TISHA B’AV

Tisha B’Av, the 9th of Av,  is a day of mourning and repentance for Jewish people around the world and commemorates the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem, destroyed not once, but twice. The First Temple by the Babylonians in 586 BCE and the Second Temple by the Romans in 70 AD

In the Jewish community thoughts turn to the sad events that occurred on this date.

135 AD Betar the last fortress fell during the Bar Kokhba revolt against the Romans.

1290 it also marks the expulsion of the Jewish people from England.

1492 the expulsion of Jews from Spain.

According to Jewish tradition it was on this day that the generation who had come out of Egypt were told by the Lord that they would not enter the Promised Land.  It is a time when Jewish people consider their history and struggle to survive as a people. One of the prayers that are said on this day acknowledges that ‘because of our sins, we were exiled from the land … and no are longer able to ascend and show ourselves and bow before you … in your chosen home, in the great and holy house upon which your Name is called.’ (Mussaf prayer for the festivals)

The Mishna, which is part of the Talmud, says, when Av begins: ‘we must diminish our joy.’ For Jewish people it is a challenge not only nationally, but individually because:

‘It is a time to reflect on how our behaviour brought about national calamity. It is a time to acknowledge that our individual indiscretions rarely remain individual; they always affect someone else.’ (Hillel’s Joseph Meyerhoff Centre for Jewish Learning) 

A quick look at world history shows the rise and fall of many nations and empires and yet, despite the Diasporas, exiles and holocausts, the Jewish people remain.  The Prophet Jeremiah (31:35) answers this question for us and demonstrates God’s commitment to His people:

‘Thus says the LORD, who gives the sun for light by day and the fixed order of the moon and the stars for light by night, who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar – the LORD of hosts is his name: “If this fixed order departs from before me,” declares the LORD, “then shall the offspring of Israel cease from being a nation before me forever.” Thus says the LORD: “If the heavens above can be measured, and the foundations of the earth below can be explored, then I will cast off all the offspring of Israel for all that they have done,” declares the LORD. “Behold, the days are coming,” declares the LORD, when the city shall be rebuilt for the LORD from the Tower of Hananel to the Corner Gate.’  

It is customary to read from the Book of Lamentations, also thought to be written by the prophet Jeremiah, where there is a reminder in 3:22 that ‘… the steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end.’ Rashi, the great Jewish commentator, offers an alternative interpretation:

‘It is by God’s kindness that we have not come to an end. In the words of a Midrash, a Jewish commentary God “spent His wrath on the wood and stones” of the Temple structure; His house was destroyed, but His people survived.’ 

The survival of the Jewish people is found in the character and heart of God and in his commitment His People. This is the basis of our faith; we love him because he has first loved us.  In the Torah portion for the week that precedes Tisha B’Av: Deut 1:1-3:22 we see this as a theme running through the passage. 
Deuteronomy is often called Mishneh Torah or The Repetition of the Law, records Moses’ final words to the children of Israel, just a few short weeks before his death. And although he begins with a rebuke, listing all the places along their journey where they sinned, he also wants to encourage them to look to the Lord. Moses then reminds them of how God led them and cared for them on their journey as he recalls the major events on their journey through the wilderness: the appointment of the judges to help him administer justice, the sending out of the spies, God’s anger at people’s lack of trust in him, and his decree that that generation would not enter the Promised Land, the battles and victories along their route and, perhaps most importantly, he records how God continually led and spoke to them. . And so, in the Sabbath reading on the eve if this solemn day Moses reminds them.

Deut 2:7 ‘For the LORD your God has blessed you in all the work of your hands. He knows your going through this great wilderness. These forty years the LORD your God has been with you. You have lacked nothing.’

Deut 3:26 “From Aroer, which is on the edge of the Valley of the Arnon, and from the city that is in the valley, as far as Gilead, there was not a city too high for us. The LORD our God gave all into our hands.’  

Moses’ words are a testimony to God’s faithfulness to them and to his covenant with his people and he spoke words of great encouragement to them as he seeks to spur them on to love and obey the Lord. 

Deut 1:30 ‘The LORD your God who goes before you will himself fight for you, just as he did for you in Egypt before your eyes.’

 Moses was reminding them of their experience of the Lord. David, in the Psalms, does a similar thing, he often recalls what God has done to stir up in himself praise for what God has done and faith for what God will do.   Moses understood God was the one who gives the victory because God is not only on their side to defend them, but he fights for them. God has taken up their cause and is prepared to do battle for them. They saw and experienced God’s power at work on their behalf. 

In the Targum of Onkelos (an ancient Aramaic translation of the OT) there is a change to the text so that it reads “the Word of the Lord shall fight for you.” John Barnes in his commentary notes that Targum used this expression, the Word of the Lord, in the same way that John uses the term Logos in the opening chapter of his Gospel (see John 1:1).

It is a fascinating twist in the text that perhaps points us to Yeshua who continues to work on our behalf. Maybe, we too need to remind ourselves of all that the Lord has done for us; when we do and stir up praise within as we consider who our Saviour is, this of course gives us faith and hope for the future. We are encouraged to be confident in this: He is on our side!  And when we fail, He is still there as our friend and advocate before the Father, speaking for us in our defence (1 John 2:1). 

  On Tisha B’Av the Jewish people deal with the loss of the Temple, the place where God’s Divine Presence not only touched the earth but was where He chose to have His Name dwell, and they are challenged to pursue God in greater intimacy. This challenge should be ours who believe in the Messiah. God is challenging us to pursue him … we may not have a pillar of cloud or fire, but we have his Word, both written and Living, and we have his Ruach (the Holy Spirit). ~

It worth remembering Moses final words in the Torah Portion are: ‘

​You shall not fear them, for it is the LORD your God who fights for you’.

Take them to heart, God is on your side, so draw near to him and he will draw near to you