THE SPIRITUAL LESSONS OF TISHA B'AV
RABBI DR ARTHUR SEGAL
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The beginning of the Hebrew Month of Av began on July 16, 2015, at sundown. We have a new moon, which in Hebrew is called Rosh Chodesh. So happy Rosh Chodesh Av. But the Talmud teaches that when Av arrives our joy decreases. Why?
A week from now, starting on the eve of Friday July 24th, is the 9th of Av, Tisha B'Av in Hebrew. Because the 9th of Av is a fast day, and we do not fast on Shabbat, we commemorate it starting at the end of Shabbat, at sundown on Saturday July 25th. And the time from now until the ninth of Av is a mourning period, except for Shabbat. Why?
Tisha B'Av is a fast day that we commemorate because of the Two Jerusalem's Temples' destructions; Solomon's Temple at the hands of the Babylonians in 586 B.C.E, and Ezra's Temple by the Romans in 70 C.E.
However, these are not the only notorious events to have fallen on the same date throughout Jewish history. Specifically, among many others,:
The Jews' expulsion from Spain in 1492 C.E.
The day that 10 of Moses' 12 spies gave negative reports about the land of Israel, condemning the Israelites to 39 more years in the wilderness.
The outbreak of World War I, which set in motion the events leading up to the Second World War and hence, the Holocaust.
The spiritual aspects of this Holy day are enormous, yet some synagogues don't acknowledge Tisha B'Av out of a belief that it is only about restoring the Temple, the Priesthood and animal sacrifices.
This misses the spiritual message of Tisha B'Av entirely.
Talmud Tractate Bavli Beracoth 5a teaches us that when bad things happen to us, we are to look inward at our own character flaws for the reason, rather than assigning blame to some external cause. This lesson is found in stories throughout the text.
The rabbis write that the first Temple fell because Hebrews broke up Solomon's kingdom politically, making its conquest easier.
Talmud Bavli Tractate Yoma 9b explains that the second Temple fell because Jews harbored unwarranted negative feelings (sinat chinam) toward one another, forming quarreling cliques and giving individuals the cold shoulder.
A story in Talmud Bavli Tractate Gittin 55a - 56b tells of a man who was so humiliated when snubbed at a party that he vengefully reported to the Romans of a Jewish plot to rebel. The Talmud relates an episode in which one of the wealthy people of Jerusalem had a friend called Kamtza and a foe named Bar-Kamtza. He sent his servant to invite his friend Kamtza to a party, but the servant mistakenly invited his enemy, Bar-Kamtza.
When the host noticed Bar Kamtza at the party he ordered him to leave. To avoid being embarrassed, Bar Kamtza offered to pay for his share of the meal. When this didn't help, he offered to pay for half the party, and then for the entire party, but was refused again and again. The host made Bar-Kamtza leave in view of everyone there with great embarrassment, including rabbis who sat idly by. This episode resulted in the destruction of the Second Temple, as told in the Talmud.
{As an aside in Aramaic, the language of the street of the Jews during this time, Kamtza means 'small thing.' And Bar-Kamtza, means the 'son of a small thing', i.e. something very miniscule and trivial. }
So as mentioned, Bar Kamtza ran to the Romans and said that the Jews were planning a rebellion, at this party . Upon hearing of the supposed rebellion, the Romans decided to try a little test. They sent a sacrificial calf to the Temple, and the fellow who got the brush off at the party, secretly put a blemish on the calf.
Irrespective of the rabbinic advice, the Hebrew priests refused the calf as a proper sacrifice, and the Romans came crashing through the walls of Jerusalem and destroyed the city and its Temple.
The moral of the story is found in Talmud Bavli Tractate Bava Metzia 30b, in which the rabbis address the consequences of following the letter of the Torah law but not the spirit of Jewish Talmudic law.
Tisha B'Av mourns a number of deficits. Among them; that some Jews lack spirituality and we behave poorly towards one another.
In Talmud Bavli Tractate Shabbat 10a as well as Tractate Derek Eretz (civility), we learn that loving your fellow and "Shalom ha gadol" (peace is the greatest of virtues) are intrinsic to Judaism.
Other wise teachings of the sages show that the root cause of problems with others and with ourselves stem from our own defects of character.
As spiritual Jews, Tisha B'Av is a time for acknowledging and finding objectionable our character defects and working toward improving our behavior in the future.
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