 Torah Thoughts
THE “THREE WEEKS”
The
three week period between the Seventeenth of Tammuz and the Ninth
of Av is known in Hebrew as
“Bain HaMaitzarim”- Between the Straits. This is
a time of national mourning for the Jewish People. A number of calamities
befell our people during this period over our expansive history.
Among the most shattering events we commemorate are the
breaching of the walls of Jerusalem on the
Seventeenth of Tammuz followed three weeks later by the destruction of the Holy Temple
on the Ninth of Av.
The destruction of the Second Temple
and the subsequent holocaust inflicted by the pagan Roman invaders are seared
on the memory of the Jewish People. This was the end of Jewish sovereignty in
our Land for the following two millennia. The Diaspora in which we find
ourselves today took root during those three weeks.
On a spiritual level, G-d had hidden his face. The
period of prophecy, revelation and national intimacy with G-d was over. His
People had sinned and were sent into exile. The Divine Presence accompanied
them into the darkness. Our continued presence on foreign soil is a “Chilul
HaShem”- a denigration of G-d’s Name.
Our Sages tell us that for those in whose days the Temple is not rebuilt it is as if the Temple was destroyed in their time. The
reason that the Second
Temple was destroyed
was that the Jews of that time hated each other for no reason. Unfortunately,
this malady continues to plague us today. Faux political and religious
differences continue to divide us and maintain the ruined state of the Temple and our dull
awareness of G-d’s Presence. The first modern-day Chief Rabbi in the Land of Israel, Rabbi Abraham Kook, taught
that the only way to reverse the destruction is through “causeless love”. By
penetrating the exterior of a fellow Jew and focusing on his soul which is a
piece of G-d, we can develop a love for him which will remove the barriers
and ultimately restore our relationship with G-d.
During these three weeks of national mourning, Jews
should not attend places of public entertainment. No marriages are performed.
As a sign of mourning, one should not have one’s hair cut. It is customary
for men not to shave during this period (some make exceptions if faced with
extreme difficulty in the work place.) The intensity of the mourning
increases as the month of Av begins and during the week when Tisha B’Av
occurs, reaching its apex on Tisha B’Av.
TISHA B’AV
There are many laws & customs designed to enhance
our reflective mood and profound awareness of the meaning of the loss of the Temple. The following
are a few of them.
On Tisha B’Av, all Jews behave like mourners during SHIVA
(the first seven day period after the burial). We may not bathe, wear leather
shoes (one may wear plastic/ canvas etc. footwear) or engage in marital
relations. We may not study Torah (which gladdens the heart) except for those
parts which deal with chastisement and the laws of mourning. We do not greet
one another as a sign of somber mourning. It is customary, at least until noon, to sit on a low stool or on
the floor, just as mourners do.
Of course, one may not eat or drink, unless there is a
serious health risk.
The Book of Lamentations is read in the dimly lit
synagogue on the night of Tisha B’Av.
If possible, it is preferable not to engage in work
during the morning. In the synagogue, the Torah is read, followed by
Lamentations and Kinot (mournful elegies).
Tefillin (phylacteries), which are usually donned for
the morning prayer service (Shacharit), are not worn until the afternoon,
since they are referred to as “pe’er” (glory). It is inappropriate to wear a symbol
of glory when we commemorate the removal of Jerusalem’s glory.
Tisha B’Av is a full-day fast, beginning at sunset and
ending the following day at nightfall. (This year Saturday evening 7:53 p.m.
until Sunday night 8:34 p.m.)
Our tradition teaches that those who mourn the
destruction of Jerusalem
will merit seeing her rebuilt. May we reach that time soon!
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Baruch Price
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