New York – Hundreds Of Thousands of Orthodox Jews around the globe will be observing Tisha B’Av (9th of Av) starting today at sundown by adopting symbols of mourning.
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Those include sitting on low stools and chanting dirges. It’s a way of remembering events 20 centuries ago when the two biblical temples were destroyed by invaders about 650 years apart.
Thousands have been gathering in Jerusalem at the Western Wall, a remnant of the temples. Observant Jews fast the whole day beginning at sunset today on the eve of Tisha B’Av and ending at nightfall the next day. Rabbis emphasize the Jews believed they brought the destruction upon themselves by unholy behavior.
Link to camera of the Kotel here
Photo essay in Jerusalem below by Flash90
Hopefully moshiach will still come before the fast begins…
why do you say observant (or otrhodox) jews? All jews observe Tisha B’av, as much as they learn about it.
wouldn’t the two temples have been destroyed 490 years apart?
וכל בית ישראל יבכו את השריפה אשר שרף ה
Thousands of Jews? I would like to think that there are millions of Observant Jews across the globe.
We are also mourning the thousands of years of golus, the rivers of yiddishe blood and tears. The spiritual golus, that thousands of yidden dont know of shabbos of torah of kedusah and tahara. Oiy lonu ke chatanu!.
The Holy Ruzhiner (Chassidic master Rabbi Yisrael of Ruzhin, 1797-1851) rejected all feelings of sadness, even of bitterness. So his chassidim would practice all sorts of practical jokes and pranks on the Ninth of Av (in order to put down the sadness of the day). They would throw beans at each other. Then they thought of an amazing prank : they opened a skylight window in the roof of the beis medrash hall and dropped a rope; with a little playing around they managed to make it that when someone walked into the study hall, they would automatically yank on the rope so that the rope fastened itself around him, and pull him up to the roof, hanging him by his foot upside down.
Early tishabav morning it happened that the holy Ruzhiner himself walked in to the study hall. Those who were up on the roof could not see clearly who was coming in, so they pulled him up thinking they had done a great prank. To their horror, they saw that they had pulled up their Rebbe! As soon as they recognized who it was, they let him down.
The Ruzhiner got up on his feet and said the following words: “Master of the Universe! If Your children are not properly observing Your ‘festival,’ take it away from them
your right , some think the only mitzvah in the torah is sinas chinom, loshen horah and only when its directed against desecraters of the torah (and when its directed to shomrei torah, mamimin bnei maminim who they label chareidim then they jump on the bandwagon with ‘gusto’) when actually thats when its a mitzvah to do opposite ….’oizvei torah yehallelah rasha voshomrei torah yisgeru bom’……..’ mitzvah lisnoso …’ arvei psochim…
You think well have WIFI on kanfi Nesharim when Moshiach comes so we can keep up VIN comments
Every one have an easy fast!
there is so much good in klal yisrael! may HaShem see our good qualities our good intentions and may he redeem us very soon!!
just before sof zeman achilah a family member of mine needed hatzala….several guys came with the utmost sincerity and devotion! they were not thinking about whether they will have time to eat before teh fast begins…all they were concerned about was helping another yid!! and they didnt leave untill they made surre everything was fine! they were so patient and friendly and didnt make us feel bad for inconveniencing them at that time (when they could’ve been eating and drinking….)
and this is what HaShem will see when he looks at his precious children!! yes we are not perfect…but we definately try our best to be good!
in the zechus of all of the chessed and tzeddaka that klal yisrael does may we see the geula today!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AMEN!!!!
47 reasons why Moshiach isnt here and why we are still suffering in this 1,940 year galus. You should all search inside YOURSELF and stop blaming the religious and non religious and this Jew and that Jew. Blame YOURSELF as I blame myself right now. Shebonei Beis Hamikdash Bimhera V’yameinu V’sein Chelkienu B’Torahsecha!!!!!!!!!!!
On a more temporal note, please be aware that in NYC, there is NO suspension of alternate side of the street parking rules for Tisha B’Av.
Thank you Millhouse, I appreciate your facts regarding the geulah.
I’m wondering if anyone has an idea how we can work on achdus within klal Yisroel without condoning sin. Sometimes while working on achdus and accepting other Jews the way they are, we condone sinful behaviour. So how do we love our fellow Jews yet we are still repulsed by their sin?
After all the first Bais Hamikdosh was destroyed because of murder, immorality and idolitry. So obviously sin is an abomination to God.
The second Bais Hamikdosh was destroyed because of hatred toward each other.
So does anyone have an idea how we can come to love one another while we hate sinful deeds?
The Torah says to despise and loath the sin itself but not the sinner as they can always do teshuvah and become a righteous person. Its very easy since 99.9% of Jews who you say are living sinful behavior are “tinok shenishba” and are not chiav for anything while your judgement and condemnation of them is a sin equal to murder.
LOOK AT YOURSELVES!!!!!!
You’re arguing over minutiae and calling each other names…while talking about how sinas chinam destroyed the bayis sheini!
STOP IT!
By the way, the sinas chinam that destroyed the bais hamikdash was totally explainable by each and every faction! Everyone looked at the other kehilla as a bunch of apikorsim, oisvarfs, reshoim and you know what, in many cases they were right! But where they went wrong is hating them and treating them in a manner not befitting a true Ben Torah.
“But where they went wrong is hating them and treating them in a manner not befitting a true Ben Torah”
That’s an excellent answer. Excellent.
As is the other part of your post – something I’m guilty of. I may have had the right answer to someone’s comment but I wasn’t acting in a manner befitting a true Bas Yisroel. I don’t hate the person who made the comment though, so I’m not that bad.