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Shalom friends,
| This week we will discuss Tisha Be'Av ( |
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month of Av, which is the day of mourning in commemoration of the destruction of the Temple. It will take place this coming Sunday (August 10th 2008). This day commemorates the destruction of both the First and Second Temples in Jerusalem, and is a fast day, from sunset to the following evening, during which no food or drink are allowed, and additional customs of mourning are practiced.
The account of the destruction of the second Temple, destroyed by the Romans in 70 CE, is found in many post-biblical sources, and we will therefore not discuss it today. The destruction of the First Temple in 586 BCE plays an important role in the history of ancient Israel and is described at length in the Book of Kings, in the Book of Jeremiah, and lamented in Lamentations. The memory of this horrible destruction is also apparent in early Second Temple writings - the prophets Haggai, Zachariah and Malachi, and in the books of Ezra and Nehemiah.
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The Arch of Titus, depicting Judean exiles
after the destruction of the Second Temple
carrying the holy artifacts from the Temple
to Rome
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The accounts of the destruction of the Temple found in 2 Kings (4 Kingdoms) 25 and Jeremiah 52 are essentially parallel and almost identical. They describe the siege that Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon placed on Jerusalem for three years until the walls were broken down, King Zedekiah seized, blinded and brought to Babylon, the Temple burned and most of the inhabitants exiled:
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And in the fifth month . . . Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard, the servant of the king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem: And he burned the house of God and the king’s house and all the houses of Jerusalem; every great house he burned in fire
(2 Kings 25: 8-9)
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This horrible destruction is described in the Bible, especially in the Books of Kings, as a result of the ongoing spiritual deterioration of the Israelites. Their religious behavior, practice of idolatry and lack of faith in God resulted in this horrible punishment. This is the punishment that the prophet Jeremiah was warning the people against, however, they did not listen to him, and realized the justice of his advice only when it was too late. However, the end of the Book of Kings is optimistic, informing us that Jehoiachin, the previous king of Judea who had been exiled to Babylon a few years before the destruction of the Temple, was released from prison and provided for for the rest of his life. This leaves a window of hope for the return from the Babylonian exile, which occurred some 70 years later, under the rule of the Persian King Cyrus.
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Gustave Doré, Cyrus Restores the Vessels of the Temple
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The ninth day of Av was set as a fast day during the Babylonian exile, referred to as "the fast of the tenth (month = Av)" (Zechariah 8:19).
In addition to the historical account, the Bible also provides us with a moving description of the great suffering of the people and the heart-breaking event of the destruction of the Temple, in the Book of Lamentations. This is traditionally believed to have been written
| by the prophet Jeremiah. Lamentations, which in Hebrew is named |
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(Eixa) for the |
first word of the book, literally meaning "How!", is read in the synagogue on the eve of Tisha Be’Av, in a slow and solemn melody, while the congregants are sitting on the floor as is customary when mourning. It tells of the terrible mourning of the people of Jerusalem and of their pitiful state under Babylonian siege:
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The ways of Zion mourn, because none assemble for the festivals, all her gates are desolate, her priests groan, her young girls grieve, and she suffers bitterly.
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Chromolithograph Depiction of Jeremiah lamenting
the fate of Jerusalem
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The suffering inflicted by God on the city is described as being merciless, but the great sins of the city are also mentioned, perhaps in order to justify the great suffering. In light of the connection between the sins and the punishment emphasized in the Book of Lamentations, it isn’t surprising that the next to last verse, which is also read again out load at the end of the reading by the entire congregation, hopes for a return of the people to God together with their restoration:
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Restore us to you, God, and we shall be restored! Renew our days as of old
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Have a great week and Tzom Kal to those fasting,
The Biblical Hebrew Online Team.
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| Weekly Biblical Hebrew Words |
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Transcription: Av
Part of speech: Noun, Masculine
Literal Meaning: The eleventh moth in the Jewish calendar
Like all the names of the Hebrew months, Av is a Babylonian name adopted by the exiles and used from the Second Temple Period on for the eleventh month in the calendar, which begins in the fall with Tishrei. The literal meaning of the word "av" in Acadian is fire, and it is thus named because of the summer heat. Av is often called
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(Menachem Av), literally "comforting Av", in commemoration of the destruction |
of the Temple and in hope for comfort.
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| Weekly Biblical Hebrew Phrases |
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Transcription: Bein Hametzarim
Literal Meaning: Between the sieges / straits
The phrase is taken from Lamentations 1:3, where it describes how the persecutors of Jerusalem overtook her. In Rabbinic and Modern Hebrew, Bein Hametzarim describes the three week period between the seventeenth day of Tamuz, when the walls of Jerusalem were broken through, and the ninth day of Av when the Temple was burned down. This is a time of mourning, during which weddings do not take place, and it is customary to abide by different rules of mourning: no playing of music or celebrations are allowed, no swimming, and more.
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Transcription: Tzom Kal
Literal Meaning: Have an easy fast!
This is the customary greeting during fast days, mainly Tisha Be’Av and the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur)
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Transcription: Im Eshkaxex Yerushalayim Tishkax Yemini
Literal Meaning: If I forget you, Jerusalem, I shall forget my right hand!
This is a phrase said during the wedding ceremony, reminding the bride and groom that while they are joyously celebrating in their personal lives, they must always remember the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple. Following this, the groom breaks a glass in commemoration of the destructed Temple. In some communities it is also customary to place ashes on the groom’s head as an additional reminder of the burned down Temple.
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