continuing straight as we are supposed to do unless told to turn.  He, of course, is not owning up to the mistake and well, just another thing that "went wrong".

I was supposed to participate in a Shabbaton this Shabbat with another person.  She sent me an email at 2 pm in which she wrote she is "rethinking her plans..." and she "decided not to go".  But she was referring to a different plan, not the plan we made to attend the Shabbaton.  But I completely misunderstood her, since there was no explicit reference, and I thought she was cancelling attending the Shabbaton.  I shot off an angry email to her, and then she called me.  After some heated discussion, we straightened out the misunderstanding but I had already made alternative plans, so I am not going with her. She is not happy going alone.  But I had already "psyched" myself into the change of plans being for the better - saving me 300 NIS which I will now have to use for the next driving test.  Either way we look at this it is something else that "went wrong".

It is the Nine Days, folks!  Nine Days of things going wrong, of tragic events, of misunderstandings leading to  "sinas chinam" - usually translated as "baseless hatred".  We need to be on our guard, on our best behavior during this time.  Hashem is sending us all form of nisayonot (trials).  We must be aware, on high alert!

And we are supposed to be sad, very sad. After all, it was due to all these things that we lost a gift, a treasure, the Temple was destroyed, twice - on Tisha B'Av, which technically falls on Shabbat, and thus is observed on Sunday, the day after Shabbat.

May we all have an easy and meaningful fast and may we all be zocheh to witness the coming of Moshiach, in OUR day!