New York – Thousands of people came to the Jerusalem at the Kotel Monday night to mark Tisha B’av, commemorating the destruction of the Holy Temples, Jerusalem, and the Jewish commonwealth. This year marks 1,943 years since the destruction.
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Tisha B’Av is the culmination of the Three Weeks period of mourning, in which Jews contemplate the loss to them – and to the world – of the Holy Temple. For many Jews, Tisha B’av is a true day of mourning, with many taking on the customs of mourners – sitting on the floor, walking without leather shoes, and not even greeting others. The day is also a 25 hour fast, beginning Monday evening and extending through Tuesday after sundown.
Jews all over the world read the Book of Eicha, Lamentations, a Biblical book written by Jeremiah the Prophet, in whose time the First Temple was destroyed at the hands of the Babylonians. Although Babylon is long gone, Jews still remember the destruction, and the Book of Eicha discusses the conditions that prevailed during the destruction, and reflects on the reasons that it happened.
Many Jews will spend the entire night and day next to the Kotel, the last remaining remnant of the Temple structure, praying for the rebuilding of the holy edifice, where today stands a mosque. Many people are also expected to attend a special march around the walls of the Old City on Tuesday, and to tour the Temple Institute’s museum, where real-life replicas of many of the items that were in use in the Temple are on display.
May Hashem console Am Yisroel as only He can.
I heard a very nice explanation on this.
if a person were put in a jail cell for years without explanation and once freed he would be happy but still have a burning question, WHY?
After Moshiach comes we will be freed and told WHY, we will know the answer and ONLY Hashem can do this, hence only Hashem knows how to console.
May we all see the rebuilding of the Biet Hamikdash and the coming of Moshiach.
I think you have a mistake.
The Churban Bayis Sheni was in 68 c.e.
Therefore it is now 1,945 years since then.
We have a lot to cry for this Tisha B’Av.
Is it better to wish someone an easy fast or a lousy Tisha B’Av?
The Reform Jews are correct . Some of us perform empty rituals and symbolism. In the Ghetto Lodz/Litzmannstadt I saw children dying from hunger and their parents died a little later and had not bread to give them. There were the so called “Fekalisten” yes Jews who were assigned to empty the fecal matters and other human waste. Their faces were black and the smelled a mile away. Look in Eicha and such persons are described. Tonight we will wail and cry about chorbin bais hamikdosh while a frum IDF soldier was beaten not by the SS but by “Jews” and a chacham call Mizrachisten amoleikim. Fakery. I davened in the Ghetto, in Buchenwald and no feel empty except that I have bis 120 a fine wife and erliche children and grandchildren