Following the Bar Kokhba revolt, Roman commander Turnus Rufus plowed the site of the Temple and the surrounding area, in 135 CE

Transcription

1 Calamities on the 9th of א ב The twelve spies sent by Moses to observe the land of Canaan returned from their mission. Only two of the spies, Joshua and Caleb, brought a positive report, while the others spoke disparagingly about the land. The majority report caused the Children of Israel to cry, panic and despair of ever entering the "Promised Land". For this, they were punished by God that their generation would not enter the land. Because of the Israelites' lack of faith, God decreed that for all generations this date would become one of crying and misfortune for their descendants The First Temple built by King Solomon and the Kingdom of Judah was destroyed by the Babylonians led by Nebuchadnezzar in 587 BCE after a two-year siege and the Judaeans were sent into the Babylonian exile. According to the Talmud in tractate Ta'anit, the destruction of the First Temple began on the Ninth of Av and the Temple continued to burn throughout the Tenth of Av. The Second Temple built by Ezra and Nehemiah was destroyed by the Romans in August 70 CE, scattering the people of Judea and commencing the Jewish exile from the Holy Land. The Romans crushed Bar Kokhba's revolt and destroyed the city of Betar, killing over 500,000 Jewish civilians (approximately 580,000) on July 8, 135 CE (Av 9, AM 3892).

2 Following the Bar Kokhba revolt, Roman commander Turnus Rufus plowed the site of the Temple and the surrounding area, in 135 CE The Jews were expelled from England on July 18, 1290 (Av 9, AM 5050). The Jews were expelled from France on July 22, 1306 (Av 10, AM 5066). Germany entered World War I on August 1 2, 1914 (Av 9-10, AM 5674), which caused massive upheaval in European Jewry and whose aftermath led to the Holocaust. On August 2, 1941 (Av 9, AM 5701), SS commander Heinrich Himmler formally received approval from the Nazi Party for "The Final Solution." As a result, the Holocaust began during which almost one third of the world's Jewish population perished. On July 23, 1942 (Av 9, AM 5702), began the mass deportation of Jews from the Warsaw Ghetto, en route to Treblinka. AMIA bombing of the Jewish community center in Buenos Aires, killing 85 and injuring 300 on 18 July 1994; 10 Av, AM The Israeli disengagement from Gaza starts in the Gaza Strip,expelling 8000 Jews who lived in Gush Katif; 15 August 2005; 10 Av,5765.

3 Traditions for Tisha B'Av No eating or drinking No washing or bathing No applications of creams or oils No marital relations Torah study is forbidden on Tisha B'Av (as it is considered a spiritually enjoyable activity), except for the study of distressing texts such as the Book of Lamentations, the Book of Job, portions of Jeremiah and chapters of the Talmud that discuss the laws of mourning.

4 "ܢ #$ ) ܕܐ*)ܐ ('&ܐ, ܘܢ ܕܐ*)ܐ ܘܪܘ /0 ) ܐ 1#2 ܘܢ ܕܗ /0 ܐ * Do you not know that you are The Temple of Alaha {God}, and The Rukheh {The Spirit} of Alaha {God} dwells in you? & ܕܐ*)ܐ 59 )1#2 *) ܐ*)ܐ ܗ :;<= ) ܕܐ*)ܐ 1#2 ܗ :;<= ܕ 4= ܘ "ܢ 0 ܘܢ ܐ /0 > ܗܘ ܕܐ 27? And he who destroys The Temple of Alaha {God}; for that, Alaha {God} will destroy him, for, The Temple of Alaha {God}, which you are, is Holy. 1 Corinthians 3:16 (The Aramaic Scriptures)

5 The Yehudim answered and said to him, "Which sign will you show us, since you are doing something like this?" Yeshua answered and said to them, "Tear down this Sanctuary, and in three days I will raise it up!" The Yehudim said, "This Sanctuary was built in forty-three years, and you will raise it up in three days?" But he was speaking of the sanctuary of his body. John 2:18-21 (The Delitzsch Hebrew Gospels)

6 Reb Berekiah said in the name of Rabbi Yitzchak: "The latter redeemer [Messiah] will be like the first redeemer. What does the Torah say about the First Redeemer?... The first redeemer made a well to rise, so will the latter redeemer bring up water, as it is stated (in Joel 3:18) 'And a spring will go out of the house of the L-RD" Ecclesiastes Rabbah 1:28

7 And a measuring rod like a staff was given to me, saying, Come and measure the Beis Hamikdash of Hashem and the Mizbe'ach (altar) and the ones worshiping there. But do not measure the outer court of the Beis Hamikdash; leave that out, and measure it not, for it was given over to the Goyim, and the Ir HaKodesh they will trample upon arba'im and shenayim chodashim. Revelation 11:1-2 (The Orthodox Jewish Bible)

8 The Beis HaMikdash will be built by man, more specifically by Mashiach. Indeed, its construction will be one of the signs of Mashiach s advent. Rambam

9 The Beis HaMikdash has already been constructed by G d and exists in the heavenly realms, waiting for the time when it will descend to the earth. For the Third Beis HaMikdash will be the Sanctuary of G d, established by Your hands. When the setting within the world is appropriate, this heavenly structure will descend and become an actual reality within our material world. Rashi

10 Our Sages note the apparent contradiction between two verses describing the coming of Mashiach. (Sanhedrin 98a) One verse states: Behold, one like a son of man came on the clouds of heaven. (Daniel 7:13) It is, however, also written: Your king will come... like a poor man riding on a donkey. (Zechariah 9:9). In resolution, our Sages explain that if the Jews are found worthy, Mashiach will come on the clouds of heaven ; if they do not merit, he will come like a poor man riding on a donkey. Similarly, in other contexts, our Sages describe one course for the Redemption if the Jews conduct is meritorious, and another, if, heaven forbid, such merits are lacking. chabad.org

11 Video from the Rebbe

12 The Talmud in Bava Batra 99a points out a contradiction between two verses that describe the cherubim that stood on top of the Ark of the Covenant. In Exodus 25:20, the Bible states: "And the cherubim will be...with their faces toward one another," whereas in 2nd Chronicles 3:13 the verse states "Their faces were toward the sanctuary," - implying that they were facing away from one another.

13 The Talmud answers the contradiction by saying the verse in Exodus refers to when the Jewish people were fulfilling Hashem's will, whereas in Chronicles it refers to when they were transgressing. When Israel fulfilled Hashem's will, the cherubim faced one another like 2 lovers looking lovingly into each other's eyes - a sign Hashem himself was looking lovingly upon his Nation. When Israel transgressed, metaphorically turning their backs to Him, then the cherubim miraculously faced away from one another, a sign Hashem had also turned His back to them. The cherubim served as an indicator of the nation's spirituality.