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.