Bruce Baber (24 May 2013)
"Some important reasons to look at the month of Av"
 

The month of Av is quickly approaching.  As I write this, it is 45 days until Tisha B’Av (the 9th of Av on July 15th).  Here’s a few things to note about the 9th of Av and why it is a mournful fast day (source Wikipedia).

  1. 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.
  2. The First Temple built by King Solomon and the Kingdom of Judah was destroyed by the Babylonians led by Nebuchadnezzar in 586 BCE (3175 AM) after the siege in 587 and the Judeans were sent into the Babylonian exile.
  3. The Second Temple built by Ezra and Nehemiah was destroyed by the Romans in August 70 CE (3830 AM), scattering the people of Judea and commencing the Jewish exile from the Holy Land. According to the Talmud in tractate Ta'anit, the destruction of the Second Temple began on the Ninth of Av and the Temple continued to burn throughout the Tenth of Av.
  4. The Romans crushed Bar Kokhba's revolt and destroyed the city of Betar, killing over 100,000 Jews, on July 8, 132 CE (Av 9, 3892 AM).
  5. Following the Bar Kokhba revolt, Roman commander Turnus Rufus plowed the site of the Temple and the surrounding area, in 133 CE.

Additionally…

  • The First Crusade officially commenced on August 15, 1096 (Av 9, 4856 AM), killing 10,000 Jews in its first month and destroying Jewish communities in France and the Rhineland. A grand total of 1.2 million Jews were killed by this crusade that started on the 9th of Av.
  • The Jews were expelled from England on July 25, 1290 (Av 9, 5050 AM).
  • The Jews were expelled from France on July 21, 1306 (Av 9, 5066 AM).
  • The Jews were expelled from Spain on July 31, 1492 (Av 8-9, 5252 AM).
  • On August 2, 1941, (Av 9, 5701 AM) SS commander Heinrich Himmler formally received approval from the Nazi Party for "The Final Solution". Almost 50% of the Jews on the face of the earth were captured and killed at that time.
  • On the 9th of Av, 5702 (July 23, 1942), the mass deportation began of Jews from the Warsaw Ghetto, en route to Treblinka.

A short time later, the celebration Tu  B’Av occurs (15th of Av on July 22nd).  Contrary to the somber commemoration of the previous events, Tu B’Av is cited by rabbis as being the most joyous holidays.

 

Originally it was celebrated to remember the crossing of the Jordan into the promised land after wandering in the wilderness.  According to traditional sources, all the older generations of Jews gradually died off when they slept in graves each year for believing in the bad reports of the spies.  In the final year, everyone got up out of their graves and since no one had died they knew their time of wandering was at an end.  In celebration later, the virgins donned white garments and danced in the vineyards to attract husbands.  Rabbis called it the most joyous holiday along with Yom Kippur.

It was celebrated before the grape harvest and marked the gathering of firewood into the temple.  In modern times it is merely observed as a Jewish version of Valentines Day.

 

YBIC

Bruce Baber