Tisha B'Av

Day of Great Sorrow:  The Ninth day of Av. 

The saddest day on the Jewish calendar is the Ninth of Av, "Tisha B'Av." It is the date when both our Holy Temples were destroyed, and exile, persecution and spiritual blackness began.

Tisha b'Av starts at sundown of the eighth of Av and lasts till the following nightfall. This year, the 9th of Av falls on Shabbat. Because of the holiness of Shabbat, the Fast of the Ninth of Av is postponed to after Shabbat. The fast begins on Shabbat eve at sunset, and continues through, Av 10, till nightfall.

As a kid I would cry at the drop of the hat, my mom would tell me that if I continued to cry she would give me something real to cry about. My Mom however, wasn't the first to use that phrase, it was God who invented it, and he invented it on Tisha B'Av

When Moses sent twelve spies into Canaan, ten of them came back with a report that the land was unconquerable and the fledgling Israeli nation could never defeat those Canaanite giants. This report caused cries throughout the Israelite settlement, they begged Moses to take them back to Egypt.

Just a short time after they witnessed all those miracles; the ten plagues that gave them freedom, the splitting of the Reed Sea, the revelation at Sinai when they received the Ten Commandments, the newly freed slaves lost their faith in God, and his promise to help them conquer the land. They were afraid and wanted to go back into bondage.

God's response was not only the generation that knew slavery would die out in the desert, but that Tisha B'Av will be a horrible day for the Jews until the coming of the Messiah. In other words, like my mom God would give the Jews something to cry about.

From that day forward, horrible things happened to the Jewish people on or around Tisha B'Av. Some of them include:

• The First Temple was destroyed
• The Second Temple was destroyed
• Bar Kokhba's revolt against Rome failed
• Roman general Turnus Rufus ordered that the Temple area and its surroundings were to be plowed-under. Jerusalem was to be rebuilt as a pagan city – renamed Aelia Capitolina – and access was forbidden to Jews.
• In 1290 King Edward I expelled the Jews from England
• In 1492 the deadline for Jews to leave Spain, Convert or Die
• The beginning of WWI –which lead directly to the rise of Hitler
• 1941 Hermann Göring ordered SS general Reinhard Heydrich to make all the necessary preparations for the Final Solution.
• The first transports reached Treblinka and the extermination of the Jews of the Warsaw Ghetto began on July 23, 1942, Tisha B'av
• In 1955 El Al Flight 402 was shot down over Bulgarian airspace on the 8th of Av.
• The AMIA Bombing (Asociación Mutua Israelita Argentina) by terrorists in Buenos Aires, Argentina, which killed 86 and wounded more than 120, was on July 18, 1994, the 10th of Av.
• In 2004, Barack Obama Gave the Keynote speech at the Democratic Convention on Tisha B'av and was crowned the heir apparent of the Democratic Party. He has proven to be the most anti-Israel President ever.
• The Disengagement from Gaza began on the 10th of Av 2005, leading to years of rocket bombardment from Hamas into Israel.
• 2009? President Obama sends Robert Gates to Israel in his first of many attempts dissuade the Jewish State from carrying out military strikes against Iran’s nuclear weapons facilities. Three years ago as of today, the US preached patience while Iran inches closer to Atomic Weapons. Earlier that week Secretary of State Hillary Clinton assured Israel that it would be place under the United States' nuclear umbrella, meaning if the Iranians used nuclear weapons against Israel, the US would retaliate with its nukes (wouldn't that be too late?)

The fast of Tisha B'Av will end on Sunday night.  Regular blogging will resume then.

Tisha B'Av 5771

Starting at sundown tonight the most sorrowful day in Jewish History starts:  the 9th of Av.  While Yom Kippur is our Day of Atonement, the day we pray to G-d to forgive us of our transgressions.  Tisha B'Av is the day we mourn for all the destruction and hardships that were done to us through out history.

From Chabad

Picture this: The year is 1313 BCE. The Israelites are in the desert, recently having experienced the miraculous Exodus, and are now poised to enter the Promised Land. But first they dispatch a reconnaissance mission to assist in formulating a prudent battle strategy. The spies return on the eighth day of Av and report that the land is unconquerable. That night, the 9th of Av, the people cry. They insist that they'd rather go back. The Jews were shocked to realize that their Second Temple was destroyed the same day as the first to Egypt than be slaughtered by the Canaanites. G‑d is highly displeased by this public demonstration of distrust in His power, and consequently that generation of Israelites never enters the Holy Land. Only their children have that privilege, after wandering in the desert for another 38 years.

And that was just the beginning. There was more, much more to come.

The First Temple was also destroyed on the 9th of Av (423 BCE). Five centuries later (in 69 CE), as the Romans drew closer to the Second Temple, ready to torch it, the Jews were shocked to realize that their Second Temple was destroyed the same day as the first.

When the Jews rebelled against Roman rule, they believed that their leader, Simon bar Kochba, would fulfill their messianic longings. But their hopes were cruelly dashed in 133 CE as the Jewish rebels were brutally butchered in the final battle at Betar. The date of the massacre? Of course—the 9th of Av!

One year after their conquest of Betar, the Romans plowed over the Temple Mount, our nation's holiest site.

The Jews were expelled from England in 1290 CE on, you guessed it, Tisha b'Av. In 1492, the Golden Age of Spain came to a close when Queen Isabella and her husband Ferdinand ordered that the Jews be banished from the land.

World War II and the Holocaust, historians conclude, was actually the long drawn-out conclusion of World War I that began in 1914. And yes, amazingly enough, the First World War also began, on the Hebrew calendar, on the 9th of Av, Tisha b'Av.

Just a few of the sorrows of this day.  In synagogue, the book of Lamentations is read and mourning prayers are recited. The ark (cabinet where the Torah is kept) is draped in black.  Jews around the world will be fasting from Sundown to Sundown and many will sit on low stools at home as if they were sitting shiva.

The Sages enacted Yom Kippur-like restrictions on Tisha B'Av, including no eating (minimal wetting of hands and eyes is allowed), drinking, washing, use of cosmetic oils, or marital relations. Leather shoes are not worn, and even Torah study -- a major source of Jewish joy -- is restricted to topics connected with the Destruction of the Temples, prophecies of rebuke, Tisha B’Av, and the like. Sitting on chairs is not permitted until the afternoon, Tefillin and Tallit are donned only at the mincha (afternoon) service.

I too will be in mourning.  There will be no posts from me from Sundown to Sundown.  Nor will I even turn on my computer until then.  I am not a very observant Jew, but there are a few holidays I do observe.  This is one.

Some advice for those who are fasting today.

From Magen David Adom

Before the fast: Drink large quantities of liquid before the fast, preferably at least one and a half liters in the hours beforehand. Reduce consumption of caffeinated beverages, and of sweet or salty foods that can increase the feeling of thirst.

The last meal before the fast should include a mix of complex carbohydrates, proteins, and vegetables.

The elderly or ill: Those who are elderly or ill should discuss fasting with a doctor. Those suffering from a variety of illnesses, including but not limited to heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes and cancer, must take their medicine as usual during the fast.

During the fast: Those fasting are advised to remain in cool, shaded areas. They should be on alert for signs of dehydration, and should dial 101 for emergency help if they experience signs of dehydration such as extreme weakness, chest pain, sudden heavy sweating, or difficulty breathing.

Ending the fast: Breaking the fast is best done by drinking liquids accompanied by a small snack, such as a piece of cake or a slice of bread with cheese. After one hour, a light meal can be eaten.

Have an easy and meaningful fast.  Blogging will be light for the next 24 hours.

Ima, Ima!

For 2 year old little boys the cry Ima (Mommy) comes when they are hurt or scared. And their mother comes running to see what is wrong. But for 2 year old Moshe Holtzberg, Mommy will not be coming to heal his hurts. His mother, Rivka Holtzberg was murdered at the Chabad Center in Mumbai, India last week.

Just before the body of Rivka Holtzberg, 28, her husband, Rabbi Gavriel, 29, and four other Jews killed by Muslim terrorists in Mumbai last week were flown back to Israel on Monday, her father promised that his family would continue her emissary work for Chabad in the same city where she died.

"My wife and I will continue their [Rivka and Gavriel's] mission, to carry out the work of the Rebbe here, at least until [their son], Moishe, grows up and then he will continue it," Afula's Rabbi Shimon Rosenberg told reporters, breaking into tears as he spoke.

His son, Yossi, told The Jerusalem Post from his Haifa home that it was still unclear whether it would be his parents or other members of the Holtzberg family who would return to Mumbai in the name of the couple who had lived there and operated the Chabad house since 2003.

"There is no comfort for what happened. But we can remember Gabi and Rivki if we are connected to the place where they lived. My parents are taking full responsibility for the continuation of my sister's work," he said. Shimon and his wife, Yehudit, had flown to India immediately after hearing of the attack.

One cannot stop good people from doing good deeds or works. Tragedies like these only reinforces the resolve of those trying to bring joy and peace to others.

They were due to arrive back in Israel late Monday night on an IDF plane that carried the six bodies, including those of Aryeh Leibish Teitelbaum, 37; Bentzion Chroman, 28; Yocheved Orpaz, 62, and Norma Shvarzblat Rabinovich, 50.

Upon their return late Monday night, the state was scheduled to hold a small private ceremony for the victims, after which a number of the families planned to hold burial ceremonies on Tuesday. The Holtzbergs' funeral will begin in Kfar Chabad on Tuesday. Mourners will proceed from there to Jerusalem to bury the couple on the Mount of Olives.

Among those on the flight back to Israel Monday night was Holtzberg's two-year-old son Moshe, who was saved from the building by his Indian nanny Sandra Samuel, to whom he has clung since the rescue.

An Interior Ministry spokeswoman said Monday that no formal request had been made as yet for Samuel to receive either permanent or temporary residency in Israel.

However, she added that Interior Minister Meir Sheetrit was willing to find a solution that would allow the woman, an Indian native, to stay here, at least for the short-term.

In Mumbai, Samuel worked on obtaining an entry visa up until the last minute and so missed the ceremony held earlier in the day at a Mumbai synagogue for the six victims.

If ever there was an angel during this massacre, it was the nanny, Sandra Samuel. She gathered up little Moshe and dared the terrorists to kill her and the child too. There are no words of praise that one could use in regards to this fine lady. No reward on Earth is too good for her, and her greatest reward will come from God. For she has saved a life.

During the ceremony, Shimon Rosenberg quoted from the book of Job, and said, "The Lord giveth. The Lord taketh away. Blessed be the name of the Lord."

Wearing a green T-shirt and clutching a red ball, Moshe had a hard time sitting still in the synagogue as he sat on the lap of Samuel's friend and looked about for his missing parents.

"Mommy, Mommy," he cried out, with his head flung back, in a voice that echoed through the sanctuary and was filmed by Israeli television and showed a number of times in Israel throughout the evening.

Full Story

View at YouTube

What sorrow for these families. The 6 Americans and the 6 Israelis murdered. Killed in the name of Islam. How proud the murderers families must be! What great deeds they accomplished!

The true great deed came from Sandra Samuel who did the most courageous thing that day. She saved a little boy's life. It is written in the Talmud:

He who saves a life, saves the world entire.