Hi,
"The kinot of Rabbi Kalonymus state that it
would have been appropriate to establish a fast for the decrees and
destructions which have passed over us [since the destruction of the first Beit haMikdash], but the day of the Destruction includes
all destructions. As Yeshayah 51:3 says, 'For He has comforted Zion, He
has comforted all of her ruins.'"
(Rabbi Moshe Sofer, Torat Moshe II, Vayechi)
Have a good day,
Mordechai
Showing posts with label Tisha b'Av. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tisha b'Av. Show all posts
Thursday, August 14, 2014
Monday, August 4, 2014
Tisha b'Av
For Tisha b'Av, observed this Monday night and Tuesday:
"Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel said: One who eats and drinks on Tisha b'Av is as though he had done so on Yom Kippur.
"Rabbi Akiva said: One who goes to work on Tisha b'Av will not see any sign of blessing from it.
"The sages said: One who goes to work on Tisha b'Av and does not mourn for Jerusalem will not merit to see its celebration, as it is written, 'Rejoice with Jerusalem and celebrate in it, all who love it! Rejoice in it, all who mourn for it.'
"Based on this, our sages taught: One who mourns for Jerusalem will merit to see its joy; one who does not mourn for Jerusalem will not see its joy."
(Talmud, Taanit 30b)
המצפה לשועה,
Mordechai
"Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel said: One who eats and drinks on Tisha b'Av is as though he had done so on Yom Kippur.
"Rabbi Akiva said: One who goes to work on Tisha b'Av will not see any sign of blessing from it.
"The sages said: One who goes to work on Tisha b'Av and does not mourn for Jerusalem will not merit to see its celebration, as it is written, 'Rejoice with Jerusalem and celebrate in it, all who love it! Rejoice in it, all who mourn for it.'
"Based on this, our sages taught: One who mourns for Jerusalem will merit to see its joy; one who does not mourn for Jerusalem will not see its joy."
(Talmud, Taanit 30b)
המצפה לשועה,
Mordechai
Tuesday, July 16, 2013
Mourn for Jerusalem
Hi,
"If just this sin of failing to mourn Jerusalem properly was on our hands, that would suffice to extend our exile. In my eyes it is the closest, most obvious, greatest and most powerful cause for all of the great, terrible, frightening destructions which have found us in exile. Wherever we have scattered, they have been at our throats, never letting us rest among the nations, in lowliness and suffering and poverty, because this mourning left our heart when we were settled in lands not our own. We forgot Jerusalem; she never entered our heart."
(Rabbi Yaakov Emden, Commentary to Siddur, Laws of Tisha b'Av)
המצפה לישועה,
Mordechai
"If just this sin of failing to mourn Jerusalem properly was on our hands, that would suffice to extend our exile. In my eyes it is the closest, most obvious, greatest and most powerful cause for all of the great, terrible, frightening destructions which have found us in exile. Wherever we have scattered, they have been at our throats, never letting us rest among the nations, in lowliness and suffering and poverty, because this mourning left our heart when we were settled in lands not our own. We forgot Jerusalem; she never entered our heart."
(Rabbi Yaakov Emden, Commentary to Siddur, Laws of Tisha b'Av)
המצפה לישועה,
Mordechai
Monday, July 15, 2013
Tisha b'Av
Hello,
In advance of the fast day of Tisha b'Av, coming up on Monday night-Tuesday:
"Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel said: One who eats and drinks on Tisha b'Av is as though he had done so on Yom Kippur.
"Rabbi Akiva said: One who goes to work on Tisha b'Av will not see any sign of blessing from it.
"The sages said: One who goes to work on Tisha b'Av and does not mourn for Jerusalem will not merit to see its celebration, as it is written, 'Rejoice with Jerusalem and celebrate in it, all who love it! Rejoice in it, all who mourn for it.'
"Based on this, our sages taught: One who mourns for Jerusalem will merit to see its joy; one who does not mourn for Jerusalem will not see its joy."
(Talmud, Taanit 30b)
המצפה לישועה,
Mordechai
In advance of the fast day of Tisha b'Av, coming up on Monday night-Tuesday:
"Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel said: One who eats and drinks on Tisha b'Av is as though he had done so on Yom Kippur.
"Rabbi Akiva said: One who goes to work on Tisha b'Av will not see any sign of blessing from it.
"The sages said: One who goes to work on Tisha b'Av and does not mourn for Jerusalem will not merit to see its celebration, as it is written, 'Rejoice with Jerusalem and celebrate in it, all who love it! Rejoice in it, all who mourn for it.'
"Based on this, our sages taught: One who mourns for Jerusalem will merit to see its joy; one who does not mourn for Jerusalem will not see its joy."
(Talmud, Taanit 30b)
המצפה לישועה,
Mordechai
Monday, August 8, 2011
Failure to mourn for Jerusalem
Hello,
[This follows up on Saturday night's email, here.]
"When the body is separate from the heart which [normally] supports it, the body cannot survive. Therefore, when they did not mourn Jerusalem which was like a heart for a body… they were destroyed."
(Maharal to Gittin 56a)
המצפה לישועה,
Mordechai
[This follows up on Saturday night's email, here.]
"When the body is separate from the heart which [normally] supports it, the body cannot survive. Therefore, when they did not mourn Jerusalem which was like a heart for a body… they were destroyed."
(Maharal to Gittin 56a)
המצפה לישועה,
Mordechai
Sunday, August 7, 2011
Failure to mourn
Hi,
"If just this sin of failing to mourn Jerusalem properly was on our hands, that would suffice to extend our exile. In my eyes it is the closest, most obvious, greatest and most powerful cause for all of the great, terrible, frightening destructions which have found us in exile. Wherever we have scattered, they have been at our throats, never letting us rest among the nations, in lowliness and suffering and poverty, because this mourning left our heart when we were settled in lands not our own. We forgot Jerusalem; she never entered our heart."
(Rabbi Yaakov Emden, Commentary to Siddur, Laws of Tisha b'Av)
המצפה לישועה,
Mordechai
"If just this sin of failing to mourn Jerusalem properly was on our hands, that would suffice to extend our exile. In my eyes it is the closest, most obvious, greatest and most powerful cause for all of the great, terrible, frightening destructions which have found us in exile. Wherever we have scattered, they have been at our throats, never letting us rest among the nations, in lowliness and suffering and poverty, because this mourning left our heart when we were settled in lands not our own. We forgot Jerusalem; she never entered our heart."
(Rabbi Yaakov Emden, Commentary to Siddur, Laws of Tisha b'Av)
המצפה לישועה,
Mordechai
Saturday, August 6, 2011
Punishment for failure to mourn
Hi,
"Three sages sitting together said: If anyone knows anything about Kfar Sakhnia in Egypt, let him speak.
[One told of a betrothed couple, taken captive, who refused to touch each other without a halachic marriage. The two others told of their commitment to justice.]
"Abbaye asked Rav Yosef: If they were so righteous, why were they punished?
"Rav Yosef explained: They did not mourn for Jerusalem, as it is written, 'Be glad with Jerusalem and rejoice in her, all who love her; rejoice with her, all who mourn for her.'"
(Talmud, Gittin 57a)
המצפה לישועה,
Mordechai
"Three sages sitting together said: If anyone knows anything about Kfar Sakhnia in Egypt, let him speak.
[One told of a betrothed couple, taken captive, who refused to touch each other without a halachic marriage. The two others told of their commitment to justice.]
"Abbaye asked Rav Yosef: If they were so righteous, why were they punished?
"Rav Yosef explained: They did not mourn for Jerusalem, as it is written, 'Be glad with Jerusalem and rejoice in her, all who love her; rejoice with her, all who mourn for her.'"
(Talmud, Gittin 57a)
המצפה לישועה,
Mordechai
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Kamtza and Bar Kamtza, Part III
Hi,
"Bar Kamtza told the governor (the Aramaic is "Caesar"; it is unclear what level of authority this was, though): The Jews are rebelling against you!
"The governor said: Who says?
"Bar Kamtza said: Send them a korban, and see whether they offer it up.
"The governor sent a 1/3-grown calf [or third-born, according to some commentators; this was supposed to be especially fine] with Bar Kamtza. En route, he blemished its lips, or some say its ears, in a spot which would be a blemish under our rules but not under Roman rules. [Commentators explain that this hinted to the stingy eye or harmful speech of the Jews of the time. Presumably it could also refer to the Sages who had angered Bar Kamtza by watching with their eyes and failing to speak up.]
"The sages thought to bring it [despite its blemish] to keep peace with the government, but Rabbi Zecharyah ben Avkulus said: People will say that blemished animals may be brought as offerings!
"The sages thought to kill Bar Kamtza to prevent him from informing the governor that they had not brought the offering, but Rabbi Zecharyah ben Avkulus said: People will say that one who blemishes an offering is killed!
"Rabbi Yochanan said: The patience [or, according to some, humility] of Rabbi Zecharyah ben Avkulus destroyed our house, burned our sanctum and exiled us from our land! [In the version of this story in Eichah Rabbah, Rabbi Zecharyah ben Avkulus was the head of the Sages at the party, and he did not prevent Bar Kamtza's ejection. He was humble/patient at the party, but when it came to this legal decision he spoke up.]
"The governor sent Neron Caesar against Jerusalem."
(Talmud, Gittin 56a)
המצפה לישועה,
Mordechai
"Bar Kamtza told the governor (the Aramaic is "Caesar"; it is unclear what level of authority this was, though): The Jews are rebelling against you!
"The governor said: Who says?
"Bar Kamtza said: Send them a korban, and see whether they offer it up.
"The governor sent a 1/3-grown calf [or third-born, according to some commentators; this was supposed to be especially fine] with Bar Kamtza. En route, he blemished its lips, or some say its ears, in a spot which would be a blemish under our rules but not under Roman rules. [Commentators explain that this hinted to the stingy eye or harmful speech of the Jews of the time. Presumably it could also refer to the Sages who had angered Bar Kamtza by watching with their eyes and failing to speak up.]
"The sages thought to bring it [despite its blemish] to keep peace with the government, but Rabbi Zecharyah ben Avkulus said: People will say that blemished animals may be brought as offerings!
"The sages thought to kill Bar Kamtza to prevent him from informing the governor that they had not brought the offering, but Rabbi Zecharyah ben Avkulus said: People will say that one who blemishes an offering is killed!
"Rabbi Yochanan said: The patience [or, according to some, humility] of Rabbi Zecharyah ben Avkulus destroyed our house, burned our sanctum and exiled us from our land! [In the version of this story in Eichah Rabbah, Rabbi Zecharyah ben Avkulus was the head of the Sages at the party, and he did not prevent Bar Kamtza's ejection. He was humble/patient at the party, but when it came to this legal decision he spoke up.]
"The governor sent Neron Caesar against Jerusalem."
(Talmud, Gittin 56a)
המצפה לישועה,
Mordechai
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Kamtza and Bar Kamtza, Part II
Hi,
Continuing the story of Kamtza and Bar Kamtza from yesterday:
"Bar Kamtza said: I will pay for half of your feast!
"The host said: No.
"Bar Kamtza said: I will pay for your entire feast!
"The host said: No. He grabbed Bar Kamtza by the hand, picked him up and removed him. [Worth noting - He delegated invitations of friends to a servant, but handled the eviction of his enemy himself.]
"Bar Kamtza said: Since the Sages were sitting there and they did not protest, I see that this treatment is appropriate in their eyes! I will spread a harmful rumor about them to the palace."
(to be continued)
(Talmud, Gittin 56a)
המצפה לישועה,
Mordechai
Continuing the story of Kamtza and Bar Kamtza from yesterday:
"Bar Kamtza said: I will pay for half of your feast!
"The host said: No.
"Bar Kamtza said: I will pay for your entire feast!
"The host said: No. He grabbed Bar Kamtza by the hand, picked him up and removed him. [Worth noting - He delegated invitations of friends to a servant, but handled the eviction of his enemy himself.]
"Bar Kamtza said: Since the Sages were sitting there and they did not protest, I see that this treatment is appropriate in their eyes! I will spread a harmful rumor about them to the palace."
(to be continued)
(Talmud, Gittin 56a)
המצפה לישועה,
Mordechai
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
Kamtza and Bar Kamtza, Part I
Hi,
"Because of Kamtza and Bar Kamtza, Jerusalem was destroyed.
"There was a man whose friend was Kamtza, and whose enemy was Bar Kamtza. [Some suggest these were father and son.] The man made a feast, and told his servant, 'Go bring me Kamtza.' The servant went and brought Bar Kamtza.
"The man came and saw Bar Kamtza sitting at the feast, and said to him, 'You are my enemy – what do you want here? Get up and leave!'
"Bar Kamtza said: Since I have come, leave me, and I will pay you for whatever I eat and drink.
"The man said: No."
To be continued…
(Talmud, Gittin 55b-56a)
המצפה לישועה,
Mordechai
"Because of Kamtza and Bar Kamtza, Jerusalem was destroyed.
"There was a man whose friend was Kamtza, and whose enemy was Bar Kamtza. [Some suggest these were father and son.] The man made a feast, and told his servant, 'Go bring me Kamtza.' The servant went and brought Bar Kamtza.
"The man came and saw Bar Kamtza sitting at the feast, and said to him, 'You are my enemy – what do you want here? Get up and leave!'
"Bar Kamtza said: Since I have come, leave me, and I will pay you for whatever I eat and drink.
"The man said: No."
To be continued…
(Talmud, Gittin 55b-56a)
המצפה לישועה,
Mordechai
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Hope, after Tisha b'Av
Hello,
"And I will bring them to My holy mountain, and I will make them glad in the house of My prayer. Their offerings will be desirable on My altar, for My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations. This is the word of Gd, Elokim, who gathers in the scattered of Israel: I will yet gather them in!"
(Isaiah 56:7-8, the last verses of the Haftorah for the afternoon of Tisha b'Av)
Hope you had an easy and meaningful fast,
Mordechai
"And I will bring them to My holy mountain, and I will make them glad in the house of My prayer. Their offerings will be desirable on My altar, for My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations. This is the word of Gd, Elokim, who gathers in the scattered of Israel: I will yet gather them in!"
(Isaiah 56:7-8, the last verses of the Haftorah for the afternoon of Tisha b'Av)
Hope you had an easy and meaningful fast,
Mordechai
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Tisha b'Av and Yom Kippur
Hello,
In advance of the fast day of Tisha b'Av, coming up on Monday night-Tuesday:
"Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel said: One who eats and drinks on Tisha b'Av is as though he had done so on Yom Kippur.
"Rabbi Akiva said: One who goes to work on Tisha b'Av will not see any sign of blessing from it.
"The sages said: One who goes to work on Tisha b'Av and does not mourn for Jerusalem will not merit to see its celebration, as it is written, 'Rejoice with Jerusalem and celebrate in it, all who love it! Rejoice in it, all who mourn for it.'
"Based on this, our sages taught: One who mourns for Jerusalem will merit to see its joy; one who does not mourn for Jerusalem will not see its joy."
(Talmud, Taanit 30b)
May we soon see the rebuilding of the Beit haMikdash,
Mordechai
In advance of the fast day of Tisha b'Av, coming up on Monday night-Tuesday:
"Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel said: One who eats and drinks on Tisha b'Av is as though he had done so on Yom Kippur.
"Rabbi Akiva said: One who goes to work on Tisha b'Av will not see any sign of blessing from it.
"The sages said: One who goes to work on Tisha b'Av and does not mourn for Jerusalem will not merit to see its celebration, as it is written, 'Rejoice with Jerusalem and celebrate in it, all who love it! Rejoice in it, all who mourn for it.'
"Based on this, our sages taught: One who mourns for Jerusalem will merit to see its joy; one who does not mourn for Jerusalem will not see its joy."
(Talmud, Taanit 30b)
May we soon see the rebuilding of the Beit haMikdash,
Mordechai
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Honesty and Justice
Hi,
"So speaks Gd: A wise person shall not honor himself for his wisdom, and a powerful person shall not honor himself for his power, a wealthy person shall not honor himself for his wealth.
"Rather, for this an honored person should honor himself: Take insight and know Me, for I am Gd, who performs kindness and justice in the land. These are the elements I desire; this is the word of Gd."
(Jeremiah 9:22-23, the last verses of the Haftorah for Tisha b'Av morning)
I hope you fasted well,
Mordechai
"So speaks Gd: A wise person shall not honor himself for his wisdom, and a powerful person shall not honor himself for his power, a wealthy person shall not honor himself for his wealth.
"Rather, for this an honored person should honor himself: Take insight and know Me, for I am Gd, who performs kindness and justice in the land. These are the elements I desire; this is the word of Gd."
(Jeremiah 9:22-23, the last verses of the Haftorah for Tisha b'Av morning)
I hope you fasted well,
Mordechai
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
R' Shimshon Raphael Hirsch on Jewish Days of Mourning, Part 4
Hello,
[continued from yesterday's post]
"For in truth, no period lives for itself alone. Generations rise and fall so that those who follow may well learn from the glow of their sunrise as well as from that of their sunset; that they may reap the fruits of the rise and the fall of those who went before, avoid their errors and go forward and upward, basing their edifice upon the vritues of their progenitors."
(R' Samson Raphael Hirsch, Horeb, paragraph 234)
Be well,
Mordechai
[continued from yesterday's post]
"For in truth, no period lives for itself alone. Generations rise and fall so that those who follow may well learn from the glow of their sunrise as well as from that of their sunset; that they may reap the fruits of the rise and the fall of those who went before, avoid their errors and go forward and upward, basing their edifice upon the vritues of their progenitors."
(R' Samson Raphael Hirsch, Horeb, paragraph 234)
Be well,
Mordechai
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
R' Shimshon Raphael Hirsch on Jewish Days of Mourning, Part 3
Hi,
[continued from yesterday's post]
"They saw that as in happy days Israel received the call to revere Gd humbly and to love Him with gladness, so did Israel receive the call to be the lofty example, steadfastly to keep its faith in Gd as well as its filial piety even in the days of misfortune.
"They saw that the time of its dispersion, whose labour-pangs it experienced, was but a fatherly chastisement to teach Israel, to strip it of pleasure-seeking and self-seeking, both of which undermine Israel's fortune.
"They saw that this period had as its immediate aim a betterment and a renewal of life, with the ultimate goal of furthering the advancement of all mankind.
"They realized how necessary for that upbringing, which was to act as a guide, were warnings and correctings and challenge; and, imbued with the spirit of the Torah, they recognized an excellent means in their subjective retrospect of the past."
(R' Samson Raphael Hirsch, Horeb, paragraph 234)
[to be continued]
Have a good day,
Mordechai
[continued from yesterday's post]
"They saw that as in happy days Israel received the call to revere Gd humbly and to love Him with gladness, so did Israel receive the call to be the lofty example, steadfastly to keep its faith in Gd as well as its filial piety even in the days of misfortune.
"They saw that the time of its dispersion, whose labour-pangs it experienced, was but a fatherly chastisement to teach Israel, to strip it of pleasure-seeking and self-seeking, both of which undermine Israel's fortune.
"They saw that this period had as its immediate aim a betterment and a renewal of life, with the ultimate goal of furthering the advancement of all mankind.
"They realized how necessary for that upbringing, which was to act as a guide, were warnings and correctings and challenge; and, imbued with the spirit of the Torah, they recognized an excellent means in their subjective retrospect of the past."
(R' Samson Raphael Hirsch, Horeb, paragraph 234)
[to be continued]
Have a good day,
Mordechai
Monday, July 27, 2009
R' Shimshon Raphael Hirsch on Jewish Days of Mourning, Part 2
Hi,
[continued from yesterday's post]
"For the fathers of our people understood profoundly that the fall of the people was not the pathway to the grave. It but changed the scene for Israel's activity, summoning it to new obligations, or, rather, to another aspect of that same fulfilment of its way of living which was its 'vocation' in times of prosperity."
(R' Samson Raphael Hirsch, Horeb, paragraph 234)
[to be continued]
Have a good day,
Mordechai
[continued from yesterday's post]
"For the fathers of our people understood profoundly that the fall of the people was not the pathway to the grave. It but changed the scene for Israel's activity, summoning it to new obligations, or, rather, to another aspect of that same fulfilment of its way of living which was its 'vocation' in times of prosperity."
(R' Samson Raphael Hirsch, Horeb, paragraph 234)
[to be continued]
Have a good day,
Mordechai
Sunday, July 26, 2009
R' Shimshon Raphael Hirsch on Jewish Days of Mourning
Hi,
"Just as the Torah preserves those moments when Israel flourished, and raises as holy above other days in the year those festival days commemorating the creation of the people and its preservation so that Israel should devote itself to the remembrance and the study of the truths they posit, whereby Israel may live and learn to understand itself and dedicate itself to the fulfilment of its allotted tasks, so did our sages institute remembrance days for those moments which Israel experienced when its blossoms were seen to fall, remembrance days which summon Israel to the purification as well as to the sanctification of its life and to the proper fulfilment of its conduct of life."
[To be continued]
(R' Shimshon Raphael Hirsch, Horeb, paragraph 234)
Have a good day,
Mordechai
"Just as the Torah preserves those moments when Israel flourished, and raises as holy above other days in the year those festival days commemorating the creation of the people and its preservation so that Israel should devote itself to the remembrance and the study of the truths they posit, whereby Israel may live and learn to understand itself and dedicate itself to the fulfilment of its allotted tasks, so did our sages institute remembrance days for those moments which Israel experienced when its blossoms were seen to fall, remembrance days which summon Israel to the purification as well as to the sanctification of its life and to the proper fulfilment of its conduct of life."
[To be continued]
(R' Shimshon Raphael Hirsch, Horeb, paragraph 234)
Have a good day,
Mordechai
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Tisha b'Av and Yom Kippur
Hi,
In advance of the fast day of Tisha b'Av, coming up on Saturday night-Sunday:
"Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel said: One who eats and drinks on Tisha b'Av is as though he had done so on Yom Kippur.
"Rabbi Akiva said: One who goes to work on Tisha b'Av will not see any sign of blessing from it.
"The sages said: One who goes to work on Tisha b'Av and does not mourn for Jerusalem will not merit to see its celebration, as it is written, 'Rejoice with Jerusalem and celebrate in it, all who love it! Rejoice in it, all who mourn for it.'
"Based on this, our sages taught: One who mourns for Jerusalem will merit to see its joy; one who does not mourn for Jerusalem will not see its joy."
(Talmud, Taanit 30b)
Be well,
Mordechai
In advance of the fast day of Tisha b'Av, coming up on Saturday night-Sunday:
"Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel said: One who eats and drinks on Tisha b'Av is as though he had done so on Yom Kippur.
"Rabbi Akiva said: One who goes to work on Tisha b'Av will not see any sign of blessing from it.
"The sages said: One who goes to work on Tisha b'Av and does not mourn for Jerusalem will not merit to see its celebration, as it is written, 'Rejoice with Jerusalem and celebrate in it, all who love it! Rejoice in it, all who mourn for it.'
"Based on this, our sages taught: One who mourns for Jerusalem will merit to see its joy; one who does not mourn for Jerusalem will not see its joy."
(Talmud, Taanit 30b)
Be well,
Mordechai
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