Author Topic: Tonight begins the Jewish national Day of Mourning, the 9th of Av  (Read 2631 times)

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Offline Kahane-Was-Right BT

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Tisha b'Av begins tonight, a fast day and national day of mourning for the Jewish people to commemorate the terrible tragedies of the destruction of the First and Second Temples and all other national catastrophes the Jewish people encountered in history.   We mourn the tremendous loss we have experienced through these events.  Traditionally, we read kinot and refrain from food or drink from sundown tonight until after sundown Tuesday evening.

For Jewish members of the forum who are interested in observing and participating in this holiday, I found on webyeshiva.org Rabbi Brovender is doing an online kinot service with explanation that is free and available to all.

http://www.webyeshiva.org/tishabav5770

"Tisha B'Av, the 9th day of the Hebrew month of Av, commemorates the destruction of the 1st and 2nd Temples. It is customary to read classic Jewish liturgy, known as Kinot, on this day.

Join Rabbi Chaim Brovender and the WebYeshiva in a Kinot service and special classes to mark this day.

The service and classes will be taking place in front of a live audience at Beit Knesset Shir Hadash in Jerusalem, and will also be broadcast live and online. Students in the Jerusalem area are invited to join us in person.

All sessions are free and are open to WebYeshiva students and to the public."

These are live interactive classes/services, and while they are given in Jerusalem at two Israeli times, there is also a service tomorrow morning at 10:30am NY time.   I am definitely signing up.   This is great for anyone who does not have easy access to a shul/synagogue nearby.

It says that it is free but they do require registration with an email address.  So be sure to sign up tonight for tomorrow's schedule.

Offline Kahane-Was-Right BT

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Re: Tonight begins the Jewish national Day of Mourning, the 9th of Av
« Reply #1 on: July 19, 2010, 04:42:16 PM »
Here's the full schedule.

Tisha B'av Kinot and Shiurim

Tuesday 9:15AM
Add this shiur

Course Description

This shiur is dedicated in honor of the yahretzeit of Norman Ruback, Nachman ben Gedalia HaCohen z"l, by his family.

All sessions are free. Registration is required.

9:15 AM Israel time
7:15 AM London time
4:15 PM Melbourne time
Explanatory Kinot Service with Rabbi Brovender
Rabbi Brovender explained the themes of the various Kinot, with a close examination of the text and ideas. What was the historical background of the Kinot? Who are the authors of the Kinot? What themes in the Kinot resonate in modern times?

11:45 PM Israel time
9:45 AM London time
6:45 PM Melbourne time
From Churban to Geula with Rabbi Yehoshua Geller
Rabbi Geller will discuss how the true purpose of the churban (destruction of the Temple) was not to punish us, but rather to correct us. Accordingly, the destruction ultimately represents a path to geula (redemption). In addition, Rabbi Geller will also discuss the custom of reciting Kiddush Levana, the sanctification of the moon, on motzaei Tisha B'av, and how this connects to the concept of geula. The shiur will draw from pesukim and midrashim from Eicha elaborating on this idea.

10:30 AM New York time
7:30 AM LA time
5:30 PM Israel time
3:30 PM London time
Second Explanatory Kinot Service with Rabbi Brovender
Rabbi Brovender explained the themes of the various Kinot, with a close examination of the text and ideas. What was the historical background of the Kinot? Who are the authors of the Kinot? What themes in the Kinot resonate in modern times?


About Rabbi Chaim Brovender
Rabbi Chaim Brovender is the Rosh Yeshiva of WebYeshiva and President of ATID —The Academy for Torah Initiatives and Directions in Jewish Education, in Jerusalem. He was the founding Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshivat Hamivtar and Michlelet Bruria (today, Midreshet Lindenbaum) where he pioneered the teaching of Gemara to students for whom the Talmud had been a closed book. For over forty years he has been a leading force in teaching Torah in Israel and enabling his students to "learn how to learn" according to the renowned "Brovender Method."

Offline muman613

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Re: Tonight begins the Jewish national Day of Mourning, the 9th of Av
« Reply #2 on: July 19, 2010, 04:43:31 PM »
May every Jew have an easy fast... I know this is going to be a hard one for me because I did not properly prepare as I did for Yom Kippur last time..
You shall make yourself the Festival of Sukkoth for seven days, when you gather in [the produce] from your threshing floor and your vat.And you shall rejoice in your Festival-you, and your son, and your daughter, and your manservant, and your maidservant, and the Levite, and the stranger, and the orphan, and the widow, who are within your cities
Duet 16:13-14

Offline Kahane-Was-Right BT

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Re: Tonight begins the Jewish national Day of Mourning, the 9th of Av
« Reply #3 on: July 19, 2010, 05:21:36 PM »
I also would like to share something written by the rabbis of Machon Shilo in accordance with nusah Eretz Yisrael from the Talmud Yerushalmi and the nuschaoth of gaonim and rishonim.   This "Rachem" is to be added in each shemoneh esray said during Tisha B'av.

Here is there rendering of this insert for the shemoneh esray:

http://machonshilo.org/en/images/stories/files/397_Rahem-9-AV-narkissim.pdf

Offline IsraeliGovtAreKapos

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Re: Tonight begins the Jewish national Day of Mourning, the 9th of Av
« Reply #4 on: July 19, 2010, 05:23:07 PM »
May the Third Temple arise and the Final Redemption shall come soon.

http://jtf.org/forum_english/index.php/topic,47995.0.html

Offline Kahane-Was-Right BT

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Re: Tonight begins the Jewish national Day of Mourning, the 9th of Av
« Reply #5 on: July 19, 2010, 05:27:32 PM »
Rav Yehoshua Buch of Machon Shilo has also written an additional kina to say for the destruction of communities of Gush Katif.

http://machonshilo.org/en/eng/list-articles/36-minhag-eretz/59-kina-for-gush-katif

The kina was written in the style of the 7th or 9th century paytan Rabbi Eliezar HaKalir.The first six words are taken directly from the kina “Eicha Yashva Havatzelet HaSharon” (How the Rose of Sharon Sits [Alone]) by Rav Eliezar HaKalir, but this is used as a double meaning: praise for Am Yisrael and a blatant hint about the man who orchestrated this tragedy.

The last line of each stanza ends with the name of a destroyed yishuv (may they be speedily rebuilt). All words of the kina, except for one are found in Tanakh.
About the Composition of the Kina

The kina was written in the style of the 7th or 9th century paytan Rabbi Eliezar HaKalir and his kina of 24 stanzas about the 24 mishmarot of the Kohanim in the Bet HaMikdash. The first six words are taken directly from the kina “Eicha Yashva Havatzelet HaSharon” (How the Rose of Sharon Sits [Alone]) by Rav Eliezar HaKalir, but this is used as a double meaning: praise for Am Yisrael and a blatant hint about the man who orchestrated this tragedy.

Words of the kina are borrowed from Rabbi Eliezar’s kina as well as from chapter one of Megillat Eicha. The last line of each stanza ends with the name of a destroyed yishuv (may they be speedily rebuilt).All words of the kina, except for one are found in Tanakh.

Written by Rav Yehoshua Buch

Download Herehttp://machonshilo.org/en/images/stories/files/Kina%20for%20Gush%20Katif.pdf

Offline Kahane-Was-Right BT

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Re: Tonight begins the Jewish national Day of Mourning, the 9th of Av
« Reply #6 on: July 19, 2010, 05:29:01 PM »
May the Third Temple arise and the Final Redemption shall come soon.

http://jtf.org/forum_english/index.php/topic,47995.0.html

Indeed we're looking forward to those better times in this day.

Offline muman613

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Re: Tonight begins the Jewish national Day of Mourning, the 9th of Av
« Reply #7 on: July 19, 2010, 06:41:04 PM »
One of the hardest customs related to Tish B'Av is the minhag of no Torah study on the night and day of Tish B'Av... The only thing we can study is the Book of Lamentations...

You shall make yourself the Festival of Sukkoth for seven days, when you gather in [the produce] from your threshing floor and your vat.And you shall rejoice in your Festival-you, and your son, and your daughter, and your manservant, and your maidservant, and the Levite, and the stranger, and the orphan, and the widow, who are within your cities
Duet 16:13-14

Offline IsraeliGovtAreKapos

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Re: Tonight begins the Jewish national Day of Mourning, the 9th of Av
« Reply #8 on: July 19, 2010, 06:53:13 PM »
One of the hardest customs related to Tish B'Av is the minhag of no Torah study on the night and day of Tish B'Av... The only thing we can study is the Book of Lamentations...



Lol the hardest one is the fast  ;D

Offline muman613

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Re: Tonight begins the Jewish national Day of Mourning, the 9th of Av
« Reply #9 on: July 19, 2010, 07:07:04 PM »
Here is a simple review of the laws of Tish B'Av:

http://www.torahtots.com/holidays/fastdays/9av.htm


TISHA B'AV WHAT IS TISHA B'AV?    

Tisha B'Av (the Ninth day of Av), is the saddest day in the Jewish Calendar. This year 5770 (2010), we observe the fast day of Tisha B'Av starting from Monday after nightfall, July 19, until nightfall on Tuesday, July 20.

"On the Ninth of Av it was decreed on our fathers that they would not enter the Land (of Eretz Yisroel) [Bamidbar 14], the Temple was destroyed [both] the first time and the second time, Beitar (the stronghold of the Bar Kochba rebellion) was captured, and the city (of Yerushalayim) was plowed under."

Talmud Taanit 26b
On Tisha B'Av five tragedies happened to the Jewish people:

   1. Hashem decreed that all the Jews who were saved from the Egyptian bondage will die out in the midbar (desert) and be deprived from entering Eretz Yisroel because of the sin of the meraglim (spies). (Bamidbar, Parashat Sh'lach, 14:26-38).

   2. The first Bait Hamikdash, built by King Solomon, was destroyed on Tisha B'Av by the Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzer in 586 B.C.E..

   3. The second Bait Hamikdash was destroyed on Tisha B'Av by Titus and his Roman soldiers in 70 C.E..

   4. in 135 C.E., during the time of Rabbi Akiva, the Romans captured the fortress city of Beitar, the last stronghold of the leaders of the Bar Kochba revolt, and Bar Kochba along with tens of thousands of Jews were massacred.

   5. Exactly a year later, the Roman Emperor Hadrian ordered the wicked Turnus Rufus to plow up the city of Yerushalayim, so that there should be no memory of the holy city. He then established a heathen temple on the site of the Bait Hamikdash and rebuilt Yerushalayim as a pagan city, renamed Aelia Capitolina, which the Jews were forbidden to enter.

Our Sages established this day, Tisha B'Av, as a fast day, - a day of sorrow when we commemorate the destruction of Yerushalayim and the Bait Hamikdash. We must try to feel the gravity of the loss of the Bait Hamikdash and grieve the fact that we are still in exile today. We also remember all other tragedies that befell the Jewish people.

WHAT ELSE HAPPENED ON TISHA B'AV?

Several other tragedies occurred on this same black day.

    * The anti-Jewish riots and the mass suicide of the Jews of York, England in 1190.

    * On this day in 1290, King Edward I signed the edict compelling the Jews to leave England.

    * In 1492, by order of the Spanish inquisition under Ferdinand and Isabella, the expulsion of 200,000 Jews from Spain, after centuries of cultural and spiritual growth, occurred on this date.

    * The First World War broke out on Tisha B'Av.

    * Fifteen years later, on this very same date, the Arabs began their riots in the city of Yerushalayim, which resulted in great tragedy, including the Jewish massacre in Chevron (Hebron).

    * Deportation of the Jews of the Warsaw Ghetto began on this day in 1942.

Some Laws of Tisha B'Av

NOTE: There are many complex laws regarding Tisha B'Av, and a competent authority should be consulted with any questions.

The fast begins just before sundown, until the following evening, as on Yom Kippur, differentiating it from other fasts that begin at sunrise. The rules for observing Tisha B'Av are similar to those of Yom Kippur and the restrictions are more severe than on any other fast day.

On Tisha B'Av, the following acts are forbidden:

    * Eating and drinking,
    * Bathing or washing,
    * Anointing (using oil or perfume),
    * Marital relations,
    * Wearing leather shoes,
    * Learning Torah (with certain exceptions) and
    * Giving "Shalom."

    * Other prohibitions.

Eating and Drinking

Boys and girls over Bar/Bat Mitzvah are required to fast the entire day. Boys under 13 years of age and girls under 12 need not fast the entire day and there are various opinions as to whether they should fast part of the day.

Pregnant and nursing women are required to fast on Tisha B'Av. If a pregnant or nursing woman feels that fasting may have an ill effect on her, a rabbi should be consulted. A small headache or minor discomfort is no reason not to fast.

A woman during the first seven days after childbirth may not fast on Tisha B'Av. During the first thirty days after childbirth, she need not fast.

Those who are permitted to eat on Tisha B'Av should not indulge or eat more than necessary to sustain their health. Also, those who are eating on Tisha B'Av should do so in private.

There are various opinions about smoking on Tisha B'Av. It is accepted practice that those who smoke do so ONLY after midday, in private. (There are other opinions, who forbid even this; there are others who say smoking is permitted even before midday, and publicly.)

You may wash your mouth with water only if not doing so would cause great distress. Mouthwash on Tisha B'Av is a no-no. (On other fast days, rinsing with water is permissible if not doing so would cause even a little discomfort). It is important to make sure that you do not swallow any water during rinsing and it is therefore recommended that you rinse while bending over.

Swallowing capsules, bitter medicines or bitter liquids without water is permissible.

Bathing or Washing

On Tisha B'Av, bathing or washing any part of the body for pleasure - even the hands or face is prohibited. One may not even place one's finger in water, cold or warm.

If you must wash your hands or any other part of your body because they are dirty or stained, you may wash only that part.

Washing may be done in the following circumstances, but only until the joints at the end of the fingers:

    * Upon arising in the morning.
    * Upon leaving the bathroom.
    * Before Davening (praying).
    * Upon touching covered portions of the body.

(One may, after drying their hands, pass the moist hands over their eyes. This may be done only if the hands are not moist enough to wet another object. If there is crust around your eyes, you may wash it off).

You may not place a container of cool water against your face in order to cool off. However, you may place a cool empty vessel, or a cool fruit, etc., against your face.

Anointing

On Tisha B'Av you may not apply any type of soap, body oil, perfume, hair tonic, cream, etc. It makes no difference if the application is solid or liquid.

The use of deodorant, however, is permitted (and recommended).

Anointing for medical purposes is permitted. If in doubt, a rabbi should be consulted.

Wearing Shoes

We are not allowed to wear shoes made of leather on Tisha B'Av, even if it is only partially of leather. Shoes made of cloth, rubber, plastic and wood are permitted. You may wear leather shoes for medical reasons (i.e. where other permissible shoes would not be adequate). If in doubt, a rabbi should be consulted.

Learning Torah

This prohibition is more stringent than on Yom Kippur. Since learning Torah is considered Simcha (joy), Torah study, with the exception of those portions concerning mourning, or the destruction of the Bait Hamikdash, is forbidden on Tishah B'Av.

The following topics may be studied on Tisha B'Av:

1) Iyov (Book of Job).

2) Those parts of Neviim (prophets) that discuss tragedies of the Jews.

3) Eichah (Book of Lamentations).

4) Perek Eilu Megalchin (Chap. III, Tractate Moed Katan).

5) The Story of Kamtzah Bar Kamtzah (Tractate Gittin 55b-58a).

6) Sanhedrin 104 a, b.

7) Laws of Tisha B'Av.

A Baal Koreh may prepare the reading for Tisha B'Av.

Giving Shalom

It is prohibited to greet someone on Tisha B'Av. It is preferable to refrain from any type of greeting, including "hello" or " good morning," as well as a greeting that includes "Shalom."

If someone does greets you on Tisha B'Av you should answer in a low voice, to indicate that Shealas Shalom (greeting) is forbidden and not to arouse resentment.

Other Prohibitions on Tisha B'Av

Giving gifts is prohibited on Tisha B'Av, unless the gift can be considered in the category of Tzedaka (charity).

Sitting on a chair or an object 3 tefochim (approximately 12" ) or higher is forbidden until midday Tisha B'Av beginning at Mincha.

It is forbidden to do any act or engage in any activity that would distract you from the required attitude or mourning on Tisha B'Av. Therefore, it is forbidden to take a pleasure walk or trip on Tisha B'Av. Any form of frivolity or cheerfulness is forbidden.

Another thing that is prohibited because it distracts from the "spirit of the fast" is work or business. Any work - skilled or unskilled that takes time should be postponed until after midday. Work that does not take time, such as tying a shoe or turning on lights, may be done any time on Tisha B'Av.

Housework, if possible, should be postponed until after Tisha B'Av. If this is not feasible, the work should be done after midday.

You should try to avoid any business transactions during the entire day of Tisha B'Av. lf this is not possible, try to put off working at least until midday.

One who works on Tisha B'Av where prohibited, "will not see a blessing from that work."

When Tisha B'Av falls on a Shabbat or Sunday

When Tisha B'Av falls on a Shabbat, the fast day is postponed till Sunday.

We do not have a Seuda HaMafseket (see below). We do not say the customary Havdala at the end of Shabbat. On Motzoei Shabbat after nightfall, before the reading of Megilat Eichah, the Bracha - Borei Me'Orei Ho'aish is said upon seeing candlelight. Havdalah is recited Sunday evening, after the Tisha B'Av fast is over.

NOTE: The same rules apply when Tisha B'Av falls on a Sunday. We do NOT have a Seuda HaMafseket (see below).

HOW DO WE OBSERVE THE DAY?    

Like Yom Kippur, the afternoon Mincha service is said early in the day. It is customary to eat a meal before Mincha. This meal has no restrictions. It is customary to eat well at this meal in preparation for the fast, but care must be taken not to overeat so that one can eat the Seuda HaMafseket comfortably.

Seuda HaMafseket (Separating Meal)

The observance of Tisha B'Av begins with the Seuda HaMafseket, a last meal eaten prior to sunset. It is forbidden to eat more than one cooked food at this meal. (Cooked also meaning roasted, fried, or pickled.) Meat, wine and fish are forbidden, as are intoxicating drinks. Unlike the elaborate meal we eat before Yom Kippur, this meal, customarily consists of bread dipped in ashes, a cold hard-boiled egg and water. It is eaten alone, while seated on the floor or on a low stool. One should say, "This is the Tisha B'Av meal."

In the evening, the synagogues lights are dimmed, and candles are lit. Leather shoes are removed before the Maariv (evening) services. The Aron Hakodesh (Holy Ark) is draped in black (in some synagogues the curtain is removed). Crowns with tinkling bells are removed from Torah scrolls. We sit on low stools or on the floor as Maariv is recited in a subdued tone and afterwards we read dolefully from Megillat Eichah followed by a few special mournful dirges called Kinnot.

In the morning, the saddest part of the day, the Tallit (prayer shawl) and Tefillin (phylacteries) are not worn during Shacharit (morning services), because they are called "Pe-ar (ornaments)." Rather they are worn during Mincha instead. After the main part of the Shacharit morning service, and after the Torah reading, a large number of Kinnot are recited recalling many of the tragic events in Jewish history. In some communities, Eichah is recited again.

The afternoon Mincha service is the same as on other fast days, except that we put on theTallit and Tefillin we didn't wear in the morning. Sitting on chairs is now permitted and the intensity of the grief may be reduced. A special prayer is added to the blessing of Boneh (builder of) Yerushalayim during the Sh'mone Esrei (Amidah).

Tisha B'Av ends at nightfall sometime after sundown. Although the fast ends that night, it is proper not to eat meat, shave, wash clothes or bathe until noon the following day. This is because the Bait Hamikdash continued to burn into the tenth day. This restriction does not apply when Tisha B'Av falls on a Shabbat and the fast day was postponed till Sunday, or when Tisha B'Av falls on a Thursday.

Our sages teach us that "Whoever mourns over Yerushalayim is deserving to witness her joy." (Talmud Taanit 30b). As it is written in Isaiah (Chapter 66, verse 10), "rejoice greatly with her, all who mourn her."

OUR LEGACY : ERETZ YISROEL & YERUSHALAYIM

The city of Yerushalayim was first sanctified by our forefather Avraham, when he was ready to sacrifice his son, Yitzchak, on Har HaMoriya. (Mt. Moriah). Hashem chose the Jewish people, the children of Avraham, as his Am Haniv'char, - His chosen people. He chose Eretz Yisrael as the most holy land and Yerushalayim as the holiest of cities, as it is stated - "Ki vachar Hashem B'Zion - For Hashem has chosen Zion)." (Psalms 132:13)

The Talmud explicitly states: "He who eats and drinks on the 9th of Av will not live to see the crowning glory of Yerushalayim." The value of fasting lies not only in remembering the past and applying its lessons to the present, but also in recognizing the unity of our people, the root of its existence and the prophetic destiny which still awaits fulfillment.

Even though Yerushalayim is now in the hands of the Jewish people, (and for how long?) Jews all over the world gather in their synagogues, fasting from sunset to sunset. We sit on low stools or on the floor as mourners, wearing slippers instead of leather shoes. Under dim lights or by candlelight we read from Eichah followed by Kinnot.

In Yerushalayim, Jews from throughout the land of Eretz Yisroel flock by the thousands to the Kotel Hama'aravi (the Western Wall), the last remnant of the Bait Hamikdash, where many stay all night reading Kinnot by the light of the moon.

These Kinnot prayers remind us of the destruction, but at the same time we pray for that great day when the saddest day of the year will turn into a Yom Tov (holiday) and peace shall reign throughout the world. We also pray for that time when in the words of the Prophet Zacharia, "The fast day of the fifth month (Tisha B'Av) will yet become for the household of Israel a day of rejoicing and of happiness."(Zecharia 8:19).

Until such days will come, we continue to fast on Tisha B'Av. The Chazzan recites Eichah in a special melody, which seems to emanate from the very heart of the Jewish people.

He reads "Kumi, roni balayla. - Arise, cry out at night, in the beginning of the watches."

"Shifchi Kamayim Libaych, Nochach Pnei Hashem. - Pour out your heart like water, in the Presence of Hashem."

"Lift up your hands to Him for the life of your young children, who swoon from hunger at every street corner." (Eicah 2:19)

It is by voluntarily inflicting ourselves on Tisha B'Av that we identify with the totality of Jewish history; just as "By the rivers of Babylon, we sat and wept when we remembered Zion." (Psalms 137:1). Throughout history there have always been, and tragically probably always will be, Jews persecuted because of their faith. By keeping alive these bitter memories of our exile, and teaching them to our children, we hope both to prevent their recurrence and to recognize the miraculous continuity of our existence.
SHABBAT
NACHAMU
   

The Shabbat after Tisha B'Av is called Shabbat Nachamu (Shabbat of comfort), for the Haftora which begins with the words: "Nachamu, Nachamu Ami - Be comforted, be comforted, my people..." (Yeshaya 40). In this chapter, the Navi (prophet) describes the Ultimate Redemption (Moshiach) which we have yet to experience.

There are seven weeks from Tisha B'Av until Rosh Hashana. This period is called, "Shiva D'nechemta" - "Seven weeks of comfort." In contrast to the three weeks before Tisha B'Av in which we read prophesies of punishment, the Haftora for each of these seven weeks consists of prophesies which comfort and bring the message of hope to the Jewish people.

When Moshiach does come, Tisha B'Av will turn into a day full of "gladness and cheerful feasts." (Zecharia 8:19). May this joyful day come speedily in our time.
You shall make yourself the Festival of Sukkoth for seven days, when you gather in [the produce] from your threshing floor and your vat.And you shall rejoice in your Festival-you, and your son, and your daughter, and your manservant, and your maidservant, and the Levite, and the stranger, and the orphan, and the widow, who are within your cities
Duet 16:13-14

Offline Kahane-Was-Right BT

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Re: Tonight begins the Jewish national Day of Mourning, the 9th of Av
« Reply #10 on: July 19, 2010, 07:16:26 PM »
One of the hardest customs related to Tish B'Av is the minhag of no Torah study on the night and day of Tish B'Av... The only thing we can study is the Book of Lamentations...



You can also learn the gemaras that explain the causes for the destruction of the Temple (ie kamtza and bar kamtza etc) and halachoth of Tisha B'av etc.   It is not limited to the book of Lamentations, but that is good to learn too and yes there apparently is some restriction that we customarily only learn about related subjects on this day.

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Re: Tonight begins the Jewish national Day of Mourning, the 9th of Av
« Reply #11 on: July 19, 2010, 07:18:39 PM »
One of the hardest customs related to Tish B'Av is the minhag of no Torah study on the night and day of Tish B'Av... The only thing we can study is the Book of Lamentations...



You can also learn the gemaras that explain the causes for the destruction of the Temple (ie kamtza and bar kamtza etc) and halachoth of Tisha B'av etc.   It is not limited to the book of Lamentations, but that is good to learn too and yes there apparently is some restriction that we customarily only learn about related subjects on this day.

Thank you, I just posted an article which mentions which subjects can be studied tonight and tomorrow. I already know a bit about these subjects because I was a mourner in January when my father died... I studied Iyov at the time...
You shall make yourself the Festival of Sukkoth for seven days, when you gather in [the produce] from your threshing floor and your vat.And you shall rejoice in your Festival-you, and your son, and your daughter, and your manservant, and your maidservant, and the Levite, and the stranger, and the orphan, and the widow, who are within your cities
Duet 16:13-14

Offline Kahane-Was-Right BT

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Re: Tonight begins the Jewish national Day of Mourning, the 9th of Av
« Reply #12 on: July 19, 2010, 07:22:02 PM »
May every Jew have an easy fast... I know this is going to be a hard one for me because I did not properly prepare as I did for Yom Kippur last time..


You'll be fine Muman.  The human body was built for this.  It's no sweat. 

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Re: Tonight begins the Jewish national Day of Mourning, the 9th of Av
« Reply #13 on: July 19, 2010, 07:23:28 PM »
May every Jew have an easy fast... I know this is going to be a hard one for me because I did not properly prepare as I did for Yom Kippur last time..


You'll be fine Muman.  The human body was built for this.  It's no sweat. 

I need to make sure I dont get dehydrated... That is the hardest part for me, I usually can go all day without eating...

You shall make yourself the Festival of Sukkoth for seven days, when you gather in [the produce] from your threshing floor and your vat.And you shall rejoice in your Festival-you, and your son, and your daughter, and your manservant, and your maidservant, and the Levite, and the stranger, and the orphan, and the widow, who are within your cities
Duet 16:13-14

Offline Kahane-Was-Right BT

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Re: Tonight begins the Jewish national Day of Mourning, the 9th of Av
« Reply #14 on: July 19, 2010, 07:23:47 PM »
One of the hardest customs related to Tish B'Av is the minhag of no Torah study on the night and day of Tish B'Av... The only thing we can study is the Book of Lamentations...



You can also learn the gemaras that explain the causes for the destruction of the Temple (ie kamtza and bar kamtza etc) and halachoth of Tisha B'av etc.   It is not limited to the book of Lamentations, but that is good to learn too and yes there apparently is some restriction that we customarily only learn about related subjects on this day.

Thank you, I just posted an article which mentions which subjects can be studied tonight and tomorrow. I already know a bit about these subjects because I was a mourner in January when my father died... I studied Iyov at the time...


Oh I see that now.

Sorry about your loss, Muman.   May Hashem comfort you.

Offline muman613

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Re: Tonight begins the Jewish national Day of Mourning, the 9th of Av
« Reply #15 on: July 19, 2010, 07:25:47 PM »
One of the hardest customs related to Tish B'Av is the minhag of no Torah study on the night and day of Tish B'Av... The only thing we can study is the Book of Lamentations...



You can also learn the gemaras that explain the causes for the destruction of the Temple (ie kamtza and bar kamtza etc) and halachoth of Tisha B'av etc.   It is not limited to the book of Lamentations, but that is good to learn too and yes there apparently is some restriction that we customarily only learn about related subjects on this day.

Thank you, I just posted an article which mentions which subjects can be studied tonight and tomorrow. I already know a bit about these subjects because I was a mourner in January when my father died... I studied Iyov at the time...


Oh I see that now.

Sorry about your loss, Muman.   May Hashem comfort you.

Thank you... I appreciate it..

You shall make yourself the Festival of Sukkoth for seven days, when you gather in [the produce] from your threshing floor and your vat.And you shall rejoice in your Festival-you, and your son, and your daughter, and your manservant, and your maidservant, and the Levite, and the stranger, and the orphan, and the widow, who are within your cities
Duet 16:13-14

Offline Kahane-Was-Right BT

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Re: Tonight begins the Jewish national Day of Mourning, the 9th of Av
« Reply #16 on: July 19, 2010, 07:27:01 PM »
May every Jew have an easy fast... I know this is going to be a hard one for me because I did not properly prepare as I did for Yom Kippur last time..


You'll be fine Muman.  The human body was built for this.  It's no sweat. 

I need to make sure I dont get dehydrated... That is the hardest part for me, I usually can go all day without eating...



Don't worry.  Before you know it, it will be over.  

That said, if God forbid you are actually feeling ill tomorrow and in danger for lack of water, I'm sure you know what you have to do in that case - drink up.  But I'm sure it won't come to that.  Most of the food we eat has plenty of water in it as well.

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Re: Tonight begins the Jewish national Day of Mourning, the 9th of Av
« Reply #17 on: July 19, 2010, 07:38:13 PM »
Man, you Jews have a lot of physical discipline. I don't think I could do it!

Offline Kahane-Was-Right BT

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Re: Tonight begins the Jewish national Day of Mourning, the 9th of Av
« Reply #18 on: July 19, 2010, 08:19:15 PM »
Btw, here is a list of terrible things that happened in history on the 9th of Av.  I don't know, there may have been more, but these are the major ones.   We certainly have reason to diminish our joy on this day.

http://www.ou.org/yerushalayim/tishabav/tishabav.html

    1. The sin of the spies caused Hashem to decree that the Children of Israel who left Egypt would not be permitted to enter the land of Israel;

    2. The first Temple was destroyed;

    3. The second Temple was destroyed;

    4. Betar, the last fortress to hold out against the Romans during the Bar Kochba revolt in the year 135, fell, sealing the fate of the Jewish people.

    5. One year after the fall of Betar, the Temple area was plowed.

    6. In 1492, King Ferdinand of Spain issued the expulsion decree, setting Tisha B'Av as the final date by which not a single Jew would be allowed to walk on Spanish soil.

    7. World War I – which began the downward slide to the Holocaust – began on Tisha B’av.

Offline Kahane-Was-Right BT

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Re: Tonight begins the Jewish national Day of Mourning, the 9th of Av
« Reply #19 on: July 20, 2010, 01:26:45 PM »
Hunger pangs are setting in at this point.  Just thought I would add another catastrophe that occurred on Tisha B'av in history.

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.

Offline muman613

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Re: Tonight begins the Jewish national Day of Mourning, the 9th of Av
« Reply #20 on: July 20, 2010, 01:46:57 PM »
Hunger pangs are setting in at this point.  Just thought I would add another catastrophe that occurred on Tisha B'av in history.

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.

I am also getting hungry here... But I think I'll make it...

Another recent Tish B'Av catastrophe was the expulsion of Gush Katif...



http://www.ou.org/index.php/ou/print_this/2050/

Quote
...

The shadows are falling on Neve Dekalim. I escort my son-in-law to Ma'ariv at my son's yeshiva, Torat Hachayim. Now it is time for Eichah. Now we hear the voice of Rav Tal, the Rosh Yeshiva, like the Shevarim sound of the Shofar - broken. It takes forever to hear the lines of the Eicha dirge, as one by one they come alive. The Rav is weeping; Jerusalem mourns her glory. Soon the talmidim are crying and real tears splash on the floor of the yeshiva. There is a break in the rendition as all one hears are the moans and sighs. Is this real? So this is what Tisha B'av is really meant to be? Or are we also crying for Gush Katif, for our lost pride, for all that we could have done but fell short?

Somehow, it is over. No one says a word. We have just experienced something too authentic to be talked about lightly. Silently, we return home. We sit around on the floor - a precious family moment As we awake from the reverie, we recall that there will be a town-hall meeting of all the residents of Gush Katif this Motzei Shabbat, the night of Tisha B'av, 5765. It is the last opportunity for all the residents of Gush Katif to assemble as one.

I pick my way among the thousands who have come to listen. The date does not lose its impression on me. Hashem chose this day to get even with us for the sin of the Spies: Were we not diligent enough in our love for the Land, for each other, for G-d? One by one the speakers deliver their message about the righteousness of the cause, about the Kiddush Hashem attached to the campaign, about our respect for those who felt they had to leave, about the need to be firm in the face of psychological and physical abuse. Most of all, steadfastness must not be accompanied with violence of any kind: the soldiers and police are not the enemy.

I am amazed. No one is shouting, no one is catcalling. Everyone should work together (easier, of course, said than done, given the variegated composition of the thousands of 'visitors'.) Everyone duly claps as the righteousness of the cause is espoused. But most impressive was the realization that even when it is all over (it shouldn't happen!), the struggle must continue. The way ahead will be difficult; everyone will have his station; every family will ultimately do what it has to do. And meanwhile, the officials in each yishuv will organize life, will delegate tasks and the "home front" will cooperate in complicating the evacuation process.

...



http://www.aish.com/jw/id/48915447.html

Quote
...

Friday, August 12

We leave for a day and are now returning for Shabbat Chazon, the Shabbat before Tisha B'Av, the Shabbat during which we read Parashat Devarim, which tells how Land of Israel that was given to us. We spend Shabbat in Ganei Tal. Naama is also there with her family, as is another daughter, Noa, also married to a boy who grew up in Ganei Tal; they have decided to spend this Shabbat with his parents as well. Our daughter, Ephrat, 22, has been in Gush Katif for a week already and Matanya, 15, comes in with us. We have "passes" to be in Gush Katif till midnight Saturday night. I express the desire to leave, therefore, after midnight -- my tiny protest against the government. Ephrat and Matanya say they will be staying on. As it turns out, there is shooting on Tzir Kissufim Saturday night and we delay our leaving till the next day.

Friday night, the air conditioning in the synagogue shuts off as prayers are about to begin. There are several hundred visitors in this community of about 70 families, and the hundreds move outside to pray, in a plaza surrounded by trees, where wedding feasts are usually held. Naama and Avner, whose chuppah took place on the grass overlooking the seashore, held their wedding feast here, as well. I cannot believe that after this week they will not be able to return to the site of their chuppah, to the site of their wedding. The prayers are so powerful, so deeply wrenching, that I feel we are standing on the eve of Yom Kippur. I half expect, after the reciting of "Shema Yisrael," to hear the congregation add the next line, "Baruch shem kavod?" aloud, like on the eve of Kol Nidre, not quietly, like the rest of the year.

    The next morning, there are tears in shul. Nobody can escape the thought that this is probably the last Shabbat in Ganei Tal.

The next morning, there are tears in shul. Nobody can escape the thought that this is probably the last Shabbat in Ganei Tal, though most people still speak with a tone of hope, praying for a miracle. The rabbi speaks from the pulpit about the power of miracles and how God can do anything, but his final words are, "In the coming days, let us feel also a sense of joy, and give thanks for all the good we have received."

The man to close the ark after the returning of the Torah is Zalman Deutsch of Alon Shvut, the architect who built this shul more than 20 years ago. He pulls the curtain closed and leans forward to kiss it gently. During the repeat of the Musaf Amidah, the kohanim ascend the steps at the front, turn and bless the congregation. I have a son-in-law up there and I watch him and his brother and father as they face the ark, after the blessing. The kohanim remain up there for longer than usual, unable to part, knowing this may have been the last time they bless their friends and neighbors.

A grand Kiddush follows, the cakes and kugels provided by supporters throughout Israel who have sent their love and food to Gush Katif. A man announces that the Kiddush next Shabbat will be on the lawn of one of the residents. People cheer, knowing that there may not be another Shabbat here in Ganei Tal. There are tears and laughter throughout the day.

There are two concepts that keep guiding me and that I think we have to keep in our minds. One is our own hishtadlut, doing whatever we can to avert the decree of expulsion. The other is that God has His plan.

These two concepts are not contradictory. The Holy One can do anything.

Shabbat afternoon Rabbi Elisha Vishlitzky of Jerusalem gives a class in the Cohen's home, in memory of her sister and brother-in-law, Rachel and Dov Kol. He tells the story that appears in Isaiah, chapter 38. Isaiah says to King Chizkiyahu, "You will die and not live" and the sages of the Midrash explain: "not live" means also in the next world. Chizkiyahu asks why, and Isaiah says, "Because you did not marry."

Chizkiyahu explains, "I did not marry because sons will come forth from me who are not honest." (He knew that Menashe the evil king would come forth from him.) Isaiah responds, "Who are you to make the accountings of the Holy One? You must do what you must do, and God will do as He wishes."

So Chizkiyahu says, "Then give me your daughter for a wife." Why Isaiah's daughter? "Because maybe from your daughter and my son, honest children will come forth."

Isaiah answers, "The decree has already been made. It won't help that you take my daughter." Chizkiyahu replies, "Ben Amotz (Isaiah)! Stop your prophesying and leave!" Why? "Because this is what I have received from my father's house -- even when the sword is against a person's throat, he should not despair!"

The second story Rabbi Vishlitzky told was about King David. It is from 2-Samuel, ch. 24. The short version: There was a plague, everyone was dying (not a great time to be dealing with real estate), yet King David bought the location of the Holy Temple, and the plague was stopped.

Rabbi Vishlitzky, who has been in touch with the Gush Katif community throughout the last year, entreated people: "Stay with us, even if you send out your possessions in advance and sleep on mattresses, stay here. Do not despair." But at the same time, he speaks of the spirit, the faith of the people of Gush Katif, "that will go on throughout the land," the unspoken words being, "wherever you will be."

Saturday night, Tisha B'Av begins and we listen to the reading of Lamentations which describes the destruction of both Holy Temples. The symbolism is overwhelming. Again, the plaza is filled with young people and old, mothers under trees with babies, like in days of old. Everyone is struck by the words in Chapter 5 -- "Our inheritance has been turned over the strangers, our homes to aliens."
« Last Edit: July 20, 2010, 01:53:14 PM by muman613 »
You shall make yourself the Festival of Sukkoth for seven days, when you gather in [the produce] from your threshing floor and your vat.And you shall rejoice in your Festival-you, and your son, and your daughter, and your manservant, and your maidservant, and the Levite, and the stranger, and the orphan, and the widow, who are within your cities
Duet 16:13-14

Offline eb22

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Re: Tonight begins the Jewish national Day of Mourning, the 9th of Av
« Reply #21 on: July 20, 2010, 01:51:47 PM »
Hunger pangs are setting in at this point.  Just thought I would add another catastrophe that occurred on Tisha B'av in history.

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.



I'm not discounting the dangers of Barack Hussein Obama to Jews and to Righteous Gentiles.  But based on a new day beginning on the Hebrew Calendar at Sunset,     wouldn't the Keynote Speech have taken place on the 10th of Av?
"Israel's leaders seem to be more afraid of Obama than they are of G-d. Now we're getting to the real root of the problem. Secular politics won't save Israel. Denying the divine nature of the Jewish State has brought Israel neither stability nor peace. When that changes Israel will finally be blessed with both in abundance"-----------NormanF   ( Posted on Israel Matzav's Blog )

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Offline Kahane-Was-Right BT

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Re: Tonight begins the Jewish national Day of Mourning, the 9th of Av
« Reply #22 on: July 20, 2010, 02:08:39 PM »
Hunger pangs are setting in at this point.  Just thought I would add another catastrophe that occurred on Tisha B'av in history.

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.



I'm not discounting the dangers of Barack Hussein Obama to Jews and to Righteous Gentiles.  But based on a new day beginning on the Hebrew Calendar at Sunset,     wouldn't the Keynote Speech have taken place on the 10th of Av?

Oh is that so?  I just read that it was on July 27, 2004 and the date for Tisha B'av that year was July 27.  Maybe you're right.

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Re: Tonight begins the Jewish national Day of Mourning, the 9th of Av
« Reply #23 on: July 20, 2010, 02:25:39 PM »
Hunger pangs are setting in at this point.  Just thought I would add another catastrophe that occurred on Tisha B'av in history.

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.



I'm not discounting the dangers of Barack Hussein Obama to Jews and to Righteous Gentiles.  But based on a new day beginning on the Hebrew Calendar at Sunset,     wouldn't the Keynote Speech have taken place on the 10th of Av?

Oh is that so?  I just read that it was on July 27, 2004 and the date for Tisha B'av that year was July 27.  Maybe you're right.


Last year,   I saw a number of websites that mentioned the connection with Barack Hussein Obama's keynote address in 2004 and Tisha B'av.         That's when the Hebrew Calendar thought came to mind,   as I recalled that Chaim and others mentioning that the Hebrew Calendar day began at Sunset,   not at Midnight.       The following site provides a Hebrew Calendar from 5764   ( 2004 ):


http://www.beingjewish.com/misc/calendar.html


Also,    Sunset in Boston on July 27, 2004 was at 8:09PM.       Based on how the TV network coverage works with American Political Conventions,    BHO's Keynote Speech had to be well after Sunset.       Very few people tune into United States Political Conventions until later in the evening.


http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/astronomy.html?n=43&month=7&year=2004&obj=sun&afl=-11&day=1
"Israel's leaders seem to be more afraid of Obama than they are of G-d. Now we're getting to the real root of the problem. Secular politics won't save Israel. Denying the divine nature of the Jewish State has brought Israel neither stability nor peace. When that changes Israel will finally be blessed with both in abundance"-----------NormanF   ( Posted on Israel Matzav's Blog )

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Offline Kahane-Was-Right BT

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Re: Tonight begins the Jewish national Day of Mourning, the 9th of Av
« Reply #24 on: July 20, 2010, 04:25:56 PM »
Indeed, I see here http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A19751-2004Jul27.html that the speech began at 11:09pm   if that's what this means

FDCH E-Media
Tuesday, July 27, 2004; 11:09 PM

Candidate for U.S. Senate in Illinois, Barack Obama, delivered the keynote address at the Democratic National Convention in Boston Tuesday night. Here is a transcript of his remarks.


It could be that that is the time of the article when they posted the transcript though.   So maybe he gave the speech just as Tisha B'av went out, but it does seem that you're correct and this was technically on the 10th of Av.   

Edit: Yup I found out the speech was given at 9:45 pm.

It is worth noting that the fast of Tisha B'Av ends when the 10th of Av begins this evening, however, our tradition has it that the Temple continued burning into the next afternoon, and so we still maintain certain other restrictions for the 10th of Av as well - namely, no haircuts, no shaving, no meat or wine, etc (these began 9 days before Tisha B'Av, or for Sephardim and others, the week of Tisha B'av after Shabbat).   The fast is about the only thing that ends, and maybe some restrictions become less strict or less strictly adhered to, but the trauma we commemorate actually takes us into the 10th of Av.   So perhaps it is fitting that in 2004 the 9th of Av went out with Obama's ascension to the thrown of the democratic party.
« Last Edit: July 20, 2010, 04:35:13 PM by Kahane-Was-Right BT »