The Shabbat directly following the fast of Tisha B’av is called Nachamu or “be consoled”. The name is taken from the prophet Isaiah who prophesizes the return of the Jewish people from their exile to Israel. The prophecy begins with the words, “Nachamu, Nachamu”. Whenever there is, what seems to be, a superfluous word in the Torah the Rabbis make every effort to give meaning to it. What is the meaning of the repetition of Nachamu, be consoled? The simple answer is that the word is repeated for dramatic effect. The Torah often uses the language of common speech...
Tisha B’av
Tearing Kriyah
Many of the prohibitions and customs relating to the day of Tisha B’av are the same that relate to a mourner. For example, we sit on the floor and refrain from greeting people. Why then do we not tear kriyah, one of the most fundamental signs of intense mourning, on Tisha B’av? One possible answer is that Kriyah is too intense a form of mourning. Soon after the destruction of the Second Temple the sages sought to establish a uniform set of rules for mourning the destruction. Some sages felt that eating meat and drinking wine should be completely...
Tisha B’av – Mourning Details
This Wednesday night, we will observe Tisha B’av, the day on which both of our holy temples in Jerusalem were destroyed. It is a time of sadness, mourning, and reflection. It’s really almost impossible to feel true sadness and loss for a Temple that has been gone for nearly 2ooo years. No one ever seen or experienced it, and only a select few even study the details of its sacrificial service. How then can we be expected to mourn its loss? Our sages realized the difficulty in truly mourning for the Temple, and therefore, gave us laws that practically...
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