9th of Av

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  1. The Beginning of the End

    God’s Sword in the Hand of the King of Babylon - Part 2

    Dr. Tova Ganzel

    This article provides historical background about the king of Babylonia, Nevukhadnetzar and contrasts how he was seen by the two major prophets of his time, Yirmiyahu and Yehezkel. Additionally, this article examines life in the Babylonian exile, based on extra-biblical sources.

  2. Shall Kohen and Prophet be Slain in the Sanctuary?!

    Rabbi Moshe Taragin

    Why is the story of the murder of a Kohen and Prophet in the Beit Hamikdash so dominant in the midrashim and in the prayers of Tisha be-Av? The connection between him and the tragedy of Tisha be-Av is quite indirect; why, then, is his murder presented as such a fundamental and important event?

    The Sages pinpoint several sins that were themselves the cause of the destruction. Aside from these specific sins, the Sages regarded the nation's refusal to accept rebuke from the prophets as a fundamental factor leading to the great tragedy.

    The people would ignore the prophets of God and wave off their warnings with stubbornness and a complacency born of illusion. They convinced themselves that God would not destroy His own Temple. They wished to continue making merry and living their worry-free lives, rejecting out of hand the concept of reward and punishment. Additionally, people of vulgar spirit who were living successful lives were incapable of accepting advice from dusty, wandering moralizers.

    For this reason Yirmiyahu mourns for the destruction, which came about mostly because of the nation's inability to listen to the prophets and their messages. Every individual always has the ability to repent, thereby avoiding punishment and destruction. But the moment he shuts himself off and blocks his ears, the road to repentance is closed.

  3. You Comfort Me in Vain

    A Clarification of the Connection Between Pesach and the 9th of Av

    Rabbi Elyakim Krumbein

    The Midrash comments that Pessah and the 9th of Av always fall on the same day of the week.

    The Pesach of Egypt was not an ideal sacrifice. The true festival lay ahead, in the future, in Eretz Yisrael.  What was required of the nation in Egypt was a demonstration of faith in that future despite the difficult conditions that existed in Egypt. The combination of the maror and the Pesach declares that faith in the future is victorious over the depression of the present; it is indeed possible to taste the redemption in the very grains of the maror.

    Eating maror in the Beit HaMikdash was meant to help us identify with the heroic faith of our forefathers in Egypt, which attained its justification and its realization in the celebration of the Pessah in the Mikdash.  But after the Beit Hamikdah was destroyed, the grand celebration of Pessah appears to have been a passing euphoria; the Pessah of Egypt - observance of the mitzvot under difficult conditions - became the dominant situation for all generations.  For the weary nation of Israel only absolute redemption can justify the old understanding of Pesach in Egypt - as a road-sign for the future.  At this stage the Pesach of Egypt appears as nothing more than yet another example of the gloomy scenario which plays itself over and over - a perverted observance of the beautiful Torah which exists only in the dreams of seers.  The maror was supposed to be the basis for the Pessah sacrifice, but Tish'a be-Av gives it a new perspective: the sacrifice has disappeared, but the maror remains.

     

  4. Yirmiahu and Family Metaphors for God's Relationship with Israel

    Erev Shabbat Pinchas 5769

    Rabbi Jonathan Snowbell | 18 minutes

    We begin the Three Weeks leading up to Tisha Be'Av (the Ninth of Av) with Haftarot from the book of Yirmiahu. Yirmiahu seems to be very pessimistic and dark on the most part. He is constantly disbelieved and must warn the people of the bitter reality which they do not wish to confront.

    He is commanded to tell the people of Israel about God's plan to destroy - but also about His plans to rebuild. During the Three Weeks, the haftarot seem to focus on the more depressing content, but within these chapters are also some messages of hope.

     

    Chapter 3 begins with an analogy of a wife who is unfaithful, who cannot then return to her first husband. Can the people of Israel return to God, or are they too far gone in their sins? We find that Yirmiahu begins to take up a different theme, using the metaphor of a parent-child relationship. No matter how far the children stray, there is always an option to return. 

  5. Massei: Don't Forget the Details

    Rabbi Jay Kelman