Tisha B’Av and Hatred Without Cause - V'ahavta (...and you shall love...") Hadassah from Jerusalem

V’ahavta  

וְאָהַבְתָּ    ‘…And you shall love…’ 

V'ahavta (...and you shall love...")

Hadassah from Jerusalem

Tisha B’Av and Hatred Without Cause

Tisha B’Av is an annual fast day in Judaism which commemorates the anniversary of a number of disasters in Jewish history, primarily the destruction of both the First Temple by the Babylonians and the Second Temple by the Romans in Jerusalem. 

There is a long list of calamities over the course of Jewish history including the Crusades, expulsion from many countries, the start of WWI, approval for the ‘Final Solution’ and even the modern day expulsion from Gush Katif.

Baseless Hatred- Sinat Chinam- the sages say, is the reason for the destruction of the second Temple. Many stories are given about unjust treatment of each other even hateful acts done toward fellow Jews. These are given as examples of ‘baseless’ hatred and thereby the cause for the Shekinah departing from Jerusalem.

The long list of tragedies is horrific, and Tisha B’Av is considered the saddest day on the Jewish calendar, but I propose there was once a much more horrific day in our history. A time when the Sinat Chinam was so far out of control that it alone was the cause of the removal of the Temple. And it’s continuing practice resulting in continuing trauma.

King David wrote as a prophet these words, telling not only of his own suffering but of The One who would come: Those who hate me without reason outnumber the hairs of my head; many are my enemies without cause, those who seek to destroy me. Psalm 69:4

Years later, the Messiah Y’shua would quote this scripture as He was the fulfillment of these very words: "If I had not done among them the works no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin. As it is, they have seen, and yet they have hated both me and my Father. But this is to fulfill what is written in their Law: 'They hated me without reason’."  John 15:24,25

But He also knew that He was the embodiment of Isaiah 53, "He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not." Isaiah 53:3

How broken-hearted he must have been- the sheep rejecting, despising their Shepherd. 

We read The Messiah’s Lament:

And when he drew near and saw the city, he wept over it, saying, “Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. For the days will come upon you, when your enemies will set up a barricade around you and surround you and hem you in on every side and tear you down to the ground, you and your children within you. And they will not leave one stone upon another in you, because you did not know the time of your visitation.” Luke 19:41-44

The saddest day in Jewish history was not the destruction of the Temple- which Y’shua knew was coming. The saddest day was when we did not know the time of our visitation! We not only missed His ‘visitation’ we went further. Instead of embracing our Messiah we cried ‘Crucify Him!’ THAT was the saddest day in Jewish history.

What is the solution to this heart-breaking, baseless hatred of Y’shua that is continued to this day? Our people fast and pray and repent almost equally as on Yom Kippur. Repent of baseless hatred. Make vows to ‘do better’ in mitzvot and ahavat Yisrael  (good works and love of fellow Jews). But is that enough?

Y’shua himself gave the answer to the undoing of this grievous sin:

O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! ³⁸ See, your house is left to you desolate. ³⁹ For I tell you, you will not see me again, until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’” Matt 23 37-39

And what will cause our people to cry out in such a surrendered manner? Certainly not man-made righteousness.

"And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication. They will look on me, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son." Zechariah 12:10

Only when this happens will we cry out  ברוך הבא בשם יהוה

Baruch Haba b’Shem Adonai.

May it be in our day to see this come to pass. 

עד כמה פעמים חפצי לקבץ, לקבץאת בניך כאשר תקבץ תרנגולת את אפרוחיה תחת כנפיה ירושלים, ירושלים

Editor's Note: Tisha B'Av in 2017 begins at sundown July 31 and ends at sunset Aug. 1.

Nissim & Hadassah

Jerusalem, Israel

 Hadassah and Nissim, her accountant husband, live in a settlement just outside Jerusalem with their dog Molly. After making Aliyah (immigrating) from the U.S. with their five children in 1989, they are now semi-retired and open their home to guests and those wishing to make Aliyah. When not busy with their 16 'GrandWonders', they enjoy a quiet life of study, prayer and learning to serve the LORD.

07.17.31 #5

How Leaders Lead - The Maxwell Leadership Bible

Olive tree near Jerusalem, Israel (Photo by Steve Martin May 2017)

How Leaders Lead 

- The Maxwell Leadership Bible

Isaiah 3:14,15 Reading

"The more power leaders gain, the more they reveal of themselves. Power causes the heart to disclose its contents.

Leaders must consider the impact of their every move. Leaders always lead. There are no time-outs! There never comes a time when it doesn't matter what you do. Think of your leadership like a diet. Suppose you eat right in the restaurant with friends, but then go home and consume a whole strawberry cheesecake. You don't lose weight that way! What you eat eventually shows. In the same way, those you lead eventually reflect your leadership. Your navigation as a leader depends on the following:

1. When you know where you are going, you gain conviction.
2. When you have been there before, you gain credibility.
3. When you can take someone with you, you gain connection.

John C. Maxwell
The Maxwell Leadership Bible
Maxwell Motivation, Inc. 2002
Thomas Nelson Bibles


A note from Steve Martin, Love For His People Founder/President:

Here is something you would like to read that I wrote in 2014, for you and your staff.  I share from my experiences from my 24 years of leadership with three international ministry leaders. As the Office Manager, Director of Operations and Finances, and USA Director, respectively, with Derek Prince Ministries, All Nations Church - Mahesh & Bonnie Chavda, and Barry & Batya Segal - Vision For Israel and The Joseph Storehouse.

Buy here at Amazon: Leadership Through Love

Paperback and Kindle versions

Leadership Through Love: Both Are Needed In Order To Properly Administrate & Appreciate Those Who Serve Together in His Kingdom

Where would churches, ministries or businesses be without the administrators, the directors of departments, or the executive secretaries and administrative assistants? Those organizations who have them know their value. Those who don’t may or may not realize what they are missing. It has been my desire to share a bit of what I have experienced, and learned, over 40 years. Each one of you who now serves in this capacity is very important to the “visionaries”. 

The work that you do, and the support that you consistently give, enables the top leaders of the organization to do what they have been given by the Lord to do. I like to think of our role as similar to that of my Biblical heroes. Joshua assisted Moses and Timothy served with Paul. May the Lord encourage you as you read my thoughts and what has worked for me. I hope the stories and suggestions will impart to you further measures of blessing, for those you support and also to those you give direction to. 

Steve Martin

Ross bill pulls state (North Carolina) out of companies that boycott Israel - The Times-News Burlington, North Carolina

Rep. Stephen Ross, R-Burlington

Ross bill pulls state (North Carolina) out of companies that boycott Israel

By The Times-News  Burlington, North Carolina
Posted Jul 27, 2017


North Carolina will divest from companies that boycott Israel after Gov. Roy Cooper signed into law a bill sponsored by Rep. Stephen Ross, R-Burlington.

Ross filed “H161 — Divestment From Companies That Boycott Israel” on Feb. 21 with Reps. Jon Hardister, R-Guilford, and John Szoka, R-Cumberland. Cooper signed the bill Thursday.

“H161 will strengthen the state’s economic ties with Israel and show North Carolina’s dedication to one of our closest allies,” Ross’ office said Thursday.

The bill requires divestment from, and prohibits state agencies from contracting with, companies that boycott Israel. It also amends existing Sudan and Iran Divestment statutes.

“Today is a significant day for North Carolina,” Ross said. “It’s important for our state to stand with Israel against boycotts that threaten Israel’s sovereignty. This bill protects North Carolina’s economy from efforts to restrict trade and affirms our state’s economic commitments to Israel.”

Exciting opportunity for you to come to Israel! - ONE FOR ISRAEL

Dr Erez Soref President of  ONE FOR ISRAEL  Shalom! By now you know a little about our college campus, and our passion for teaching the about the Bible, Israel, and life in the Messiah.  We regularly take our students to the very locations where the Bible stories happened, to learn about them on site, and now we are excited to open up the opportunity to you to join us!  This October we are doing a special Biblical Geography course on location (in English!) and we would love for you to come.  The study experience will include nine days of exploring from "Dan to Beersheva" and getting acquainted with the lay of the land while visiting major biblical sites. The sightseeing will be supplemented by evening lectures and readings to help prepare and orientate you for the day ahead. Sites in our itinerary include: (Old Testament) The City of David, Mt. Carmel, the Wilderness of Zin, the David & Goliath valley and Tel Dan among many others. (New Testament) Jerusalem, Nazareth, the Sea of Galilee, Capernaum, Qumeran (discovery location of the Dead Sea Scrolls), Masada and more! YOU CAN ALSO GAIN ACADEMIC CREDIT! Graduate and undergraduate academic credit is available for study tour participants. It would be a pleasure to have you join us for an adventure that we guarantee will be a memorable experience. For more details, click here! STAFF IN THE SPOTLIGHT: EVA FRANK We are delighted to introduce you to Eva, our librarian at Israel College of the Bible. Eva is from a Jewish family who made aliyah from Hungary. After her BA degree in history, Eva went on to do a Masters in Library and Information Sciences at the University of Haifa, making her ideally qualified for the role. She has radically upgraded our cataloging and search system, transforming the library experience for our students. The library has over 10,000 books mostly in Hebrew and English, and is the largest Messianic library in Israel, so we are very blessed to have a professional like Eva at the helm. Eva loves to learn and teach languages (she is currently learning Korean and teaching Hungarian), and is also learning Krav Maga - an Israeli method of self-defense without weapons! So our students better make sure to return their books on time ;) THE SYMBOLISM OF FIGS IN THE BIBLE God gives good gifts. When he gave Israel to the Jewish people, it was not just any old piece of land... God says in Deuteronomy 8:8, "The Lord your God is bringing you into a good land... a land with wheat and barley, vines and fig trees, pomegranates, olive oil and honey". There is so much richness in what God has created and placed in this land for his people - not just in their good taste and nutrition, but in their meaning too. And the fig is a fruit which crops up again and again in the scriptures, because God does nothing without purpose. Continue reading... ARCHAEOLOGISTS UNCOVER EVIDENCE OF THE BABYLONIAN DESTRUCTION OF JERUSALEM Did you know that both the first temple, built by King Solomon, and the also Nehemiah's second temple that Yeshua frequented, were both destroyed on the same date in the Jewish calendar?  That date is Tisha B'Av, which means the 9th month of Av, the fifth month in the Jewish calendar, and this year it falls on Tuesday, August 1st. With perfect timing, archaeologists have just now made some important discoveries related to the Babylonian destruction of the first temple in 586 BCE! Continue reading... FOLLOW US:

More at: www.oneforisrael.org

ONE FOR ISRAEL, 47 Pinkas david St. POB 13401, Netanya, 42138 Israel

What Should Be Done To RINOs Like John McCain That Betray Us Over And Over Again? - Michael Snyder THE ECONOMIC COLLAPSE BLOG

What Should Be Done To RINOs Like John McCain That Betray Us Over And Over Again? Posted: 30 Jul 2017  Michael Snyder  THE ECONOMIC COLLAPSE BLOG By destroying the last chance that the Republicans in the Senate had to repeal Obamacare, John McCain has ensured that he will go down in history as a backstabbing traitor that cared nothing for true conservative values.  For decades, RINOs (Republicans In Name Only) like McCain have promised to uphold conservative values while campaigning, but once they have gotten into office they have betrayed us over and over again.  How much more are we going to take before we say enough is enough?  I hope that you will join me in my effort to remove every RINO from Congress.  What John McCain has just done should make all of us absolutely sick.  Thanks to him, Obamacare is going to remain the law of the land for the foreseeable future even though the Republicans have control of the White House, the Senate and the House of Representatives.  If I go to Washington, I am going to declare war on RINOs like McCain, but the only way that will be possible is if thousands of good conservatives help fund this campaign.  So far my campaign has created an enormous amount of buzz all over the state, but the only way that we are going to be able to capitalize on all of that buzz is if you all stand with me. If what John McCain did on Friday does not make you angry, I am not sure what will.  Together with Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Susan Collins of Maine, McCain killed the very last chance of repealing Obamacare in the Senate.  The following comes from the Washington Post… A convergence of contentious issues, as well as embarrassing infighting and shake-ups at the White House, have a number of Republicans suddenly in open resistance to President Trump on a number of fronts. The most dramatic moment came in the early-morning hours Friday, when Sen. John McCain, an ailing war hero and onetime Republican presidential standard-bearer, joined two other GOP dissidents, Sens. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Susan Collins of Maine, to cast the deciding vote to kill a scaled-back plan to dismantle tenets of the Affordable Care Act — and with it, perhaps, Trump’s promise to repeal Obamacare. McCain had specifically campaigned on repealing Obamacare in 2010 and in 2016.  In fact, just last year he was running campaign ads in which he boldly proclaimed that he was “leading the fight to stop Obamacare”. Now he has done this. And it was quite a dramatic moment when he finally cast his vote.  Some even believe that it is going to go down as the most famous “thumbs-down” in Senate history… The clerk read the Arizona senator’s surname in the microphone of the tense Senate chamber. The two words were met with silence — John McCain had stepped out of the room minutes before. But moments later, he reappeared. By then, the alphabetical roll call had reached Sen. Gary Peters of Michigan. McCain walked over to the front of the chamber, raising his right arm. He held it up in the air until he had the attention of the clerk. “No,” he said, with a swift thumbs-down. In response, we need to give our own “thumbs-down” to every RINO on the federal, state and local levels all around the country. If you are sick and tried of RINOs like McCain, then I would like to ask for your support.  My team has set up a brand new website called Help Michael Win where you can help us raise $3,000 to print more than 20,000 brochures.  We have volunteers that are ready to get brochures into the hands of potential voters, but the only way that we can do this is if the funding comes in.  If 300 of you were to donate just 10 dollars each, we will be able to meet our goal. But if we all sit back and do nothing, RINOs such as McCain will continue to rule Washington.  Just before he cast his decisive vote, McCain actually went over to the Democrats to tell them what he was about to do.  The following comes from the Washington Post… Shuffling across the chamber, Mr. McCain convened with Democrats, informing them of his choice. “They can read my lips,” he said to laughs, fearing his hand would be tipped ahead of time from inside the gallery. At one point, the senator joined Ms. Collins and Ms. Murkowski, telling them they had done the right thing. “We talked about how if anyone knew about doing the right thing it was John McCain,” Ms. Collins recalled. “It was very moving.” I am the only candidate in this race that is openly going to go to war with McCain and others like him in Congress. Since there is no incumbent, my race is totally wide open, and it will ultimately be decided by the enthusiasm of people like you.  If everyone in my district that is familiar with my work ends up voting for me in the Republican primary next May, I will win and it won’t even be close. I am so tired of just sitting back and doing nothing while RINOs like McCain slap us in the face over and over again, and other conservative authors feel the exact same way.  Here is just one example… “For American voters expecting their Republican-dominated House, Senate and White House to honor their years of repeal promises and actually, well, repeal Obamacare, McCain’s thumbs-down was a face-slap moment that will be remembered in history as a textbook classic case of political betrayal. McCain may feel liberated. But his name will go down in conservative history books as a traitor to the cause.” If I am elected, I promise to work very hard to defeat John McCain and every other RINO in Congress.  I know that won’t make me very popular with the Republican establishment, but I don’t care. And if you believe in what I am trying to do, I hope that you will visit HelpMichaelWin.com and MichaelSnyderForIdaho.com. It isn’t going to be easy, but together we can change the way that things are done in Washington. Michael Snyder is a Republican candidate for Congress in Idaho’s First Congressional District, and you can learn how you can get involved in the campaign on his official website. His new book entitled “Living A Life That Really Matters” is available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.com.

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Preview YouTube video McCain Launches First Radio Ads in Senate Re-election Bid

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Tisha B'Av - We join in prayer for our friends the Jewish people.

July 31-Aug 1, 2017

We pray for our friends the Jews around the world, as they fast and pray on the 9th of Av. May they see the One whom they seek, their Messiah, HaMashiach.

He has a name, Yeshua HaMashiach, and He is coming back again, as the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, to save His people Y'Israel. 

Steve Martin

Founder/President

Love For His People, Inc.

Charlotte, North Carolina

USA

Zechariah 12
1 A prophecy, the word of ADONAI concerning Isra'el - here is the message from ADONAI, who stretched out the heavens, laid the foundation of the earth and formed the spirit inside human beings:2"I will make Yerushalayim a cup that will stagger the surrounding peoples. Even Y'hudah will be caught up in the siege against Yerushalayim. 3 When that day comes, I will make Yerushalayim a heavy stone for all the peoples. All who try to lift it will hurt themselves, and all the earth's nations will be massed against her. 4When that day comes," says ADONAI, "I will strike all the horses with panic and their riders with madness; I will keep watch over Y'hudah, but I will strike blind all the horses of the peoples.
5 The leaders of Y'hudah will say to themselves, 'Those living in Yerushalayim are my strength through ADONAI-Tzva'ot their God.'
6 When that day comes, I will make the leaders of Y'hudah like a blazing fire pan in a pile of wood, like a fiery torch among sheaves of grain; they will devour all the surrounding peoples, on the right and on the left. Yerushalayim will be inhabited in her own place, Yerushalayim.
7ADONAI will save the tents of Y'hudah first, so that the glory of the house of David and the glory of those living in Yerushalayim will not appear greater than that of Y'hudah.
8 When that day comes, ADONAI will defend those living in Yerushalayim. On that day, even someone who stumbles will be like David; and the house of David will be like God, like the angel of ADONAI before them.
9 "When that day comes, I will seek to destroy all nations attacking Yerushalayim;
10 and I will pour out on the house of David and on those living in Yerushalayim a spirit of grace and prayer; and they will look to me, whom they pierced." They will mourn for him as one mourns for an only son; they will be in bitterness on his behalf like the bitterness for a firstborn son.
11 When that day comes, there will be great mourning in Yerushalayim, mourning like that for Hadad-Rimmon in the Megiddo Valley.
12 Then the land will mourn, each family by itself - the family of the house of David by itself, and their wives by themselves; the family of the house of Natan by itself, and their wives by themselves;
13 the family of the house of Levi by itself, and their wives by themselves; the family of the Shim'i by itself, and their wives by themselves;
14 all the remaining families, each by itself, and their wives by themselves.

Tisha B'Av
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


Destruction of the Temple of Jerusalem, by Francesco Hayez


Official name Hebrew: תשעה באב‎
English: Ninth of Av
Observed by Jews
Type Jewish religious and national

Significance Mourning the destruction of the ancient Temples and Jerusalem, and other major calamities which have befallen the Jewish people.
Observances Fasting, mourning, prayer
Date 9th day of Av (if Shabbat, then the 10th of Av)
2016 date Sunset, August 13 – nightfall, August 14
2017 date Sunset, July 31 – nightfall, August 1
2018 date Sunset, July 21 – nightfall, July 22
2019 date Sunset, August 10 – nightfall, August 11
Frequency annual
Related to The fasts of Gedalia, the Tenth of Tevet and the Seventeenth of Tammuz, the Three Weeks & the Nine Days


Tisha B'Av (help·info) (lit. "the ninth of Av") (Hebrew: תשעה באב‎ or ט׳ באב‎) is an annual fast day in Judaism which commemorates the anniversary of a number of disasters in Jewish history, primarily the destruction of both the First Temple by the Babylonians and the Second Temple by the Romans in Jerusalem.

Tisha B'Av is regarded as the saddest day in the Jewish calendar and it is thus believed to be a day which is destined for tragedy.^[1][2]Tisha B'Av falls in July or August in the Western calendar.

The observance of the day includes five prohibitions, most notable of which is a 25-hour fast. The Book of Lamentations, which mourns the destruction of Jerusalem is read in the synagogue, followed by the recitation of kinnot, liturgical dirges that lament the loss of the Temples and Jerusalem. As the day has become associated with remembrance of other major calamities which have befallen the Jewish people, some kinnot also recall events such as the murder of the Ten Martyrs by the Romans, massacres in numerous medieval Jewish communities during the Crusades and The Holocaust.

Contents

  [hide] 

• 1History
  • 1.1Biblical origins according to Judaism
  • 1.2Destruction of the Temple
  • 1.3Five calamities
  • 1.4Other calamities
• 2Laws and customs
  • 2.1Main prohibitions
  • 2.2Additional customs
• 3End of fast
  • 3.1Services
• 4History of the observance
• 5In Israel
• 6Contemporary opinions
  • 6.1In relation to the creation of the State of Israel
• 7Other traditions
• 8See also
• 9References
• 10External links

History[edit]

Biblical origins according to Judaism[edit]

Main article: The Twelve Spies

According to Rabbinic tradition (as seen in the Mishnah Taanit 4:6), the sin of the Ten Spies (besides Joshua and Caleb) produced the annual fast day of Tisha B'Av. When the Israelites accepted the false report that the land of Canaan (Israel) would be "impossible" to conquer, the people wept over the false belief that God was setting them up for defeat. The night that the people cried was the ninth of Av, which became a day of weeping and misfortune for all time.^[3]

Destruction of the Temple[edit]

Excavated stones from the Western Wall of the Temple Mount (Jerusalem, Israel), knocked onto the street below by Roman battering rams in 70 AD

The fast commemorates the destruction of the Jewish First Temple and the Second Temple,^[4] both of which occurred on the 9th of the Hebrew month of Av, about 655 years apart.^[5]

In connection with the fall of Jerusalem, three other fast-days were established at the same time as the Ninth Day of Av: these were the Tenth of Tevet, when the siege of Jerusalem by the Babylonians began; the Seventeenth of Tammuz, when the first breach was made in the wall by the Babylonians; and the Third of Tishrei, known as the Fast of Gedaliah, the day when Gedaliah was assassinated in the time of the Babylonians following the destruction of the First Temple. The three weeks leading up to Tisha B'Av are known as The Three Weeks, while the nine days leading up to Tisha B'Av are known as The Nine Days.

Five calamities[edit]

According to the Mishnah (Taanit 4:6), five specific events occurred on the ninth of Av that warrant fasting:

1. The Twelve Spies sent by Moses to observe the land of Canaan returned from their mission. Only two of the spies, Joshua and Caleb, brought a positive report, while the others spoke disparagingly about the land. The majority report caused the Children of Israel to cry, panic and despair of ever entering the "Promised Land". For this, they were punished by God that their generation would not enter the land. Because of the Israelites' lack of faith, God decreed that for all generations this date would become a day of crying and misfortune for their descendants. (See Numbers 13; Numbers 14).
2. The First Temple built by King Solomon and the Kingdom of Judah destroyed by the Babylonians led by Nebuchadnezzar in 587 BCE (Anno Mundi [AM] 3175) after a two-year siege and the Judeans were sent into the Babylonian exile. According to the Talmud in tractate Ta'anit, the actual destruction of the First Temple began on the Ninth of Av and the Temple continued to burn throughout the Tenth of Av.
3. The Second Temple built by Ezra and Nehemiah was destroyed by the Romans in August 70 CE (AM 3830), scattering the people of Judea and commencing the Jewish exilefrom the Holy Land that continues to this day.
4. The Romans subsequently crushed Bar Kokhba's revolt and destroyed the city of Betar, killing over 500,000 Jewish civilians (approximately 580,000) on August 4, 135 CE (Av 9, AM 3895).^[6]
5. Following the Bar Kokhba revolt, Roman commander Turnus Rufus plowed the site of the Temple in Jerusalem and the surrounding area, in 135 CE.^[7]

Note: Due to a two-year difference within the Hebrew calendar, the years in which the First and Second Temple were destroyed have been disputed. Though it has been accepted by most historians to refer to the most modern interpretation of the Calendar (which corresponds to the Roman siege of Jerusalem in 70 CE.)

Other calamities[edit]

Over time, Tisha B'Av has come to be a Jewish day of mourning, not only for these events, but also for later tragedies. Regardless of the exact dates of these events, for many Jews, Tisha B'Av is the designated day of mourning for them, and these themes are reflected in liturgy composed for this day (see below).

Other calamities associated with Tisha B'Av:

• The First Crusade officially commenced on August 15, 1096 (Av 24, AM 4856), killing 10,000 Jews in its first month and destroying Jewish communities in France and the Rhineland.^[6][8]
• The Jews were expelled from England on July 18, 1290 (Av 9, AM 5050).^[6]
• The Jews were expelled from France on July 22, 1306 (Av 10, AM 5066).
• The Jews were expelled from Spain on July 31, 1492 (Av 7, AM 5252).^[7]
• Germany entered World War I on August 1–2, 1914 (Av 9–10, AM 5674), which caused massive upheaval in European Jewry and whose aftermath led to the Holocaust.^[6]
• On August 2, 1941 (Av 9, AM 5701), SS commander Heinrich Himmler formally received approval from the Nazi Party for "The Final Solution." As a result, the Holocaust began during which almost one third of the world's Jewish population perished.
• On July 23, 1942 (Av 9, AM 5702), began the mass deportation of Jews from the Warsaw Ghetto, en route to Treblinka.
• Most religious communities use Tisha B'Av to mourn the 6,000,000 Jews who perished in the Holocaust, including special kinnot composed for this purpose (see the main kinnotarticle) (in addition to, or instead of, the secular Holocaust Memorial Days.)

On the 10th of Av the following events took place:

• AMIA bombing of the Jewish community center in Buenos Aires, killing 85 and injuring 300 on 18 July 1994; 10 Av, AM 5754.
• The Israeli disengagement from Gaza starts in the Gaza Strip, expelling 8000 Jews who lived in Gush Katif; 15 August 2005; 10 Av,5765.

Laws and customs[edit]

Tisha B'Av falls in July or August in the Western calendar. When Tisha B'Av falls on the Shabbat (Saturday) it then is known as a nidche ("delayed") in Hebrew and the observance of Tisha B'Av then takes place on the following day that is Sunday. No outward signs of mourning intrude upon the normal Sabbath, although normal Sabbath eating and drinking end at sunset Saturday evening, rather than nightfall. The fast lasts about 25 hours, beginning at sunset on the preceding evening lasting until nightfall the next day. In addition to fasting, other pleasurable activities are also forbidden.

Main prohibitions[edit]

Tisha B'Av bears a similar stringent nature to that of Yom Kippur. In addition to the length of the fast which lasts about 25 hours, beginning at sunset on the eve of Tisha B'Av and ends at nightfall the following day, Tisha B'Av also shares the following five prohibitions:^[9][10]

1. No eating or drinking;
2. No washing or bathing;
3. No application of creams or oils;
4. No wearing of (leather) shoes;
5. No marital (sexual) relations.

These restrictions are waived in the case of health issues but a competent Posek, a rabbi who decides Jewish Law, must be consulted. For example, those who are seriously ill will be allowed to eat and drink. On other fast days almost any medical condition may justify breaking the fast; in practice, since many cases differ, consultation with a rabbi is often necessary. Ritual washing up to the knuckles is permitted. Washing to cleanse dirt or mud from one's body is also permitted.

Additional customs[edit]

Reading kinnot at the Western Wall

Torah study is forbidden on Tisha B'Av (as it is considered a spiritually enjoyable activity), except for the study of distressing texts such as the Book of Lamentations, the Book of Job, portions of Jeremiah and chapters of the Talmud that discuss the laws of mourning.^[11]

In synagogue, prior to the commencement of the evening services, the parochet is removed or drawn aside lasting until after the fast. The parochet is the "curtain" or "screen"^[12] that normally covers and adorns the Aron Kodesh ("Torah Ark") containing the Sifrei Torah ("Torah scrolls").

According to the Rema it is customary to sit on low stools or on the floor, as is done during shiva, from the meal immediately before the fast, the seudah hamafseket, until midday (chatztot hayom). It is customary to eat a hard boiled egg, and a piece of bread dipped into ashes during this meal. The Beit Yosef rules that the custom to sit low to the ground extends until one prays Mincha (the afternoon prayer).

If possible, work is avoided during this period. Electric lighting may be turned off or dimmed, and kinnot recited by candlelight. Some sleep on the floor or modify their normal sleeping routine, by sleeping without a pillow, for instance. People refrain from greeting each other or sending gifts on this day. Old prayer-books and Torah scrolls are often buried on this day.

The custom is to not put on tefilin for morning services (Shacharit) of Tisha be-Av, and not a talit, rather only wear the personal talit kattan without a blessing. At Mincha services tzitzit and tefilin are worn, with proper blessings prior to donning them.^[13]

End of fast[edit]

Although the fast ends at nightfall, according to tradition, the First Temple continued burning throughout the night and for most of the following day, the tenth of Av.^[11] It is therefore customary to refrain from eating meat, drinking wine, bathing, cutting hair, doing laundry, listening to music, making a shehechiyanu blessing until midday (chatzos) of the following day.^[14]

When Tisha B'Av begins on Saturday night, the Havdalah ritual at the end of Shabbat is truncated (using a candle but no spices), without a blessing over wine. After Tisha B'Av ends on Sunday evening, another Havdalah ceremony is performed with wine (without candle or spices).^[15]

The laws of Tisha B'Av are recorded in the Shulchan Aruch (Literally "The Set Table", a code of Jewish Law") Orach Chayim 552–557.

Services[edit]

"Console, O Lord, the mourners of Zion and Jerusalem and the city laid waste, despised and desolate. In mourning for she is childless, her dwellings laid waste, despised in the downfall of her glory and desolate through the loss of her inhabitants…. Legions have devoured her, worshippers of strange gods have possessed her. They have put the people of Israel to the sword… Therefore let Zion weep bitterly and Jerusalem give forth her voice… For You, O Lord, did consume her with fire and with fire will You in future restore her… Blessed are You, O Lord, Who consoles Zion and builds Jerusalem."

Abbreviated from the Nachem prayer.

The scroll of Eicha (Lamentations) is read in synagogue during the evening services. In addition, most of the morning is spent chanting or reading Kinnot, most bewailing the loss of the Temples and the subsequent persecutions, but many others referring to post-exile disasters. These later kinnot were composed by various poets (often prominent rabbis) who had either suffered in the events mentioned or relate received reports. Important kinnot were composed by Elazar ha-Kalir and Rabbi Judah ha-Levi. After the Holocaust, kinnot were composed by the German-born Rabbi Shimon Schwab (in 1959, at the request of Rabbi Joseph Breuer) and by Rabbi Solomon Halberstam, leader of the Bobov Hasidim (in 1984). Since Israel's unilateral disengagement from Gaza, some segments of the Religious Zionist community have begun to recite kinnot to commemorate the expulsion of Jewish settlers from Gush Katif and the northern West Bank on the day after Tisha B'Av, in 2005.^[16]

In many Sephardic congregations the Book of Job is read on the morning of Tisha B'Av.

A paragraph that begins Nahem ("Console...") is added to the conclusion of the blessing Boneh Yerushalayim ("Who builds Jerusalem") recited during the Amidah (for Ashkenazim, only at the Mincha service). The prayer elaborates the mournful state of the Temple in Jerusalem. The concluding signature of the blessing is also extended to say "Blessed are You, O Lord, Who consoles Zion and builds Jerusalem." Various modern orthodox rabbis and Conservative rabbis have proposed amending Nachem as its wording no longer reflects the existence of a rebuilt Jerusalem under Israeli sovereignty. Chief Rabbi Shlomo Goren, for example, issued a revised wording of the prayer and Rabbi Hayim David HaLevi proposed putting the prayer's verbs relating to the Temple's destruction into the past tense. However, such proposals have not been widely adopted.^[17]

History of the observance[edit]

Lamenting in the synagogue, 1887

In the long period which is reflected in Talmudic literature the observance of the Ninth Day of Av assumed a character of constantly growing sadness and asceticism. By the end of the 2nd century or at the beginning of the 3rd, the observance of the day had lost much of its gloom. Rabbi Judah ha-Nasi was in favor of abolishing it altogether or, according to another version, of lessening its severity when the fast had been postponed from Saturday to Sunday (Talmud, Tractate Megillah 5b).

The growing strictness in the observance of mourning customs in connection with the Ninth Day of Av became pronounced in post-Talmudic times, and particularly in one of the darkest periods of Jewish history, from the 15th century to the 18th.

Maimonides (12th century), in his Mishneh Torah, says that the restrictions as to the eating of meat and the drinking of wine refer only to the last meal before fasting on the Eighth Day of Av, if taken after noon, but before noon anything may be eaten (Hilchoth Ta'anith 5:8). Rabbi Moses of Coucy (13th century) wrote that it is the universal custom to refrain from meat and wine during the whole day preceding the Ninth of Av (Sefer Mitzvoth ha-Gadol, Venice ed, Laws of Tishah B'Av, 249b). Rabbi Joseph Caro (16th century) says some are accustomed to abstain from meat and wine from the beginning of the week in which the Ninth Day of Av falls; and still others abstain throughout the three weeks from the Seventeenth of Tammuz (Shulkhan Arukh, Orach Chayim 551).

A gradual extension of prohibitions can be traced in the abstention from marrying at this season and in other signs of mourning. So Rabbi Moses of Coucy says that some do not use the tefillin ("phylacteries") on the Ninth Day of Av, a custom which later was universally observed (it is now postponed until the afternoon). In this manner all customs originally designated as marks of unusual piety finally became the rule for all.

In Israel[edit]

In Israel, restaurants and places of entertainment are closed on the eve of Tisha B'Av and the following day by law.^[18] Establishments that break the law are subject to fines. Outside of Israel, the day is not observed by most secular Jews, as opposed to Yom Kippur, on which many secular Jews fast and go to synagogue. According to halakha, combat soldiers are absolved of fasting on Tisha B'Av on the basis that it can endanger their lives. The latest example of such a ruling was issued during Operation Protective Edge by Israel's Chief Rabbis: Rabbis David Lau and Yitzhak Yosef.^[19]

When Menachem Begin became Prime Minister, he wanted to unite all the memorial days and days of mourning on Tisha B'Av, so that Holocaust Remembrance Day and Memorial Day would also fall on this day but it was not accepted.^[20]

Contemporary opinions[edit]

A 2010 poll in Israel revealed that some 22% of Israeli Jews fast on Tisha B'Av, and 52% said they forego recreational activity on this day even though they do not fast. Another 18% of Israeli Jews responded that were recreational spots permissible to be open they would go out on the eve of the fast day, and labeled the current legal status "religious coercion". The last 8% declined to answer.^[21]

In relation to the creation of the State of Israel[edit]

As the main focus of the day recalls the destruction of the First and Second Temples and the subsequent scattering of the Jewish people into exile, the modern day re-establishment of a Jewish state in the Holy Land has raised various attitudes within Judaism as to whether Tisha B'Av still has significance or not among secular Israelis, while no segment of Orthodox Jews accept this point of view that they regard as "anti-religious".

Following the Six Day War, the national religious community viewed Israel’s territorial conquests with almost messianic overtones. The conquest of geographical areas with immense religious significance, including Jerusalem, the Western Wall, and the Temple Mount was seen as portentous; however only the full rebuilding of the Temple would engender enough reason to cease observing the day as one of mourning and transform it into a day of joy instead.^[22]

Other traditions[edit]

Classical Jewish sources^[23] maintain that the Jewish Messiah will be born on Tisha B'Av, though many explain this idea metaphorically, as the hope for the Jewish Messiah was born on Tisha B'Av with the destruction of the Temple.^[24]