One of the most somber times of year for Judaism is the nine days leading up to Tisha B’Av (the 9th day of the month of Av in the Jewish calendar). On this day in Jewish History, both the First and Second Temples were destroyed. From then until now many other tragedies have happened to the Jewish people that are related to the 9th of Av. Therefore, Tisha B’Av is regarded as the saddest day in the Jewish calendar and is believed to be a day which is destined for tragedy.
The nine days leading up to the 9th of Av are days of acute mourning for the great losses of the Jewish people, especially the loss of both Temples. Other tragedies in Jewish history that are sited to have happened on the 9th of Av include the crushing of the Jewish Bar Kokhba revolt by the Romans in 135 CE, destroying the city of Betar and killing over 500,000 Jewish civilians. The First Crusade commenced on this day in 1096, killing 10,000 Jews in its first month. Jews were expelled from England on this day in 1290. Germany entered World War I on this day in 1914. On this day in 1941, 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 (6,000,000). The mass deportation of Jews from the Warsaw Ghetto, en route to Treblinka began on this day in 1942. And in more recent history, on the 10th of Av (August 15, 2005), the Israeli disengagement from Gaza started in the Gaza Strip, expelling 8000 Jews who lived in Gush Katif.
Remembrance of these events is imperative to the Jewish people. There is sadness that comes with the reality of loss. But mourning these events can bring a rich perspective on how to deal with loss. All of these tragedies could be considered of Biblical proportion, and yet we might never understand why God allowed these things to happen. But for one of these, we have a biblical account of a prophet’s words. The prophet Jeremiah warned the people of Israel that destruction of the First Temple would come and he gave three compelling reasons why.
Idolatry
The Hebrews worshipping the Golden Calf in the desert.
“As a thief is disgraced when he is caught, so the people of Israel are disgraced—they, their kings and their officials, their priests and their prophets. They say to wood, ‘You are my father’, and to stone, ‘You gave me birth.’ They have turned their backs to me and not their faces; yet when they are in trouble, they say, ‘Come and save us!’ Where then are the gods you made for yourselves? Let them come if they can save you when you are in trouble!
For you, Judah, have as many gods as you have towns.” Jeremiah 2:26-28
Adultery
“Why do you bring charges against me? You have all rebelled against me,” declares the Lord. “In vain I punished your people; they did not respond to correction. Your sword has devoured your prophets like a ravenous lion. “You of this generation, consider the word of the Lord: “Have I been a desert to Israel or a land of great darkness? Why do my people say, ‘We are free to roam; we will come to you no more’? Does a young woman forget her jewelry, a bride her wedding ornaments? Yet my people have forgotten me, days without number. How skilled you are at pursuing love! Even the worst of women can learn from your ways.” Jeremiah 2:29-34
Murder
“On your clothes is found the lifeblood of the innocent poor, though you did not catch them breaking in. Yet in spite of all this you say, ‘I am innocent; he is not angry with me.’ But I will pass judgment on you because you say, ‘I have not sinned.’ Why do you go about so much, changing your ways? You will be disappointed by Egypt as you were by Assyria. You will also leave that place with your hands on your head, for the Lord has rejected those you trust; you will not be helped by them.” Jeremiah 2:34-37
Evidence of the reason Jewish people mourn during the Nine Days. Herodian era stones laying on a Herodian era street at the Western Wall of the Temple Mount.
When we read these verses from Jeremiah it is all too sobering to think that he could have been speaking to us today. We live in a time when more and more people are turning their faces away from God. Faithfulness to the one True God has become a thing to be mocked. And the entire world has gone mad with outrage, vengeance, and murder of the innocence. As we move forward in this time in history, it would be worthwhile to do some self-reflection to see what we can glean from these verses so that history does not repeat itself. Not just during the nine days but every day.
The biblical consequences of the destruction of the First Temple were a harsh reality of the depravity of the day. In terms of the destruction of the Second Temple, most Jewish sources say it was due to baseless hatred one Jew to another. Yes, the Romans did the destroying, but the Jewish Rabbis saw a deeper understanding of the responsibility the nation had to live in harmony with one another.
The nine days of mourning are more than a tradition, they are part of the lifeblood of a nation. They are an example to all of us to step back, take a look at our hearts and see if we are too proud to take responsibility for our bad choices. Worse yet, that we don’t even see that we are making them at all. This is a good week to do some self-evaluation. This is not a time to place blame on others, but a time to own up to our own attitudes and actions. May our days never be numbered because of the hardness of our hearts and an unwillingness to change our ways.
