Tisha B'Ab - תשעה באב - ט' באב
By Hillel ben David (Greg Killian)
III. The Day Preceding Tisha B'Ab
IX. When Tisha B'Ab falls on Shabbat
XI. Mashiach and the Final Redemption
XII. The Almond and the Lively Stones
This three week period between Tammuz 17 and Ab (Ashkenazim say Av) 9 is called Bein HaMetzarim "between the troubles". In a previous paper we studied the fast of Tammuz 17. Now we are going to jump forward through three weeks of profound trouble to study the fast of the 9th of Ab.
The following are the dates for Tisha B’Ab (Tisha B’Av)for the next few years:
Jewish Year 5768 : sunset August 9, 2008
Jewish Year 5769 : sunset July 29, 2009
Jewish Year 5770 : sunset July 19, 2010
Tisha B'Ab is the Hebrew name of the fast of the fifth month. Tisha B'Ab is the way "the ninth of Ab" is said in the Hebrew language. Ab is the fifth month of the Biblical year:
|
1. Nisan (Abib) |
7. Tishri (Ethanim) |
|
2. Iyar (Zif) |
8. Cheshvan |
|
3. Sivan |
9. Kislev |
|
4. Tammuz |
10. Tevet |
|
5. Ab |
11. Shevat |
|
6. Elul |
12. Adar |
The fast of the fifth month is mentioned only obliquely in the Tanach[1]. This fast of the fifth month is mentioned in:
Zechariah 7:1-7 In the fourth year of King Darius, the word of HaShem
came to Zechariah on the fourth day of the ninth month,
the month of Kislev. The people of
In the above verse we see the elders inquiring as to whether they are to continue the fast of the fifth month, but, we never see this fast being given in the first place. This is a bit odd. Odder yet is this verse in the Tanach:
Zechariah 8:18-19 Again the word of HaShem Almighty came to
me. This is what HaShem Almighty says: "The fasts of the fourth, fifth, seventh and tenth
months will become joyful and glad occasions and happy festivals for
Lets see how the Talmud views this passage:
Rosh HaShana 18b Why
should they not also go forth to report Tammuz and Tebeth seeing that R. Hanah
b. Bizna has said in the name of R. Simeon the Saint: ‘What is the meaning of
the verse, Thus had said the Lord of Hosts: The fast of
the fourth month and the fast of the fifth and the fast of the seventh and
the fast of the tenth shall be to the house of Judah
joy and gladness? The prophet calls these days both days of fasting and days of
joy, signifying that when there is peace they shall be for joy and gladness,
but if there is not peace they shall be fast days’! — R. Papa replied: What it
means is this: When there is peace they shall be for joy and gladness; if there
is persecution, they shall be fast days; if there is no persecution but yet not
peace, then those who desire may fast and those who desire need not fast. If
that is the case, the ninth of Ab also [should be optional]? — R. Papa replied:
The ninth of Ab is in a different category, because several misfortunes
happened on it, as a Master has said: On the ninth of Ab the Temple was destroyed both the first time and the second
time, and Bethar was captured and the city [Jerusalem]
was ploughed.
It has been taught: R. Simeon said:
There are four expositions among those given by R.
Akiba with which I do not agree. [He said]: ‘The fast of
the fourth month’ — this is the ninth of Tammuz, on which a breach was made
in the walls of the city, as it says, On the fourth month on the ninth of the
month the famine was sore in the city, so that there
was no bread for the people of the land, and a breach was made in the city. Why
is it called fourth? As being fourth in the order of months. ‘The fast of the
fifth month’: this is the ninth of Ab, on which the House
of our God was burnt. Why is it called fifth? as being fifth in the order
of months. ‘The fast of the seventh month’: this is the third of Tishri on
which Gedaliah the son of Ahikam was killed. Who killed him? Ishmael the son of
Nethaniah killed him; and [the fact that a fast was instituted on this day]
shows that the death of the righteous is put on a level with the burning of the
House of our God. Why is it called the seventh? As being the seventh in the
order of months. ‘The fast of the tenth month’: this is the tenth of Tebeth on
which the king of Babylon invested Jerusalem, as it says, And the word of the
Lord came unto me in the ninth year in the tenth month, in the tenth day of the
month, saying, Son of man, write thee the name of the day, even of this
selfsame day; this selfsame day the king of Babylon hath invested Jerusalem.
Why is it called the tenth? As being the tenth in the order of months. [It
might be asked], should not this have been mentioned first? Why then was it
mentioned in this place [last]? So as to arrange the months in their proper
order. I, however, [continued R. Simeon], do not explain thus. What I say is
that ‘the fast of the tenth month, is the fifth of Tebeth on which news came to
the Captivity that the city had been smitten, as it says, And it came to pass
in the twelfth year of our captivity, in the tenth month, in the fifth day of
the month, that one who had escaped out of Jerusalem came to me saying, The
city is smitten, and they put the day of the report on the same footing as the
day of burning. My view is more probable than his, because I make the first
[mentioned by the prophet] first [chronologically] and the last last, whereas
he makes the first last and the last first, he, however, following [only] the
order of months I [also follow] the order of calamities.
So, we have a fast that is assumed by the Tanach, yet we never see this fast being intiated in the Tanach. This fast was decreed by Chazal, our Sages, as a response to the tragedies that befell us on this day. And HaShem has harkened to their words.
The four fasts mentioned in Zechariah are:
Asarah B'Tevet (Tevet 10 - winter), when the siege of the city of Jerusalem, by the Babylonians, began.
Shiv'ah Asar B'Tammuz (Tammuz 17 - summer), when the walls of the city were breached, several years after the beginning of the siege;
Tisha B'Ab (Ab 9 - summer), when the Beit HaMikdash was destroyed by the Babylonians.
Tzom G'daliah (Tishri 3 - fall) when the Judean governor was assassinated in an Ammonite-generated plot. This brought about the end of Jewish autonomy under the Babylonians.
In Zechariah, HaShem is indicating that these fast days were appropriate and that these days of mourning will be turned into days of joy. The scriptures are strangely quiet on where these fasts began, and on the reasons for these fasts. Never the less, it is obvious that HaShem approves of these fasts of mourning and that some day He will wipe away our tears and turn these days into days of joy. The Nazarean Codicil alludes to this change:
Matityahu
(Matthew) 5:4 Blessed [are] they
that mourn: for they shall be comforted.
Luqas
(Luke) 6:19-21 And the whole
multitude sought to touch him: for there went virtue out of him, and healed
[them] all. And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said, Blessed [be
ye] poor: for yours is the
Yochanan
(John) 16:19-20 Now Yeshua knew that they were desirous to ask him, and said
unto them, Do ye enquire among yourselves of that I said, A little while, and
ye shall not see me: and again, a little while, and ye shall see me? Verily,
verily, I say unto you, That ye shall weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice: and ye shall be sorrowful, but your
sorrow shall be turned into joy.
When the Beit HaMikdash, The Temple, will be built, physically, the fasts will cease and instead become days of joy. It is likely that Tisha B’Ab will be observed even when the Beit HaMikdash is standing until there is a divine sign of approval, that HaShem once again desires our sacrifices and wants to have His Presence rest in the Beit HaMikdash.
Tisha B'Ab, the 9th of Ab, falls exactly three weeks (21 days) after Shiv'ah 'Asar B'Tammuz, the 17th of Tammuz and these two dates are always very closely linked in history. The Mishna records the beginning of this period of tragedy:
Ta'anith 26b "Five things befell our fathers
on the 17th of Tammuz and five on the 9th of Ab. On the 17th of Tammuz the
Tablets [of the Ten Commandments] were broken, and the
Daily Whole-offering ceased, and the City was breached,
and Apostomus burnt the Torah, and an idol was set up in the Sanctuary.
All five of the tragedies which our Hakhamim date to Shiv'ah 'Asar B'Tammuz are disruptions of the promise of Sinai, regressions from the intimacy we enjoyed when HaShem first revealed Himself to us. The breaking of the tablets, the burning of the Torah and the construction of an idol in the Sanctuary were clear "rollbacks" from Sinai. The Korban HaTamid and the regular study of Torah (protecting the walls of the city) represents something about Sinai, and these were also suspended or lost on the fateful day of Tammuz 17.
The Mishna then records the end of this period of tragedy:
Mishnah, Taanith 4:6
On the 9th of Ab it was decreed against our fathers that they should not enter
into the Land, and the Temple was destroyed the first
and the second time, and Beth-Tor was captured and the City was ploughed up. When
Ab comes in, gladness must be diminished."
All five of the tragedies listed which occurred on Tisha B'Ab were rejections or disruptions of the national hope and promise of sovereignty in the land.
Whenever the Tannaim (Hakhamim of the Mishnaic period) present an ordered list (i.e. when they introduce that list with the number of items to appear), it indicates a significance to that number. This does not mean that there is a mystical import (although there may well be), but that if two parallel lists are presented, both with the same number of items and both "ordered", the symmetry indicates a parallel (or opposing) relationship between the two. The Prophet Yeshayahu puts our two lists together:
Yeshayahu
(Isaiah) 2:1-4 The word that
Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning
What are these things of which the Mishna speaks? The 17th of Tammuz and the 9th of Ab are linked together historically as days on which Israel has been punished for sin.
To discover why Tisha B'Ab was a fast day and a day of mourning; it is necessary to examine, in greater detail, the events that occurred on this date in history.
On Tisha B'Ab, five national calamities occurred:
1. During the time of Moshe, Jews in the desert accepted the slanderous report of the twelve spies, and the decree was issued forbidding them from entering the land of Israel:
Sotah 35a Then all the congregation
raised a loud cry, and the people wept that night.
Rabbah said in the name of R. Yohanan: That night was Tisha B'Ab; The Holy One,
blessed be He, said: They cried for naught, I will establish for them [this
night as] a weeping for generations.
2. The
Micah
Ta'anit 4:6 Five things happened to our forefathers
on the 17th of Tamuz and five on the 9th of Ab. On
the 17th of Tamuz, the Tablets were broken, the Daily Offerings were stopped,
3. The Romans, led by Titus destroyed the
In 70 CE the Roman army laid siege
to
Bamidbar
(Numbers) 28:6 [It is] a
continual burnt offering, which was ordained in
mount Sinai for a sweet savour, a sacrifice made by fire
unto HaShem.
Roman centurions on the 9th of Ab
burned the
There are twenty-two letters in the Hebrew alphabet. There are twenty-two days from the 17th of Tammuz up to and including the 9th of Av. Throughout history, these have been days of destruction in the Jewish calendar. These are the days when the stones of the buildings are taken apart. Mystically, we should understand the destruction of the Temple as the destruction of the body of Mashiach, composed of all Israel. When we (Israel) bring disunity to the body of Mashiach it is manifested in the destruction of the Temple which represents Mashiach’s body.
One year later on the 9th of Ab the Romans
plowed the
Micah
Mashiach alludes to the destruction of the Temple and its subsequent rebuilding in three (days) thousand years:
Marqos
(Mark) 14:58 We heard him say, I
will destroy this temple that is made with hands, and
within three days I will build another made without
hands.
Matityahu
(Matthew)
Yochanan
(John
4. The Bar Kochba revolt was crushed by Roman Emperor Hadrian. The city of Betar, the Jews' last stand against the Romans, was captured and liquidated. Over 100,000 Jews were slaughtered, according to the Mishna in Ta'anit 4:6.
5. The Roman
general Turnus Rufus plowed under the
Several other calamitous events took place on Tisha B'Ab:
1. Esau confronted Jacob,
on his return to
2. Pope Urban II declared the First Crusade. Tens of thousands of Jews
were killed, and many Jewish communities obliterated.
3. In 1290 King Edward I ordered the expulsion of all Jews from
4. The Spanish Inquisition culminated with the expulsion of Jews from
5. World War One broke out on Tisha B'Ab in 1914 when
6. On Tisha B'Ab, deportation began of Jews
from the Warsaw Ghetto.
7. The Gulf war started on the 9th of Ab, when Saddam Hussein went to
war against
As a side note:
The only observed collision between a planet and another solar body began on
Tisha B'Ab, a Sabbath. Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 began
slamming into the surface of the planet Jupiter,
known in Hebrew as Zedek, the righteous one. This
event may have connections to the other Tisha B'Ab events. On July 17 (Tisha
B'Ab) 1994, the planet Jupiter was struck by 21 fragments of a comet. The comet
(Shoemaker-Levy 9) collided with this planet... likely fulfilling Luke 21:26,
where Yeshua says that, prior to his return the
"heavenly bodies would be shaken." Is all this coincidence? I don't
think so. Jupiter was the high-god of Rome, it was the
one whose temple replaced HaShem's
house in
So, why do we fast on the 9th? Before the Gemara addresses this question, it mentions the opinion of Hakham Yochanan on this topic:
Taanit 29a R' Yochanan said that "If I had been present at the time when the Sages established the day as a fast, I would have established the 10th of Ab as the day of the fast, as that was the day the Temple burnt for the most part."
The Sages disagreed and felt that the fast should be on the ninth. The Gemara explains that the opinion of the Sages was that it was better to fix the commemoration according to the beginning of the calamity (the 9th of Ab, when the Temple was first set on fire), rather than according to the day on which the unfolding of the calamity itself occurred for the most part.
The fast of the 9th of Ab is a “hard” fast in terms of importance and in severity of restrictions. It is second only to the fast of Yom HaKippurim.
Since these tragedies occurred on Tisha B'Ab, the Sages decreed this day as a fast day. The restrictions on the 9th of Ab are more severe than the other fast days ordained by the Sages.
According to Jewish tradition, the ninth day of the fifth Jewish month is the saddest day on the Biblical calendar. This day of solemn reflection and fasting has been observed since the destruction of Solomon's temple. It is still observed today.
Why did so many tragedies befall us on the same date?
The Talmud reveals to us the answer to this question:
Ta'anit 29a
"Reward is saved for a day of merit, and
destruction is saved for a day of guilt"
According to the Mishna. Because our forefathers committed such a terrible sin on the ninth of Ab in the days of Moshe, the day became one reserved for destruction. Every year, when that day comes around, the original sin of our forefathers is brought back to light. Since we have not yet fully corrected their misdeeds, HaShem may not extend to us His usual lovingkindness on that day, leaving us vulnerable to impending adversity. The ninth of Ab has thus become a "weak link" in the chain of Jewish history.
The Sages of the Talmud, in Sanhedrin 90a, tell us that whenever HaShem punishes someone it is always done in such a way that the punishment corresponds to the sin that was committed (Middah kneged Middah, "Measure for measure"). One classic example of this is the punishment of the Egyptians who enslaved the Bnai Israel. The Egyptians persecuted the Israelites through water, by drowning Jewish babies in the Nile river[2], and their ultimate punishment was that they themselves were drowned in the Red Sea.[3]
As we have pointed out, the catastrophic events of the ninth of Ab were all precipitated by the original sin of Moshe's generation. Here, too, it can be shown that the specific events that transpired on these days were all clearly wrought with the theme of "Middah Keneged Middah", measure for measure.
Let us first consider what the Tisha B'Ab sin of our ancestors was. The Jews sent spies to scout out the Land of Israel prior to entering in. The spies brought a bad report, and the people believed the bad report. Instead of trusting in HaShem and His appointed leaders, the people rallied rebelliously behind the sinful spies.
Bamidbar (Numbers) 14:1 "The people wept
all through that night".
This sin, the Mishna tells us, took place on Tisha B'Ab. "That night that the people wept was Tisha B'Ab eve. HaShem said to them, `You wept on this day for no good reason; I will establish this day as a day of weeping for all generations'"[4]. The tragedies that befell the Jews throughout the generations were apparently further punishments for the original sinful act committed by the generation of the Exodus.
The Torah tells us that the punishment meted out immediately to those who allied themselves with the spies was that they would have to wander about in the desert for forty years:
Bamidbar (Numbers)
The Torah makes it clear that the punishment of forty years in the desert was "measure for measure", forty for forty. Can we say the same of the latter-day punishments, the four tragedies listed in the Mishna in Ta'anit? A closer examination reveals that in fact we may.
The sin of the Bnai Yisrael was
that they rejected the
The fall of the Temples that took
place centuries later was more than just a loss of the opportunity to perform
the sacrificial rite ordained by the Torah. It was the event that, symbolically
and actually, spelled the end of organized Jewish settlement in
Vayikra (Leviticus) 26:31-2 "I will destroy your
It is clear that the punishment of the destruction of the Temple, which is tantamount to exile of the population,
has a very close correlation with the original sin of
Tisha B'Ab. Because the Bnei Israel expressed on
Tisha B'Ab an unwillingness to accept the gift of the Land
of Israel, they eventually lost the
Betar was the central stronghold of the Bar Kochba rebellion
against Rome[6].
Some sixty years after the destruction of the second
The last of the five events of Tisha B'Ab can be interpreted along the same lines. The final razing of Jerusalem was designed to quash any hopes among the Jews for a restoration of their sovereignty, or even of their ability to dwell, in the city.
This section was adapted from:
"Hitna'ari
Me-afar Kumi" –
The Secret of
Jewish Regeneration
by Rav Yair Kahn
Apart from the mitzva to pray every day, there is a special commandment to pray in times of national calamity. According to the Rambam in the beginning of Hilkhot Ta'aniyot, the verse:
Bamidbar
(Numbers) 10:9 "And if war
should come upon your land, the enemy who troubles you, you shall blow on the trumpets"
Is not a commandment simply to blow the trumpets, but rather includes prayer and petition. Even the Ramban, who rules (in opposition to the Rambam) that daily prayer is only a Rabbinic commandment, admits at least partially that there is a Torah commandment to pray in times of calamity. He declares, "And if perhaps they interpret prayer as a biblically-derived principle... then this is a mitzva for times of calamity..."[7].
The foundation for the obligation to cry out to HaShem in times of calamity is the obligation of teshuva. And so the Rambam continues, "And this is part of teshuva..." There is a special obligation of teshuva in times of calamity, as it is written:
Devarim (Deuteronomy)
The Rambam explains, "At a time when calamity strikes and they cry out and they blow on the trumpets, all will know that calamity has come upon them because of their evil deeds... and this is what will cause the calamity to be lifted from upon them. But if they do not cry out and do not blow [trumpets] but rather say, 'This has happened to us since this is the way of the world, and this calamity is coincidental,' this is the way of gross insensitivity, and will cause them to hold fast to their evil deeds, and other calamities will be added. This is what the Torah means when it says, 'And if you walk crookedly (in Hebrew: "keri," from the root of the word meaning "coincidence") with Me then I will likewise walk crookedly with you' - in other words, I shall bring calamity upon you in order that you return. If you maintain that your calamities are coincidental then I will increase those 'coincidental' calamities."
The biblical obligation of prayer and teshuva, repentance, at a time of calamity is extended by Chazal to obligate fasting: "And the Hakhamim instructed that there should be fasting for every calamity, which comes upon the community, until Divine mercy is achieved"[8]. And what stands at the center of these obligations is the Divine Providence, which watches over Knesset Yisrael and entreats them, calling: "Shuvu banim shovavim, Return, O backsliding children!" Obviously, the very obligation to pray and fast at a time of calamity is based on the assumption that by means of sincere and genuine teshuva the calamity will be removed.
As opposed to "calamity" (tzara) an "evil decree" (gezera) cannot be removed. It expresses not Divine Providence but rather the distancing of the Divine Presence and HaShem "hiding His face," as it were. "Hakham Elazar said: Since the day on which the Temple was destroyed, there is a wall of iron that stands between Israel and their Father in Heaven"[9]. The reaction to an evil decree is not prayer but rather mourning and surrender to HaShem's inscrutable will. "And Hakham Elazar said: Since the day on which the Temple was destroyed, the gates of prayer are locked"[10].
The seventeenth of Tammuz, despite the five tragic events, which took place on this day, is defined as a day of calamity. It is true that on this date the first set of tablets were shattered, but following prayer on the part of Moshe Rabbeinu and teshuva on the part of the nation, we merited to receive a second set of tablets. Likewise, on this date the walls of Jerusalem were indeed breached, the enemies stood ready to enter, and, therefore, it was a time of calamity for the Jewish nation. But it was only on Tisha B'Ab that a tragic decree was issued: "On Tisha B'Ab it was decreed upon our forefathers that they would not enter the land," and despite Moshe's entreaties, the attempts to mitigate the sharpness of the decree reached its tragic conclusion at Chorma[11].
On the other fasts there is a special obligation of prayer and entreaties. The selichot and Torah portions read on these fasts, focus on Moshe Rabbeinu's prayer following the sin of the golden calf, the declaration of the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy. On the other hand, on Tisha B'Ab, the day established for weeping for all generations, we sit on the floor, read Eikha, Lamentations, and recite lamentations, and the Torah reading and haftara on this day speak of the destruction. This distinction between Tisha B'Ab and the other fasts was already formulated by Rabbenu David[12]: "On Tisha B'Ab there is no 'Ne'ila' prayer, nor are twenty-four blessings recited, because [this day] is set aside not for prayer but rather for mourning."[13] Likewise, on Tisha B'Ab the "titkabel" clause is not included in the recitation of Kaddish[14], and the sheliach tzibbur, the prayer leader, does not recite "Aneinu" in his repetition of the Amida of Shacharit[15]. Rav Soloveitchik, zt"l, explained that only on the other fasts does one fulfill the special obligation of prayer at a time of calamity, as explained above. But on Tisha B'Ab, "Even though I cry out and call for help, He has blocked my prayer"[16]. Thus, even though Tisha B'Ab has the status of a fast day, it is still entirely different in its nature and purpose from any other public fast.
In terms of the other prohibitions of the day, Tisha B'Ab is again different from the other fasts. On one hand, there are prohibitions, which are similar to those of Yom HaKippurim[17]. On the other hand, these prohibitions reflect the mourning of Tisha B'Ab, rather than the positive obligations of prayer and teshuva. The Gemara[18] states, "The Hakhamim taught, all the laws pertaining to mourning apply on Tisha B'Ab as well; a person is forbidden to eat and drink[19], to anoint his body, to wear leather shoes and to engage in sexual intercourse..."[20]
In light of the above, let us return to the sugya in Rosh Hashana: "Tisha B'Ab is different since on this day many sorrows befell us." According to the fundamental distinction which we have drawn between a calamity and a decree, we can explain that what we are referring to here is not a quantitative addition of calamities on Tisha B'Ab over and above those of any other fast. We are dealing not with a calamity but rather with a decree. Therefore, we do not fast within the framework of the obligations of prayer and teshuva in order that the calamity will pass, but rather as part of our expression of sorrow and mourning over the bitter decree.
On other fast days, aside from Yom HaKippurim and Tisha B'Ab, some poskim hold that pregnant and nursing women are not required to fast. Other poskim, however, hold that the minhag is that they should fast, unless they find it difficult. A person who is ill or suffering is not required to fast, even if there is no fear of danger to health.
On Yom HaKippurim and Tisha B'Ab, however, pregnant and nursing women are required to fast the entire day even if they are suffering, with this difference: On Yom HaKippurim a person is required to fast even if he is ill, unless there is danger to life. On Tisha B'Ab, if a person is suffering greatly or is old or weak and may become ill, even if there is no danger to life, he / she should not fast. A person with only a headache or similar minor discomforts, however, is required to fast.
If a nursing woman's fasting will harm the infant (e.g., the infant is ill and a physician says that the fast will adversely affects the infant, the milk will be adequate for the child and the child refuses to eat or nurse from others), she may eat or drink as required. Where there is any question, a Hakham should be consulted.
If a person is not required to fast because it is dangerous, he is prohibited from fasting.
Even those persons who are not required to fast on Tisha B'Ab should not indulge or eat more than is necessary to preserve their health.
Boys under Bar Mitzva, even those twelve years of age and girls under Bat Mitzva, even those under eleven years old, are not required to fast the entire day as they are required on Yom HaKippurim. According to Hakham D. Eider, noted halachic scholar, there are various opinions among Poskim as to whether children should fast part of the day.
When a circumcision, or a Pidyon Haben (redemption of a firstborn son), is celebrated on the day preceding Tisha B'Ab, and if meat is being served, the feast should be held in the forenoon.
One should not walk for pleasure on the day before the 9th of Ab; and it is customary to study in the afternoon only the subjects permitted on Tisha B'Ab. Many poskim hold that although on Tisha B'Ab itself one is limited in what he may learn, on Erev Tisha B'Ab, however, one may learn all portions and topics of Torah. This is how many poskim conducted themselves, even when Erev Tisha B'Ab occurred on a weekday and certainly when it was on Shabbat.
Concerning fasting on erev Tisha B'Ab, if a person fasts every Monday and Thursday, and erev Tisha B'Ab occurs on a Monday, or if one observes a yartzeit on erev Tisha B'Ab (many fast on a yartzeit) or if he would want to fast because of a disturbing dream, a Rav should be consulted to resolve the need for fasting two consecutive days. One who observes yartzeit on the day before Tisha B'Ab should resolve on the first occasion not to fast any longer than until noon; then he should say the Mincha gedolah (the big Mincha), that is at 12:30 p.m., partake of a meal, and afterwards, at the approach of evening, eat the concluding meal.
There are many laws regarding the last meal before the fast. The proper minhag is to eat the regular meal before the Mincha service. Afterward, we pray Mincha, omitting the Tachanun (petition for Grace), because Tisha B'Ab is called a holiday, as it is written:
Eicha
(Lamentations)
As Tisha B’Av
Approaches
At the approach of evening, we should sit on the ground, or a low stool, but it is not necessary to remove the shoes. Three should not sit down to eat together, in order that they should not be obliged to recite the Grace in company. Only bread and a cold hard-boiled egg should be eaten at this meal, and a morsel of bread should be dipped in ashes and eaten. One should finish this meal while it is yet day.
All that is forbidden to be done on Tisha B'Ab is also forbidden in the twilight. One should, therefore, remove the shoes before twilight.
During the afternoon prior to Tisha B'Ab, it is customary to eat a full meal in preparation for the fast.
At the end of the afternoon, we eat the "Seudah Hamaf-seket", a meal consisting only of bread, water, and a hard-boiled egg.
The egg has two symbols: The round shape reminds us of a sign of the cycle of life. Also, the egg is the only food which gets harder the more it is cooked, a symbol of the Jewish people's ability to withstand persecution.
Food eaten at the "Seudah Hamaf-seket" is dipped in ashes, symbolic of mourning. The meal should preferably be eaten alone, while seated on the ground in mourner's fashion.
For Sefardim, the final meal before the fast (if it is eaten after the middle of the day) may not consist of more than one cooked food. However, if it is usual to cook two foods together, such as rice and lentils (Kitchri), they are considered as one and are permitted.
The basic prohibitions of the day are:
1. Eating,
2. Drinking,
3. Washing,
4. Cohabitation,
5. Wearing leather shoes,
6. Learning Torah (with exceptions), and
7. Anointing with oil - once the practice of Kings.
We will explore these in more depth in the following sections.
Bathing for pleasure is forbidden, whether in hot or cold water; it is even forbidden to put one's finger in water. In any case, there is no question that it is permitted for health and ritual purposes, when not for pleasure's sake. Hence, we may wash our hands in the morning, but we must be careful not to wash more than the fingers, for this is what constitutes the ritual morning ablution, as an evil spirit rests on the fingers in the morning. After having dried the hands slightly, and while they are still moist, we may pass them over our eyes. One whose eyes are filmy after awakening from sleep, and who is accustomed to wash them every morning, is permitted to wash them as usual, and he need have no scruples about it. Likewise, if one's hands are soiled, he may wash the soiled spots. After responding to the call of nature, we may slightly wash our hands, as we are accustomed to do. We should also wash our fingers for the Mincha services.
One who is accustomed to rinse his mouth or teeth daily may do so even with water on the other fast days, if the bad taste in his mouth causes him distress. On Tisha B'Ab, however, this is permissible only in instances of great distress. However, as care must be taken not to swallow the water, he should bend over when rinsing. Prohibited on Yom HaKippurim, rinsing one's mouth with mouthwash or brushing one's teeth without water, on Tisha B'Ab is questionable.
Women are allowed to rinse the edibles to be used for cooking, inasmuch as the purpose is not to wash the hands. One who is on his way to perform a precept, and he's unable to proceed unless he crosses a stream, may cross it on his way there and on returning, and he need have no scruples about it. However, if he's going for his own gain, he may cross on his way there, but not on returning. One, who returns from the road, and his feet are sore, may bathe them in water.
Although only bathing for pleasure is forbidden, nonetheless, a woman whose time for taking the ritual immersion occurs on the night of the Ninth of Ab, should not perform the immersion as cohabitation is taboo on Tisha B'Ab. A woman, however, may wash the parts of the body that must be washed before beginning her seven clean Days.
One may soak a cloth in water on Erev Tisha B'Ab and after it has dried to a point where it is not sufficiently damp to wet something else substantially, he may wipe his face, hands and feet. This is permissible even if the intention is for pleasure. Since it is considered dry, according to halacha, it is not considered washing.
A bride within thirty days after her wedding may wash her face.
Wearing shoes is forbidden if they are made of leather; but wearing shoes made of cloth, or the like, if they are not trimmed with leather, is permissible. Those who have to walk among non-Jews may wear shoes, so, as not to expose themselves to ridicule; but one should place some earth in the shoes. However, a righteous person should rightly cling to the rule. Men who stay in stores are surely forbidden to wear shoes, One who has to walk a long distance, since walking barefoot would cause him great distress, is permitted to wear shoes, but he must remove them in approaching a city. But one who rides in a vehicle is forbidden to wear shoes.
Wearing leather shoes for medical reasons is permissible. Therefore, one may wear leather shoes if his foot was injured and sneakers or other permissible shoes would not afford adequate support. Where there is any doubt, consult a Hakham.
One is permitted to learn Torah selections relevant to tragic events and destruction. The general principle is to devote one's thoughts to mourning tragic events, rather than diverting oneself with other matters.
We are forbidden to greet a neighbor on the 9th Day of Ab, even to say "Good morning," or the like. If greeted by an ignorant person or by a non-Jew, we should return the greeting feebly; otherwise we might incur their anger. We are likewise forbidden to send a gift to a neighbor, because this is a form of greeting. This is the practice of mourners.
Anointing, too, is forbidden for pleasure; and if one has scabs on the head, or if it is necessary for some other remedy, it is permissible.
Swallowing capsules, bitter medicine tablets or bitter liquid medicine is permissible.
We should not walk in the marketplace or in a busy shopping area, for there we might be prompted to indulge in laughter and merriment. Some authorities forbid the smoking of tobacco the whole day, while others permit it in the afternoon in the privacy of one's own home.
With regard to work, our custom is to forbid even unskilled labor the night of Tisha B'Ab and up to noontime, if it takes time to do it. But work that does not take long to do, like the lighting of candles, or tying something up, is permitted. In the afternoon, all work is permitted. It is also the custom to forbid the transaction of business in the forenoon, but to permit it in the afternoon. However, a G-d-fearing man should not do any work nor transact any business the whole day, so that his mind is not diverted from mourning. A non-Jew may do all manner of working, and if this work is of a nature that if done at once might cause a loss, one is permitted to do it himself. A non-Jew should do the milking of cows, but when that is impossible, one may milk them himself.
One who engages in business or work where it is prohibited
will not see a blessing from this forbidden work. One who eats
or drinks on Tisha B'Ab will not be among those privileged to participate in
rejoicing over Jerusalem. Experiencing
its rejoicing will reward whoever mourns properly over
We do not engage in business or other distracting labors, unless it will result in a substantial loss.[22]
It is customary not to sit on a bench or a chair, either at
night or in the day till
In the morning, the tefillin are not put on, because they are called an "ornament." Neither is the big tallit put on, because it is written[23]: "Bitza imrato," and the Targum translates it: "He rent His royal garment"; but the small tallit should be put on, without saying the benediction thereon.
It is the custom not to start to prepare the meal before
If there is an infant to be circumcised, the circumcision should be performed when the recital of "Kinnot" is concluded. The father and the mother of the infant, the sandek and the mohel are permitted to don their Sabbath attire in honor of the circumcision. After the circumcision, they should remove these garments. Candles may be lit in honor of the circumcision, and the goblet of wine should be given to a minor to drink.
Cohabitation is forbidden, and one should be careful not even to touch his wife. It is proper not to have sexual intercourse on the night of the 10th of Ab day, unless it is on the night of the ritual immersion, or if one is about to go on a journey, or has returned from a journey.
A man should deprive himself of some comfort when he goes to sleep on the night of the 9th of Ab. If he is accustomed, for instance, to sleep on two pillows, he should sleep on only one. Some people sleep on the floor during the night of Tisha B'Ab, and place a stone underneath the head, to conform to what is written about Jacob:
Bereshit
(Genesis) 28:11 "and he took
from the stones of the place,"
Because, the Hakhamim say, he foresaw the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple, and he said (verse 7): "How fearful," etc. All these depend on the character of the individual.
From the onset of the month of Ab joyfulness should be lessened, and one who has a court-case with a non-Jew should postpone it till after the tenth of Ab.
Negotiations for and acquisitions of items for joyous purposes, such as marriages, are postponed till after the Ninth of Ab. However, they are permitted if the items would not be available later, or if they would then be more costly.
While some Sepharadim do not perform weddings from Rosh Hodesh to the Ninth of Ab, the accepted practice is to be strict and forbid it from Tammuz 17.
The week of Tisha B’Ab is calculated from the Shabbat preceding it to Tisha B’Ab. During this week, cutting of hair is prohibited, and this is the Minhagh of most Sepharadim. Ashkenazim prohibit it for the twenty-two days. Some Sepharadim have adopted this custom also.
We do not take haircuts or wash our
clothes or bodies until
Sepharadim do not partake of meat and wine from the night after Rosh Chodesh Ab. But on Rosh Chodesh itself, meat and wine are consumed in honor of the special day[24]. Ashkenazim abstain from Rosh Chodesh. It is common among Sepharadim to break the fast of Tisha B’Ab with a chicken meal. The Ashkenazi custom, however is to postpone this till the day of the tenth of Ab. One should not sit on the floor itself, while eating this meal, as this is not good according to kabbalah. Instead, one should sit on a mat or something similar.
One may not cut one's nails during this week, though on 'Ereb (the eve of) Shabbat Chazon it is permitted. However, if the nails extend beyond the flesh of the fingers they may be cut, even on this week, as it is a great obligation to do so according to the kabbala.
Eicha, Lamentations, is read at night and again in the morning, in accordance with the Sepharadim. Some Ashkenazim, however, read it only at night.
1. Lights in the synagogue are dimmed, candles are lit, and the curtain
is removed from the
2. The Book of
Eicha (Lamentations), Jeremiah's poetic lament over the destruction of Jerusalem and the
3. Following both the night and day service, special "Kinot" (elegies) are recited.
4. In the morning,
the Torah portion of Devarim[25]
is read, containing the prophecy regarding Israel's future iniquity and exile. This
is followed by the Haftorah from Yiremiyahu (Jeremiah) 8:13, 9:1-23, describing
the desolation of
Sefardim
Evening
Service:
Reading of
the Book of Lamentations
Morning
Service:
Torah
Devarim (Deuteronomy) 4:25-40
Haftarah:
Yirmeyahu (Jeremiah) 8:13 – 9:23
Book of Iyov (Job)
Reader 1 –
Devarim 4:25-29
Reader 2 – Devarim
4:30-34
Reader 3 – Devarim
4:35-40
Yirmeyahu
8:13 – 9:23
(In
Sephardi Congregations this Haftarah is read in Ladino)
Book of Iyov
(Job) is read
Afternoon
Service:
Torah
Shemot (Exodus) 32:11-14; 34:1-10
Haftarah:
Hoshea (Hosea 14:2-10 (AV: 14:1-9)
Mikha (Micah) 7:18-20
Reader 1 –
Shemot 32:11-14
Reader 2 –
Shemot 34:1-3
Reader 3 –
Shemot 34:4-10
Hoshea 14:2-10
Mikha 7:18-20
5. In the afternoon, Shemot (Exodus) 32:11-14 is read. This is followed by the Haftorah from Yeshiyahu (Isaiah) 55-56.
6. Since Tallit and Tefillin represent glory and decoration, they are not worn at Shacharit. Rather, they are worn at Mincha, as certain mourning restrictions are lifted.
7. Birkat Kohanim is said only at Mincha, not at Shacharit.
8. Prayers for comforting
9. Before the fast is broken, it is customary to say Kiddush Lavanah because on Tisha B’Ab Mashiach will be “born”. [In the blessing we say, “And they will seek David their king.”]
10. We skip parts of the Uva L’tzion and kaddish. We skip those parts where we ask HaShem to forgive us.
11. We don't say Tachanun as we do on all other fast days.
Now that we have explored the prayers of Tisha B’Ab, we should have noticed something VERY VERY unusual. We should have noticed that there were no selichot, no neilah, and no other prayers for forgiveness! On this tragic day we do not repent because on this day our prayers will not be heard.
On Tisha
B’Ab HaShem will not hear our prayers for forgiveness!
We read about this unusual response in the reading of Eichah:
Eichah (Lamentations) 3:8 Also when I cry and shout, he shutteth
out my prayer.
Eichah
(Lamentations)
Perhaps the most poignant of all is the command of HaShem to Yeremyahu NOT to pray for the people:
Yeremyahu
(Jeremiah)
On this day there is no teshuva, no repentance. Even teshuva
is forbidden in mourning! If we arrive at Tisha
B’Ab with our teshuva, we have arrived unprepared. We have contributed to the
destruction of the Beit HaMikdash, the
We must do
teshuva before Tisha B’Ab! We must repent while there is yet time!
When Tisha B'Ab falls on Shabbat, the following special conditions apply:
1. The fast is pushed off until Saturday night and Sunday.
2. All other prohibitions of Tisha B'Ab (washing, learning Torah, leather shoes, etc.) are permitted on Shabbat itself, except for marital relations.
3. Care should be taken to complete "Seudah Shlishit" before sundown.
4. "Seudah Hamaf-seket" may include meat and wine.
5. Arbit on Saturday night is delayed, so that everyone can say "Baruch Hamavdil bein kodesh li'chol," then remove their leather shoes and come to Shul.
6. Havdallah on Saturday night is recited only over a candle, without wine or spices. On Sunday night, Havdallah is then said over wine.
According to the Rashba, Shabbat the ninth of Ab is not a day of mourning, no prohibitions apply to Shabbat, and it is reasonable to conclude that Sunday the tenth is the proper day of the fast and no leniency's should apply.
According to the Shulchan Aruch, Sunday is not in principle the proper day of mourning; hence, a father of a brit milah does not complete the fast.
This section is an extract from the Encyclopedia Judaica.
The mourning rites of Tisha B’Ab are reflected in the following changes in the synagogue liturgy and usage:
1 The lights in the synagogue
are dimmed and only a few candles are lit, as a symbol of the darkness which
has befallen Israel. In some rites (Sephardi,
Yemenite), it is customary to extinguish all lights immediately after the conclusion
of the evening service prior to the reading of the Kinot
("dirges"), and the oldest member of the congregation or the hazzan
then announces: "This year is the... so and so... since the destruction of
the Holy Temple." Afterward he addresses the
congregation with words of chastisement and repentance in the spirit of the
saying: "Each generation in which the
2 The curtain of the
3 The congregants sit on low benches, footstools, or on the floor as mourners do during the shivah period.
4 The Chazzan recites the prayers in a monotonous and melancholy tune.
5 Some people change their customary seats in the synagogue.
6 In some congregations the Torah Scroll is placed on the floor and ashes put on it
while the congregants recite the words: Eicha (Lamentations)
7 The prayer service is the
regular weekday service, with the following changes: In the evening, the Scroll
of Eicha (Lamentations) is followed by special dirges, Kinot. In the Sephardi
rite the Song of Moses, Deuteronomy 32, is substituted for the Song of Moses,
Shemot (Exodus) 15, which is normally recited after the morning Psalms. After the main part of the morning service Kinot
are recited commemorating many of the tragic events in Jewish history (in the
Sephardi rite they are recited before the
8 During the reader's repetition of the Amidah the Anenu prayer is inserted between the seventh and eighth benedictions as on all fast days. In the silent Amidah it is recited in the 16th benediction of the afternoon service and in the Sephardi and Yemenite rites at all services. The Italian rite recites it in the morning and afternoon services. In the afternoon service a special prayer Nahem is added to the benediction for the restoration of Jerusalem.
9 From the Middle Ages it
became customary except among certain oriental communities not to wear tallit and tefillin
during the morning service. (They are considered to be ornaments, and the tefillin
in particular are held to be
10 The morning service as well as the afternoon service include readings from the Torah. In the morning the reading is Devarim (Deuteronomy) 4:24–40, and the haftarah Yiremiyahu (Jeremiah) 8:13–9:23; in the afternoon service Shemot (Exodus) 32:11–14 and 34:1–10, and, as haftarah, Yeshiyahu (Isaiah) 55:6; 56:8 as on all fast days. The Sephardi haftarah is Hosea 14:2–9. In some rituals the person called up to the Torah says: "Blessed be the righteous Judge", the verse by which mourners are greeted.
11 Some people sprinkle ashes
on their head as a symbol of mourning. In Jerusalem it is customary to visit the Western Wall on
Tisha B’Ab, where Lamentations and the Kinot are recited by the
different communities according to their rites. There are many other local mourning customs. Visits to the cemeteries, especially
to the graves of martyrs and pious men, were frequent, in order to implore the
deceased to intercede for the speedy redemption
of Israel. School children used to throw seed-burrs of plants at each other in
Chazal[27]
say that the Mashiach will be “born” on the Ninth
of Av, and that in the days after Mashiach
comes, the Ninth of Av will be a holiday of joy, as it was originally intended.
This is reflected in the laws of the day, as we don't
say Tachanun. It is not like the other fast days:
Midrash Rabbah - Lamentations
I:51 The following story supports what R. Judan said in the name of
R. Aibu: It happened that a man was ploughing, when one of his oxen lowed. An
Arab passed by and asked, ‘What are you?’ He answered, ‘I am a Jew.’ He said to him, ‘Unharness your ox and untie your
plough’ [as a mark of mourning]. ' Why? ' he asked.
' Because the Temple of the Jews is destroyed.’ He
inquired, ‘From where do you know this?’ He answered, ‘I know it from the
lowing of your ox.’ While he was conversing with him, the ox lowed again. The
Arab said to him, ‘Harness your ox and tie up your plough, because the
deliverer of the Jews is born.’ ‘What is his name?’ he asked; and he answered,
‘His name is "Comforter".’ ‘What is his father's name?’ He answered,
' Hezekiah.’ ' Where do they live? ' He answered, ‘In Birath ‘Arba in Bethlehem of Judah.’
The Hakhamim of the Talmud teach that on the afternoon of Tisha B'Ab, the very day of the destruction, Mashiach is “born”. This suggests that each year, on Tisha B’Ab, the seeds of redemption are planted. This day, each year, has the energy to bring forth the Mashiach and the final redemption!
The meaning of Mashiach’s birthday [being on Tisha B’Ab] is not that he came into this world on that date, because if so, he could not in actuality be described as the “Redeemer of the Jewish people” then; it means that Mashiach, as an adult, is revealed as the “Redeemer of the Jewish people,” (comparable to birth in the literal sense when a newborn is revealed into this world), and that he is prepared and worthy to redeem the Jewish people in actuality. From all the indications given by our Sages, we are in the “generation of the footsteps of Mashiach,” and the Geulah, the redemption, can come at moment’s notice, so Mashiach has to be prepared to take us out of galut, exile.
Every Jew has within him a spark of Mashiach, which empowers and vitalizes him, and with this spark every Jew can transcend the limitations of nature and revert to a super-natural order. As we are at the end of this final galut, when we have already completed the the work of refinement in galut, with all the trials and tribulations, the “birthpangs of Mashiach,” the terrible, horrific unimaginable things which have transpired in our generation [“may they never happen again”] – it is very plain and simple that now is the time when Jews are about to go into Eretz Yisrael in the final redemption with Mashiach Tzidkeinu.
Mashiach is waiting impatiently for the moment when he will redeem the Jewish people from galut, and this can come immediately: considering the achievements of the Divine service during all this time, it is certain that Mashiach is coming “today.” Having already definitely done teshuvah, we have the promise and the ruling that the Geulah must come immediately, it will not be delayed even as much as a wink of an eye, especially since it is also a situation of merited and deserving, so that Mashiach will come “on the clouds of heaven.” The practical lesson for us from all of this: We have to know that the time of Mashiach’s arrival is certainly here; we have but to “stand prepared” to greet him with longing and yearning for Mashiach. and this will certainly bring about his revelation. In an auspicious time when his “mazal” is predominant, this trickles down to every Jew, that he should add in “a single mitzva” which will tip the scales for the individual and the entire world, and bring salvation and the true, complete redemption immediately. [28]
* * *
"Hakham Abin opened as follows: 'Feed me bitterness', on the eve of Pesach, 'fill me with gall', on Tisha B'Ab[29]. The bitter herbs of the first night of Pesach are related to the pain of Tisha B'Ab. The two events are always the same day of the week."[30]
The above passage again connects the idea of redemption to Tisha B’Ab. In the same way that Pesach and its seder speak of the final redemption, so too, does this day speak of our final redemption. The two days are linked for our redemption.
A birthday is a time when the specific mazal, constellation, or spiritual energy as manifest by the mazal, which was in force during a person’s birth is once again ascendent, giving him power and strength. Thus, the birthday of Mashiach is a time when he, and the redemption with which he is associated, are granted new power. This power, in turn, hastens the advent of the day when the redemption will become actually manifest.[31]
Almond Tree in bloom
The Gemara[32] asserts that a hen's egg generally
takes twenty-one days to hatch, just as the almond blossom takes twenty-one days
to develop into a fruit. Tosefot ad. loc. quotes a Midrash[33] that explains a prophesy of
Yirmiyahu based on this:
Yirmiyahu (Jeremiah) 1:1-16
Moreover the word of HaShem came unto me,
saying, Jeremiah, what seest thou? And I said, I see a rod of an almond tree.
Then said HaShem unto me, Thou hast well seen: for I will hasten my word to
perform it. And the word of HaShem came unto me the second time, saying, What
seest thou? And I said, I see a seething pot; and the face thereof [is] toward
the north. Then HaShem said unto me, Out of the north an evil shall break forth
upon all the inhabitants of the land. For, lo, I will call all the families of
the kingdoms of the north, saith HaShem; and they shall come, and they shall
set every one his throne at the entering of the gates of Jerusalem,
and against all the walls thereof round about, and against all the cities of
Judah. And I will utter my judgments against them touching all their
wickedness, who have forsaken me, and have burned incense
unto other gods, and worshipped the works of their own hands.
Yirmiyahu
was shown an almond branch in a prophetic vision of retribution. The point of
his vision, then, was to demonstrate that just as the almond blossom takes twenty-one
days to produce fruit, so too, the destruction of Jerusalem
will be accomplished during a twenty-one day period; from Shiv'ah Asar B'Tammuz, the 17th of
Tammuz, until Tisha
B'Ab, the 9th of Ab.
The almond can be regarded as having two periods of ripening. It is edible together with its rind a few weeks after the tree blooms, while the fruit is still green. Its second ripening is three months later, when the outer rind has shriveled and the inside cover has become a hard shell[34].
In its exposition of Jeremiah's vision, the Talmud has the first ripening in mind: "Just as twenty-one days elapse from the time the almond sends forth its blossom until the fruit ripens, so twenty-one days passed from the time the city was breached until the Temple was destroyed"[35], the twenty-one days being the period between the Seventeenth of Tammuz and the Ninth of Ab.
Beth-El was originally called Luz[36] which is the less common word for almond or almond tree in Hebrew, but loz is the regular Arabic word for almond.
The Place of the world, the Beit HaMikdash, The Temple,
is a place of connection, a place of intimacy. This place was called
Bereshit
(Genesis) 28:10-22 Jacob left
This “certain place” is defined
by Strong’s as:
4725
maqowm, maw-kome'; or maqom, maw-kome'; also (fem.) meqowmah, mek-o-mah'; or
meqomah, mek-o-mah'; from 6965; prop. a standing, i.e. a spot; but used widely
of a locality (gen. or spec.); also (fig.) of a condition (of body or
mind):-country, X home, X open, place, room, space, X whither [-soever].
The
Midrash calls this “certain place”, “The Place”:
Midrash Rabbah - Bereshit (Genesis) LXVIII:11 AND HE TOOK OF2 THE STONES OF THE PLACE
(XXVIII, 11). R. Judah said: He took twelve stones, saying: ‘The Holy One,
blessed be He, has decreed that twelve tribes should spring forth. Now neither Abraham nor Isaac has produced them. If these twelve stones cleave to
one another, then I know that I will produce the twelve tribes.’ When therefore
the twelve stones united,[37][23] he knew that he was to produce the twelve tribes. R. Ezra said: He
took three stones, saying: ' The Holy One, blessed be
He, united His name with Abraham; with Isaac too He united His name. If these three stones become joined, then I am assured that God's
name will be united with me too.’ And when they did thus join, he knew that God
would unite His name with him.’ The Hakhamim said: [He took] the least number that 'stones'
can connote, viz. two, saying: ‘From Abraham there came
forth Ishmael and the children of Keturah; from Isaac there came forth Esau. As for me, if these two stones join, I will be
assured that nought worthless will come forth from me.’ R. Levi and R. Eleazar
in the name of R. Jose b. Zimra said: He arranged them in the shape of a
roof-gutter and put them under his head, because he was afraid of the wild
beasts.
The world was fashioned from the foundation stone. At Beth-el, the place, the stones are feminine. Twelve stones became one stone at the place of oneness. The twelve foundation stones became one.
Eliyahu also built an altar of twelve stones:
1
Melakim (1 Kings)
Here we see that the stones clearly represent the Bnai Yisrael. The stones are people!
The Hebrew word for stone is
"even," (short e). The even
symbolizes the bond between the generations and the eternity of the Jewish People, as in the verse,
"From there the shepherd of Even Israel." "Even" is also an
acronym for "Ab Ubanim," which means "father and sons." In
addition, the even symbolizes the longing of the Jewish People for the Land of Israel, as in the verse, "Her servants desire
her stones," as well as for the building of the Temple
(from stones) on the
How fitting then is the association between Luz, the almond,
with its twenty-one day period of ripening and destruction of the Beit HaMikdash, The Temple!
Just as
the almond blossom, the Luz, takes twenty-one days to produce fruit, so too, the destruction of The Temple will
be accomplished during a twenty-one day period; from Shiv'ah 'Asar B'Tammuz,
the 17th of Tammuz, until Tisha B'Ab, the 9th of Ab.
The twenty-one
day period leading up to the
destruction of the
The Cherubin in The Temple, child like creatures with wings. They were male and female and they embraced each other when the Bnei Israel were close to HaShem in our walk. The faced each other perfectly.
When we, as a nation, were far from HaShem, the Cherubin
were not embracing and had their backs to each other. They mirrored our
relationship to HaShem.
Yoma 54a Kattina said:
Whenever Israel came up to the Festival, the curtain would be removed for them and
the Cherubim were shown to them, whose bodies were
intertwisted with one another, and they would be thus addressed: Look! You are
beloved before God as the love between man and woman.
When the Babylonians destroyed The Temple, they dragged the embracing cherubim through the streets to show what the Jews worshipped. This embarrassed the Jews who were violating this love.
Why were they embracing at the time of our greatest apostasy?
This was the love of HaShem when He had to punish us in order that we should return to Him. Surely this was the time when He was showing us His greatest love!
Never
forget that the destruction of the Beit HaMikdash
represents a time when HaShem was showing His love to
His people. We are the lively stones! It is the Bnei
Israel that HaShem wants to dwell with!
1 Tsefet (Peter) 2:1-10
Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies,
and all evil speakings, As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word,
that ye may grow thereby: If so be ye have tasted that the Lord [is] gracious.
To whom coming, [as unto] a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen
of God, [and] precious, Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood,
to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God
by Yeshua HaMashiach.
Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in
The Talmud Yerushalami writes
that every generation in which the
Now is the time to build a fitting place for HaShem. Now is the time to build the lively stones. If not now, when?
(This section was written by my teacher, His Eminence Hakham Dr. Yosef ben Haggi.)
It is the view of some, that there is little or no mention
in the Nazarean Codicil about the two important fast
days of the 17th of Tammuz and the 9th
of Ab. The obvious paucity of clear references to these two fasts is predicated
upon two facts. First, that whilst the second Temple
stood, these two fasts whilst important did not have the importance, meaningful
and far-reaching consequences that such fasts had immediately after the
destruction of the Second Temple or even more so today as we hear the footsteps of the Messiah. Secondly, and equally important,
there is a discussion about fasting between Mashiach
ben Yosef and the disciples of Yochanan the Immerser in Matityahu
v.14.
Then the disciples of Yochanan came to him, saying, "Why do we and the
Pharisees fast often, {Other ancient authorities
lack [often]} but your disciples do not fast?"
v.15.
And Yeshua said to them, "The wedding guests cannot mourn
as long as the bridegroom is with them, can they? The days will come when the
bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast.
v.16.
No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old cloak, for the patch pulls away
from the cloak, and a worse tear is made.
v.17.
Neither is new wine put into old wineskins; otherwise, the skins burst, and the
wine is spilled, and the skins are destroyed; but new wine is put into fresh
wineskins, and so both are preserved."
In other words, whilst Mashiach was here on earth, the dictum of the Tanach[40], in Zechariah, became operative, as a foretaste of things yet to come:
Zechariah 8:18-19 “The word of HaShem
of Hosts came to me, saying: Thus says Ha-Shem of Hosts: The fast of the fourth month, and the fast of the fifth,
and the fast of the seventh, and the fast of the tenth,
shall be seasons of joy and gladness, and cheerful festivals
for the house of Judah: therefore love truth and peace.”
And the meaning of vv. 16-17 of Matityahu Chapter nine, then becomes obvious, that is, one does not telescope days of mourning or fast to the Messianic Age, nor does one mourn or fast whilst in the very presence of Mashiach. However, he did indicate that after his death, “The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast.” Thus it becomes incumbent upon us to fast together with all of our noble Jewish brethren on these two most solemn days of the 17th of Tammuz and 9th of Ab.
Another two important points, which require some profound mystical understanding, and which you probably have heard me often speak about are:
(a) the proper and mystical understanding of the concept of “Temple,” and
(b) that the mournings of the 17th of Tammuz and 9th of Ab must be seasons for returning to “truth” and “peace”[41] and thus said mournings should be mournings of joy as the Messianic Era is closely approaching to us.
The following is a comprehensive list of the tragedies of Tisha B'Ab that Ernest Ostrander compiled from the internet. They are tragedies of various degrees, and he had no means of verifying the more obscure items. Also, a few of the dates are suspect. Nevertheless, from the best of what he has found, here's the list:
1. 1312 BC - The sin of the spies who examined Canaan caused HaShem to decree that the Bnai Yisrael who left Egypt would not be permitted to enter the land of Israel.
2. 421 BC - Destruction of the first temple by the Babylonians.
3. 70 AD - Destruction of the second temple by the Romans.
4. 132 AD (135AD?) - Betar, the last fortress to hold out against the Romans during the Bar Kochba revolt fell, sealing the fate of the Jewish people. Over 100,000 Jews were slaughtered.
5. 133 AD (136AD?) - One year after the fall of Betar, the
6. 136 AD - Jerusalem destroyed and the Roman city Aelia Capitolina established in its place.
7. 1095 AD – First Crusade declared by Pope Urban II. 10,000
Jews killed in first month of the Crusade. Crusades bring death and destruction
to thousands of Jews, totally obliterate many communities in Rhineland and
8. 1290 AD – Expulsion of Jews
from
9. 1492 AD - Expulsion of Jews from
10. 1555 AD - Ghetto established in Rome.
Pope Paul IV moves all the Jews into a foul smelling area near the
11. 1571 AD – The ghetto of
12. 1648 AD – Three thousand Jews perished in Konstantynow in what were known as the Chmielnicki massacres
13. 1670 AD – The last group of Jews were forced to leave
14. 1882 AD – The Turkish government, which then controlled the Holy-land, barred immigration of Russian and Rumanian Jews and also banned the sale of land in Palestine to Jews.
15. 1914 AD – WW1 begins. 75% of all Jews lived in war zones.
16. 1940 AD – Himler presented his plan to the Nazi Party on the "Final Solution" to the Jewish problem
17. 1941 AD – Himler’s plan was implemented.
18. 1941 AD – A decree went forth expelling all Jews from Hungarian Ruthenia
19. 1942 AD – Deportation from Warsaw Ghetto to the concentration camp at Treblinka began.
20. 1989 AD –
21. 1990 AD – Gulf war starts.
22. 1994 AD – Deadly bombing of the Jewish community center
in
Taanit, 30 "He who mourns for Jerusalem
will merit to share in her joy".
Yaaqov Avienu refused to be consoled for Yosef during the entire twenty-two years that they were apart. Normative halacha tells us that our mourning ends after a year. Why did Yaaqov continue to mourn for so long? This question has great import to us because we also ignore the halacha when we continue to mourn for the Beit HaMikdash 2000 years after it was destroyed.
As Yaaqov mourned so we mourn. What is the connection?
Mourning is meant to end when we resolve the emotional and intellectual conflict which is created by the death of a loved one. This can only be accomplished when we are certain that our loved one has died. So, for example, if we hear that a serviceman is “Missing In Action” (MIA), then we find it difficult to stop mourning, even after many years, because there is no certainty of death.
This resolves our conundrum. We continue to mourn for the Beit HaMikdash because we have a certain knowledge that it will be rebuilt. In fact, we have a specific promise to that effect as indicated in the Talmud:
Makkoth 24b Long ago, as Rabban Gamaliel,
R. Eleazar b. ‘Azariah, R. Joshua and R. Akiba were walking on the road, they
heard the noise of the crowds at Rome [on travelling]
from Puteoli, a hundred and twenty miles away. They all fell a-weeping, but R. Akiba seemed merry. Said they to him:
Wherefore are you merry? Said he to them: Wherefore are you weeping? Said they:
These heathens who bow down to images and burn incense
to idols live in safety and ease, whereas our Temple,
the ‘Footstool’ of our God is burnt down by fire, and
should we then not weep? He replied: Therefore, am I merry. If they that offend
Him fare thus, how much better shall fare they that do obey Him! Once again
they were coming up to Jerusalem together, and just as
they came to
This also resolves a second conundrum: Why does Chazal[45] call this day a moed, a feast day, a time of joy? The answer is found in the rebuilding of the Beit HaMikdash and in the words of the Prophet:
Zechariah 8:19 Thus saith HaShem
of hosts; The fast of the fourth month, and the fast of the fifth, and the fast of the
seventh, and the fast of the tenth, shall be to the
house of Judah joy and gladness, and cheerful feasts;
therefore love the truth and peace.
Now we can understand the opening, enigmatic, quote:
Taanit, 30 "He who mourns for Jerusalem
will merit to share in her joy".
The "Three weeks of
Rebuke" are followed by the "Seven weeks of
Consolation". Seven weekly readings describing the future redemption and the rebuilding of the marriage of HaShem and Israel.
These ten weeks are a single unit of time.
Three of tragedy and seven of consolation. These ten weeks allude to the
Mashiach who is a unity of parts.
"Pray for the peace of Jerusalem:
May those who love you be secure.
May there be peace within your walls
And security within your citadels."
Tehillim 122:6-7
This study was written by Hillel ben David
(Greg Killian).
Comments may be submitted to:
Greg Killian
7104 Inlay St SE
Lacey, WA 98513
Internet address: gkilli@aol.com
Web page: http://www.betemunah.org/
(360) 584-9352
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[2]
Exodus
[3]
ibid. Chap. 14, see Rashi Exodus
[4] Ta'anit 29a
[5] See for example Berachot 3a, Chagiga 5b
[6] Eichah Rabbati 2
[7]
Ramban's glosses to
Sefer Hamitzvot, positive mitzvah no. 5
[8] Rambam, ibid
[9] Berakhot 32b
[10] ibid.
[11]
Bamidbar (Numbers)
[12] Pesachim 54b
[13] The source for this is to be found in the Yerushalami, Rosh HaShana 3:4.
[14] OC 559:4; see the commentary of the Vilna Gaon
[15] Taz, OC 557:2; see commentary of Dagul Me-revava
[16] Eikha 3:8; see Berakhot 32b
[17] See Pesachim 54b, "There is no difference between Tisha B'Ab and Yom Kippur except..."
[18] Ta'anit 30a
[19] these are not forbidden to a regular mourner; see Rashi and the Rif, as well as Rav Soloveitchik's essay in "Shiurim Le-zekher Abba Mari" regarding public fasts
[20] Rav Soloveitchik deals at length with the similarity to mourning customs.
[21] Many of these customs are excerpts or extracts from the Ben Ish Chai.
[22] OC 554:24
[23]
Lamentations
[25]
Deuteronomy
[26] see Sof. 18:7
[27]
[28] Sichos of Devarim, Vo’eschanan, 5751. 5748 Acharei 5746
[29]
Eicha
[31] From Sound the Great Shofar, p.74
[32] Bechorot 8b
[33] Introduction to Eicha Rabba, #23
[34] Encyclopedia Judaica
[35] Talmud Yerushalami, Ta'an 4:8, 68c
[36] Bereshit [Genesis] 28:19
[38] Rabbi Yitzchak Ginsburgh
[39] Berachot 5a
[40] Old Testament
[41] Zechariah 8:19
[42] Bamidbar 1:51
[43] Yeshayahu 8:2. Cf. Zechariah 1:1
[44] Micah 3:12; Yiremiyahu 26:18-20
[45] Rav. Yosef Kaira, Shulchan Aruch: Orach Chaim 559:14