Tonight starts the fast of Tisha BiAv. The culmination of the three weeks (if you don't hold of the three weeks then the nine days). The past three weeks (or nine days) have been a period of mourning. Why? Supposedly, on Shiva Asar Bitamuz (the 17th of the month of Taamuz) the walls of Jerusalem were breached and then the temple was destroyed on Tisha BiAv (The 9th of the month of Av). There are other reasons stated in the Gemora and other places, but this is the most publicized (and I think the most reasonable reason to mourn for). Any other reason stated for this fast and period of mourning other than the destruction of the Temple does not make sense to me. There have been so many tragedies throughout the years that Judaism has existed, why would we choose to mourn some over others? The reason we mourn the Temple, even today, is because it represents the pinnacle of Jewish worship of G-D. Therefore, if we are going to mourn something throughout the generations let it be the destruction of the Temple. For, when it is rebuilt we will again be a "complete" nation.
Also, commemorating different horrific acts against Jews throughout the years would create fast days on every day of the year, so that is not a plausible commemoration. True, we are saddened that so many Jews were killed throughout the generations and our holy scriptures were defiled, but to mourn these events on separate days is untenable. That is why Tisha BiAv is supposed to commemorate all Jewish tragedies. (Why there are other fast days and days of mourning throughout the year, I do not understand, except for Yom Kippur because it is not a day of mourning). Indeed, these commemorations must be in tangent with Tisha BiAv in order for them to have true meaning. Why? Because what was the reason these people were killed? What was the reason they were hated and their holy books were burned? It was simply because they were Jewish. And, what is the greatest symbol and idea in Judaism? It is the worship in the Temple that represents a Jew's connection to G-D. This idea is stated most clearly in the Midrash Tanchuma (Matos 3):
Moshe told G-D, "If the Jewish people were uncircumcised, idol worshipers, or deniers of the commandments then the Midianites would not hate us (the Jewish people) and they would not run after us. It is specifically because we (the Jewish people) follow your Torah [that they hate us and try to kill us]. Therefore, it is not a "revenge" for us, but for You (G-D)."
The Jewish people mourn Tisha BiAv because it reminds us that we are removed from G-D and we were spread throughout the nations of the world. Subsequent to that, the nations of the world then killed us, oppressed us and detroyed what we held dear. It is the principle of cause and effect, the Temple was destroyed and thereby other tragedies befell us. Therefore, we mourn, in order to remember the cause and, along with the cause, everything that was an effect of that cause.
Personally, it is very hard for me to relate to Tisha BiAv. Fasting does nothing but make me angry. I can not contemplate the past on an empty stomach, nor can I appreciate all the tragedies that befell my people. All I can focus on is my hunger and my headache. This is especially true when I have to go to school or work on Tisha BiAv. How, then, am I supposed to make Tisha BiAv meaningful? Is it by reading Kinnos that talk about tragedies that I am disconnected from? Is it by listening to Eicha which is written in a language that is difficult for me to understand? I am unsure how this day is supposed to help me remember and commemorate all the tragedies that have befallen my people.
I personally believe that one of the most important things one can do is commemorate the past. Holidays, days of mourning, and just learning history is probably one of the most important things. This is why, I believe, the Torah and many books in Neviim (prophets) and Kesubim (writings) are written in a way that tells the story of Jewish heritage. A person can not understand what they need to do in the future if they do not know what has been done in the past. The Torah is there to teach us life lessons in order that we learn how to act and how not to act. The main argument I would give for this idea is that the Torah could have just been written as a book of laws, like the code of Hammurabi, and the other books could have been written like a mussar sefer, like Mesilas Yesharim, or some other format. This idea is why I find it so necessary (and why the Rabbis instituted the idea) to mourn and commemorate the past.
However, I still do not understand how mourning has anything to do with fasting. Fasting, to me, seems like it is either to inflict pain on oneself or to attempt to grab at a higher "spiritual" position, like we do on Yom Kippur. Why do we fast if the point is commemoration and mourning? Does the person in a house of mourning fast after their relative has past away? (No, in case you were wondering.)
It seems to me that the point of Tisha BiAv is not just to mourn for the Temple, but an attempt to request that G-D allow us to rebuild the Temple. For we can see in many places like in Esther 4:3 it says:
What was the point of fasting, weeping and wailing? I think it is clear from the Gemora in Gittin why someone would fast (56a):
For R. Zadok observed fasts for forty years in order that Jerusalem might not be destroyed
The idea behind fasting has nothing to do with commemoration. The idea behind fasting is that we are requesting from G-D that He observe our desire for something to happen. By Megilas Esther the Jewish people were requesting that G-D save them from death and by the Gemora in Gittin Rav Tzadok was requesting that Jerusalem not be destroyed. On Tisha BiAv why is there a national fast day? Is it solely because we are mourning? NO! It is because it is a national day for us to request G-D's help and compel Him (as if that were possible) to allow us to rebuild or for Him to rebuild the Temple.
The day of Tisha BiAv has a two-fold meaning, remembrance AND requesting. This is what we should take into the day of Tisha BiAv, we are not just supposed to be sad, we are supposed to be requesting the rebuilding of the TEMPLE. One who focuses on just the sadness of the day misses an extraordinary opportunity at supplication of G-D. We are not supposed to do other things than focus on tragedy and the destruction of the Temple for two reasons: 1) We are supposed to commemorate our loses, but 2) We are supposed to be requesting the rebuilding of the Temple.
Hopefully, this will be the year that our prayers and fasting will be recognized in such a way that it will lead to a rebuilding of the Temple. I hope that G-D will act in a similar manner to these verses (Shemos 2:23-25):
Showing posts with label Tisha Biav. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tisha Biav. Show all posts
Monday, July 19, 2010
Thursday, July 30, 2009
What Makes Tisha Biav Such a Unique Fast Day?
What exactly is it that we are fasting for on Tisha Biav? It is treated more strictly than any other fast day and has many of the same laws as Yom Kippur, but why is this so?
The Gemorah in Taanis (26B) tells us that there were five tragic events that happened on Tisha Biav. The decree that the Jewish people should wander in the desert and not enter the land was given, The first and second Bais Hamikdashes were destroyed, the city of Beitar was destroyed, and Jerusalem was completely demolished.
These seem like very tragic events, but there can be several questions asked here. 1)Once we entered the land why would we still mourn the fact that our forefathers couldn't enter the land 40 years ago? 2)On the same note, why would we mourn for the first Bais Hamikdash? If we rebuilt the Bais Hamikdash and are mourning over the second Bais Hamikdash, there is no reason to mourn over the first, it was rebuilt. 3)Why are we mourning over a specific city that was destroyed that is not Jerusalem? So many other cities were destroyed and we do not mourn over their destruction. Also, there were many cities that were massacred by Romans, what makes Beitar so unique? 4)Finally, hasn't Jerusalem been rebuilt? Why are we mourning over the destruction of Jerusalem if we own it and have rebuilt it, except for the Bais Hamikdash which we already mourn?
It seems like what we are truly mourning over is potential that is wasted. All five tragedies are cases where Jews have a great potential, but waste it. What we are really mourning over is the fact that we had such great opportunities, but because of our own flaws, we were not able to seize them when we had the chance.
The first occurrence of a wasted opportunity was by the spies in the desert. G-D was ready to give us the land, but because 10 of the spies spoke lashon hora and we listened to it we were forced to wander 40 years in the desert. That was 40 years that could have been spent in Israel worshiping G-D and fulfilling all of the commandments in the Torah. However, because of the sin of the spies we ended up losing Miriam, Aharon, and Moshe before entering the land and we were not able to fulfill all of the commandments in the Torah, since they were not applicable yet.
The next two examples of wasted opportunity were the destruction of the two Bais Hamikdashes. Both of these were destroyed because the Jewish people were violating many commandments. It was because of the neglect of the Torah and commandments that G-D removed His house from being among us. Had we realized how special this house was, before it was too late, then we would still have His house instead of the Dome of the Rock in its place.
The last two tragedies mentioned in the Gemorah are the destruction of the city Beitar and the destruction of Jerusalem. These two events coincided with each other. Both of these tragedies are dependent upon the story of Bar Kochba (Bar Kosiba). Before going into the Bar Kochba story, the background of what was occurring at that time must be given. In the year 130 CE a new emperor, Hadrian, was appointed. He had promised the Jews that he would rebuild Jerusalem for them as a gift. Unfortunately, something happened and he decided that he would build Aelia Capitolina and never allow Jews to enter the city. To build this city Hadrian had the already destroyed city completely razed, including the temple mount area. As if this wasn't enough provocation, he then banned circumcision. In 132 when the Jewish people could no longer take the persecution and the injustice, they rebelled with their leader Bar Kochba.
At first Bar Kochba followed the advice of Rebbe Akiva and his victories were seen as signs that he was the Moshiach (redeemer). Rebbe Akiva himself said that he thought Bar Kochba was the Moshiach. Bar Kochba's success lasted for about 2 and a half years. Unfortunately, something happened and Bar Kochba no longer listened to the advice of Rebbe Akiva. He even made an alliance with the Samaritans! This was, of course, against the advice of Rebbe Akiva. After these events Rabbi Akiva realized that Bar Kochba was not the Moshiach and shortly thereafter in 135 CE Bar Kochba lost Jerusalem and a few months later his stronghold of Beitar was destroyed.
These are the events that we mourn on Tisha Biav, events that show a national waste of opportunity. If the nation did not listen to the Meraglim, they would have gone straight to Israel. If the nation would not have been sinning then the Bais Hamikdashes would not have been destroyed. If the nation would have done real repentance then the Bar Kochba rebellion would have been successful. These are all national failures that lead to national consequences. That is why we are remembering these tragedies, because they show us as a nation that wasted opportunity. These tragedies could have been avoided if we would have just seized the moment and overcome our evil inclinations. This is the lesson we must never forget and this is why Tisha Biav is so important.
The Gemorah in Taanis (26B) tells us that there were five tragic events that happened on Tisha Biav. The decree that the Jewish people should wander in the desert and not enter the land was given, The first and second Bais Hamikdashes were destroyed, the city of Beitar was destroyed, and Jerusalem was completely demolished.
These seem like very tragic events, but there can be several questions asked here. 1)Once we entered the land why would we still mourn the fact that our forefathers couldn't enter the land 40 years ago? 2)On the same note, why would we mourn for the first Bais Hamikdash? If we rebuilt the Bais Hamikdash and are mourning over the second Bais Hamikdash, there is no reason to mourn over the first, it was rebuilt. 3)Why are we mourning over a specific city that was destroyed that is not Jerusalem? So many other cities were destroyed and we do not mourn over their destruction. Also, there were many cities that were massacred by Romans, what makes Beitar so unique? 4)Finally, hasn't Jerusalem been rebuilt? Why are we mourning over the destruction of Jerusalem if we own it and have rebuilt it, except for the Bais Hamikdash which we already mourn?
It seems like what we are truly mourning over is potential that is wasted. All five tragedies are cases where Jews have a great potential, but waste it. What we are really mourning over is the fact that we had such great opportunities, but because of our own flaws, we were not able to seize them when we had the chance.
The first occurrence of a wasted opportunity was by the spies in the desert. G-D was ready to give us the land, but because 10 of the spies spoke lashon hora and we listened to it we were forced to wander 40 years in the desert. That was 40 years that could have been spent in Israel worshiping G-D and fulfilling all of the commandments in the Torah. However, because of the sin of the spies we ended up losing Miriam, Aharon, and Moshe before entering the land and we were not able to fulfill all of the commandments in the Torah, since they were not applicable yet.
The next two examples of wasted opportunity were the destruction of the two Bais Hamikdashes. Both of these were destroyed because the Jewish people were violating many commandments. It was because of the neglect of the Torah and commandments that G-D removed His house from being among us. Had we realized how special this house was, before it was too late, then we would still have His house instead of the Dome of the Rock in its place.
The last two tragedies mentioned in the Gemorah are the destruction of the city Beitar and the destruction of Jerusalem. These two events coincided with each other. Both of these tragedies are dependent upon the story of Bar Kochba (Bar Kosiba). Before going into the Bar Kochba story, the background of what was occurring at that time must be given. In the year 130 CE a new emperor, Hadrian, was appointed. He had promised the Jews that he would rebuild Jerusalem for them as a gift. Unfortunately, something happened and he decided that he would build Aelia Capitolina and never allow Jews to enter the city. To build this city Hadrian had the already destroyed city completely razed, including the temple mount area. As if this wasn't enough provocation, he then banned circumcision. In 132 when the Jewish people could no longer take the persecution and the injustice, they rebelled with their leader Bar Kochba.
At first Bar Kochba followed the advice of Rebbe Akiva and his victories were seen as signs that he was the Moshiach (redeemer). Rebbe Akiva himself said that he thought Bar Kochba was the Moshiach. Bar Kochba's success lasted for about 2 and a half years. Unfortunately, something happened and Bar Kochba no longer listened to the advice of Rebbe Akiva. He even made an alliance with the Samaritans! This was, of course, against the advice of Rebbe Akiva. After these events Rabbi Akiva realized that Bar Kochba was not the Moshiach and shortly thereafter in 135 CE Bar Kochba lost Jerusalem and a few months later his stronghold of Beitar was destroyed.
These are the events that we mourn on Tisha Biav, events that show a national waste of opportunity. If the nation did not listen to the Meraglim, they would have gone straight to Israel. If the nation would not have been sinning then the Bais Hamikdashes would not have been destroyed. If the nation would have done real repentance then the Bar Kochba rebellion would have been successful. These are all national failures that lead to national consequences. That is why we are remembering these tragedies, because they show us as a nation that wasted opportunity. These tragedies could have been avoided if we would have just seized the moment and overcome our evil inclinations. This is the lesson we must never forget and this is why Tisha Biav is so important.
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