The destruction of the Temple left the rabbis ever more devoted to the preservation and creation of a living, authentic, and relevant Judaism. In order to guard against discontinuity with the past, the rabbis progressively, creatively, and painstakingly re-created a religious order built upon the foundation stones of the Judaism they knew while making significant paradigmatic changes in light of the Temple's destruction. In place of sacrifices offered upon the Temple's altar, acts of loving kindness, among other substitutional responses became a pillar of Jewish life. In many ways, this re-working of Judaism was a response to acute loss. And among all the responses that the rabbis explored and espoused, some might argue that the performance of good deeds has the greatest power to heal and transcend the pain of loss.

In the Talmud, we read "Said Rabbi Eleazar, The one who gives tzedakah is greater than [one who offers] all the sacrifices, as it is said, To do righteousness(tzedakah) is more pleasing to God than sacrifices. (Proverbs 21:3) Said Rabbi Eleazar, acts of loving kindness are greater than tzedakah, as it is said, Sow righteousness (tzedakah) for yourselves, reap the fruits of loving kindness (Hosea 10:12). If a person seeds, perhaps he eats, perhaps he does not eat. If a person reaps, he certainly eats. [As a reaped crop can no longer be ruined by the elements, so the direct acts of loving kindness bring sure results.]" (Sukkah 49b) According to Rabbi Eleazar, acts of loving kindness are actually superior expressions of righteousness, piety, and devotion to God than the sacrifices. Acts of loving kindness are sure to bring meaningful and lasting results.

What I would like to suggest is that this creative adaptation signifies a will to embrace life and find healing and recovery in the aftermath of a tragic loss. This was relevant in the time after the Destruction of the Temple and it is still relevant to us today.

As we learn in Ecclesiastes and from contemporary psychological literature, there is certainly a time to cry and to grieve in the face of loss. But in time, the mourner is less obsessed with past loss, feels more comfortable with the present, and is hopeful in thinking about the future- - imagining a new way of living in the world. This can only come through a process of loss and mourning that allows one to relinquish the old and adopt the new. But in doing this holy work, a sort of "reconnection" with the world takes hold. Performing ma'asim tovim (acts of goodness), is a powerful way of confronting and recovering from loss. In reaching outside of oneself to strengthen others, one inevitably heals oneself and serves God. Serving others helps people to see the value and worth of their own lives. Acts of loving kindness also ensure that one who faces loss or any other stage of life will not be disconnected from community.

Rabbi Naomi Levy writes, "No matter what we have lost in our lives, there is always something that survives to start over with." The destruction of the Temple posed a crisis out of which Judaism, as we know it, emerged. In the face of loss, the rabbis responded with substitutes that eventually formed the foundation of a new Judaism while simultaneously retaining its roots in the past. The same is true for us today. At a certain point in the journey of grief, we understand that our lives are comprised of both continuity and change. Confronting loss is part of both our outer and inner reality, for it is about what happens to us in the world as well as how we interpret those events within ourselves. Ma'asim tovim, good acts, can serve as the offerings that connect us to God and the world around us we heal. When we face the inevitable losses that life deals humankind, will we throw our money and acts of goodness into the ground, or into the world?

Rabbi Jenny Solomon lives in Raleigh, North Carolina with her husband, Rabbi Eric Solomon, and her children: Meirav and Adi. Rabbi Solomon graduated with a B.A. from Brown University and received her ordination from Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in New York City. She is also a candidate for a Doctorate of Ministry in conjunction with her work in the field of pastoral counseling. Rabbi Solomon collaborates with her husband at Beth Meyer Synagogue in Raleigh doing adult education and leading prayer, and has worked as a pastoral counselor in the Raleigh-area. Jenny was a past-intern with Danny Siegel and the Ziv Tzedakah Fund and continues to pass on her love of tzedakah and ma'asim tovim with her children and community.