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Prayers and fasting mark day of Jewish mourning
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by ryan | July 24, 2007 at 10:22 am
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I was in Jerusalem last year for this holiday. I observed a march around the walls of the Old City of Jerusalem - it was a strange gathering, especially when we marched through Arab East Jerusalem.
The Israeli security forces shielded us from all sides as the Arab community looked out at us from behind their windows. I found the whole thing quite inflammatory and an unnecessary strain on the security services.
Tisha B'Av is supposed to be a quiet day of introspection and reflection...not political statements.
Religious Jews in Israel and around the world began traditional prayers and fasting Monday to commemorate the destruction of the First and Second holy temples in Jerusalem.Commemorated under the Hebrew calendar as the Ninth of Av, worshippers will gather Tuesday before the Wailing Wall, the last remaining vestige of the Second Temple, in occupied and annexed east Jerusalem which Israel captured in 1967.
The Wailing Wall is the western edifice of the Temple built by King Herod and destroyed by the Romans in AD 70, when legions commanded by Titus laid siege to the city to crush Jewish rebels.
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Most RecentMost Recommended Comments (2)
at 12:48 on July 24th, 2007
How different our perspectives. Roman forces occupying Israel and
burning down the Temple, the Spanish monarchy exiling the Jew citizens... tisha
b'av is all about the political! Sure tisha b'av can be used for
self reflection to contemplate the days calamities on a deeper level. If at its most basic level the day commemorates the loss of Jewish
sovereignty over the Land of Israel then the best way to rectify that
would be an "inflammatory" march through the land we have rightful
sovereignty over. Especially considering the activites the govt. has had
our security forces engaging in against Jews, I don't think
creating a security barrier around a few thousand marchers qualifies as
an unnecessary strain on their services.
at 13:34 on July 24th, 2007
olahktana,
thank you for your comments...
i believe the that although the day does commemorate the events you describe, the talmud and other rabbinic sources focus on the cause of the events, sinat chinam etc., which, in my opinion, suggests that the mandate of the day is to explore what caused the destruction - on a spiritual level.
the march through east jerusalem, which is and will remain under the sovereign control of the state of israel, the march is not necessary for this. if the participants feel the need for such a statement they should be required to provide their own security.