Jul 31 2006
Tisha B’Av : 9th of Av
Thursday, August 3rd, 2006, will be the 9th day of the Hebrew month of Av.
It is a day of mourning & fasting which I've been learning more about just recently.
see: Tishah B'Av ~ Remembering the Destruction of Zion
Jeremiah Lamenting the Destruction of Jerusalem (Rembrandt, 1630)
Here are some of the events that have taken place on that day for the Jews,
and why they fast:
The LORD decreed that the original generation rescued from Egypt would die out in the desert and be deprived from entering the Promised Land because of the sin of the Spies.
~Numbers 13
Why?
Why was this decree made? A few weeks ago, we read in the weekly Torah portion of Shelach how Moshe sent spies to survey the land of Israel so they could then report on the condition of the land to the people. When the spies returned, instead of telling the people the praises of the land (such as the larger than normal produce) they gave a totally slanted and negative report. Their malicious report and horrifying predictions caused many Jews to become grief-stricken and lose their faith in G-d. The Gemora tells us that when G-d heard the bitter weeping of the Jews about what they believed was to be their bitter end, He responded "You wept a weeping without cause. Therefore, I shall establish for you a weeping (on this day) for generations to come." The weeping was clearly without cause. G-d had already promised to take the nation in to the land of Israel. While the report of the spies may have been disheartening, the people should have ignored the report, and instead had faith that G-d would keep His promise. The decree that G-d issued was that the nation would wander for 40 years in the desert, until all adult males of this generation died. Only then would their children enter the land of Israel. This decree was issued on the 9th of Av.
~ excerpted from "Reasons for Fasting, Part 1", from
Divrei Torah On The Three Weeks
- 9th of Av - 586 BC------Destruction of First Temple (Solomon's) in Jerusalem by the Babylonians, under Nebuchadnezzar.
- 9th of Av - AD 70 -------Destruction of Second Temple (Herod's) in Jerusalem by the Romans, under Titus.
Destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem (Francesco Hayez, 1867)
- 9th of Av - AD 1095 --- First Crusade declared by Pope Urban II.
- 9th of Av - AD 1290 --- Jews expelled from England.
- 9th of Av - AD 1492 --- Jews expelled from Spain and Portugal.
- 9th of Av AD 1914 --- World War I begins for Germany.
- 9th of Av - AD 1942 --- World War II -German deportations from the Polish Warsaw Ghetto to concentration camps began.
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You may read of more historical events that took place on this significant date at: Wikipedia
I'm going to be joining thousands in fasting on Thursday.
Israel is a secular nation--orthodox Jews & Messianic believers are minorities.
May they shine brightly with the presence of God!
Good source of news about the Israeli/Lebanon war: Jerusalem Post and aish.com
For e-alerts: Christians United for Israel
Share This“For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent, for Jerusalem’s sake I will not remain quiet, till her righteousness shines out like the dawn, her salvation like a blazing torch.”
~ Isaiah 62:1
Wow, what a wonderful post. I am going to share this one with my kids. Thank you so much!
Blessings,
Faith
Beth, I read your blog via my Google reader, but only comment occasionally. I am and have always been facinated by the Jewish culture and the heritage the Christians have/share with our Jewish brothers/sisters. I have been wondering if you are a Messianic Jew or a Christian with a heart and passion for our shared heritage? Or perhaps you are Jewish by birth and saved by grace? I guess that would be a Messianic Jew though, wouldn’t it? Anyways, your insights are always facinating. Thanks for sharing!
If you like reading fiction and enjoy Jewish history, you might like Bodie Thoene’s books. She is one of my favorite authors. She has done a marvelous job of helping the larger body of Christ to recognize the recent struggle (The books are set in the 1930’s) of the Nation of Israel and the Jewish people. I highly recommend them to you.
Hi Faith~
You’re welcome! Wasn’t this fascinating?! I thought so too.
Hi Phyllis~
Thanks for leaving comments when you do, I love hearing from you.
I too have been fascinated with Jewish culture and our Hebraic heritage as believers and followers of Jesus. No, I’m not a Messianic Jew, but my family definitely shares a heart and passion for Israel, and learning more about our rich heritage as sons and daughters of Abraham, and all that being “grafted in” entails. This journey into studying and celebrating Biblical Feast Days and learning the Messianic/Prophetic significance of them, as well as studying the Scriptures within their cultural context, has done so much to enrich and ground our faith. And as we learn, we realize more and more how much the Church in general has lost since she’s been (purposely) alienated from her roots, her very foundation, over the centuries.
Oh, you’re welcome. I’m so glad to share, and it’s so nice to hear from you and others from time to time, to know that you’re around and actually enjoying my blog.
Often times I do get frustrated because I just don’t find the time to share everything I’d like to, nor study as much as I’d like. But oh well, I’m sure that will always be the case.
Yes, I do enjoy historical fiction tremendously! Another friend had also recommended Thoene’s books to me awhile back. Thank you for reminding me. I went and checked out a couple of her books from the library today - finally. wooo-hooo!
Only thing is, if they’re really good, I may have a hard time getting anything else done around here! Good fiction is dangerous for me~ and we’re suppose to be starting back to our schoolish routines and such next week, yipes!
Thanks for the awesome post Beth! I too love learning these things and you are a very good teacher!