Hamas War

Tuesday, August 1, 2017

9th of Av Warning

I just posted a very positive optimistic blog post about the 9th of Av on A Jewish Grandmother,  Only in Israel, 9th of Av. It's on a day like today, when I have two very contradictory messages to post that I'm very happy to have a number of blogs.

The three week period of mourning leading to the 9th of Av and the fasting we do on that day are to remind us that our Land was invaded and Holy Temples destroyed.

Here we are over two thousand years later, and thank the Good Lord we are in a Jewish State. OK, true we do have enemies who unabashedly proclaim their plans to destroy us. As the world stands silently by, rather déjà vu, we have managed to miraculously defeat them time again.

There are even Jews who consider the status quo to be sufficiently good to mandate the cancellation of the fasting and mourning. I would certainly not go that far. I think that observing the fasting and mourning from the 17th of Tammuz to the 9-10th of Av as a still very necessary warning.

The commemoration of the tragedies to to make us remember, a reminder that even a Holy Temple built of heavy stone as grand as the one Herod built can be destroyed. Just read the Torah portion and Haftara our sages chose for the 9th of Av:

Complete Tisha B'Av Service, ArtScroll 

Dvarim 4:25When you beget children and children's children, and you will be long established in the land, and you become corrupt and make a graven image, the likeness of anything, and do evil in the eyes of the Lord your God, to provoke Him to anger,
 
דברים ד, כהכִּי תוֹלִיד בָּנִים וּבְנֵי בָנִים וְנוֹשַׁנְתֶּם בָּאָרֶץ וְהִשְׁחַתֶּם וַעֲשִׂיתֶם פֶּסֶל תְּמוּנַת כֹּל וַעֲשִׂיתֶם הָרַע בְּעֵינֵי יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ לְהַכְעִיסוֹ:
26I call as witness against you this very day the heaven and the earth, that you will speedily and utterly perish from the land to which you cross the Jordan, to possess; you will not prolong your days upon it, but will be utterly destroyed.
 
כוהַעִידֹתִי בָכֶם הַיּוֹם אֶת הַשָּׁמַיִם וְאֶת הָאָרֶץ כִּי אָבֹד תֹּאבֵדוּן מַהֵר מֵעַל הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר אַתֶּם עֹבְרִים אֶת הַיַּרְדֵּן שָׁמָּה לְרִשְׁתָּהּ לֹא תַאֲרִיכֻן יָמִים עָלֶיהָ כִּי הִשָּׁמֵד תִּשָּׁמֵדוּן:
27And the Lord will scatter you among the peoples, and you will remain few in number among the nations to where the Lord will lead you.
 
כזוְהֵפִיץ יְהֹוָה אֶתְכֶם בָּעַמִּים וְנִשְׁאַרְתֶּם מְתֵי מִסְפָּר בַּגּוֹיִם אֲשֶׁר יְנַהֵג יְהֹוָה אֶתְכֶם שָׁמָּה:
Complete Tisha B'Av Service, ArtScroll 
I think that the true, the real lesson of the 9th of Av is only effective if we take it as a warning. We shouldn't think that because we have a Jewish State today, which is one of the most successful countries in the world, that we will all live happily ever after. Life isn't that simple.

Our Kingdom was invaded, the Temples destroyed and we were exiled twice before.

The State of Israel is a good start, but we are still far from Redemption, far from the Messianic Era. We, the Jewish People, still suffer terrible internal strife. Although there are good Jews preparing for Kohen, Priestly, Worship at the Holy Temple, we have not yet begun building the Third Temple. We do have prayers in the Hebron Cave of the Patriarchs, but there is not yet Jewish Prayer on the Temple Mount.

The State of Israel still refuses to be sovereign on not only the Temple Mount but the entire Land of Israel.

We have such a long way to go unfortunately. I do see progress. There was a time, not all that long ago, when you couldn't even hear anyone mentioning the subjects. But still we must hurry before Gd loses patience with us and decides that we are to be exiled yet again.

Next year, Gd willing, may there be feasts, not fasts on the 9th of Av. Gd willing with full Jewish Sovereignty the Third Temple will appear as the building commences, like the Red Sea parted when Nachshon stepped in.

It's up to us!

25 comments:

Shiloh said...

According to the Tanach, the Temple will be a house of prayer for the nations, it will not be a return of the sacrificial cult. Prophecy is being delayed because of our tradition. I explained in your previous posting that we CAN build the Temple right now, right under the noses of the Arabs, in the factual location of the other two Temples. But our tradition stands in the way. It is up to us, but we have to acknowledge that we are in error in many ways but imagine the change in history if we build the Temple, walk away from the wall built in dedication to Herod aka the Kotel, we simply ignore the Temple mount as its also another gentile creation where the Romans used to convict people. Even the mount itself if you look at photo's is filled with xtian carvings, even two churches stood there prior to the building of the golden dome. Just think, we built the Temple, no war!! The ARabs will just be giving us the deer in the headlights look. We decide our fate and destiny, no one else will do it this way. Think outside the box. Its our chance.

lea said...

Will someone please once and for all declare to us if the holy Temple was in City of David or at kotel plaza/temple mount???? Please please please????

Batya said...

Temple Mount, but the Arabs are destroying artifacts.

lea said...

...and they are throwing them into the city of david and that's what's causing the confusion. These archeologists seem so emphatic!!??

Batya said...

I don't know what Shiloh is talking about. He does not follow accepted Judaism.

Shiloh said...

Batya, in halacha, there is a requirement of running water for certain temple sacrifices. With thousands of them occurring, besides the obvious breach of halacha if the Temple had no running water, it could not be done. The Temple Mount has no running water, never has, but only cisterns. Just a slight problem.

Solomon built the Temple on the exact location that David built the alter. Its right in the Tanach. The RADAK stated that at his time, no gentile shrine was at the location of the Temple. But the golden dome was there for what, 600 or so years . The only way, is as even the Tanach shows is that the location was not what tradition has painted it to be sometime after the Rambam who also held the same opinion.

So what I am talking about, is ok, our tradition made an error during history, or did they? Here we are fighting over nothingness while the real location has remained completely undefiled. Instead of being all defensive, look at it as a blessing from God, that we can build the Temple, in the correct location, completely undefiled by Jewish law. The ONLY thing stopping this is the tradition.

Batya, I used to follow traditional or accepted Judaism, but my conscious cannot allow me to as I am finding holes everywhere. Obviously follow the Tanach and what Torah that I am supposed to do based on the Tanach. But I would love to see this chaos end, if we have to think outside the box, fine as the last 2000 years have not gone so well.

lea said...

I dont want to see the two of you let this go any deeper. Shiloh, I am a gieress. About 26 years running with a Master's in World Religions. I would like to help defend Judaism. Explain to me the "many" holes. And what about the last 2000 years you see us failing. From my perspective the answer lies in Esav and Yacov, Acav and Yosiyahu all the way to MbY and MbD. Yes you are right there us maklokes. But when the fire cools the work must be done. Esav bailed. Yacov needed his special attributes to go on. Yacov in tday's scenario doesnt want to get his hands dirty either. So now what!! What I'm saying is the materialism and the spirituality need to come tgether as one working unit. Not separate. You seem to lean towards this separateness. Jews are a nation. I'm sorry to say not individuals. We..we..we...is how we talk. So when we follow The Law it is after taking The Rambam and The Gra and The Chotem Sofer and coming out with one way to follow even though they differ. We then agree make it de rabbanim and move on together. We dont muck up the future by going over it again and again. If the beis din says it's blue it's blue! That us not easy fir the individualist especially one shaped by the mentality of this generation.

Shiloh said...

Correct Yaakov does not want to get his hands dirty, but we must. We have no other way out. But it can come without a big price but a few bruised egos. You assume that the rabbi's have authority from God, they don't. And to boot, they are in fact according to Jewish sources the Erev Rav who must be defeated and anyone who supports them are just as accountable. But the Erev Rav will give power over to the messiah. They do now want to lose power, thus delaying the geulah. Theories about MBD and MBY are futile to discuss as the rabbi's have changed Tanach scripture to suit their agenda. If the beit din says something contrary to truth, and one knows the truth of the matter, then one according to the written Torah is strictly forbidden to follow the majority to evil. I will not follow a path that I know is corrupted. Welcome to the club.

Shiloh said...

Being an expert in world religions when they are based on fallacy does not impress me by the way.

lea said...

Religion by definition is paltry. The reason I decided upon Judaism is bc it is not a religion. I was and am a truth seeker. At least, as you say, the part we still find good/true/
whole. There are many erev rav today. But we had gedolim. They made the rules. We are not faced with new halachos since. Anything
new is questionable. But I havent heard
orthodoxy change or turnover recently. What
are you saying exactly? I am at this moment headache and all wondering why in the friggin world Hashm lets it go on and on. We are a mess. But not all good or all bad thereby defeating a chance at moshiach. I
could tell you horror stories from my "frum" marriage and amazing stories from teaching
secular kids. I question a lot but if my rav
says go i go. Am I missing something?

Mr. Cohen said...

Lea said...

"Will someone please once and for all
declare to us if the holy Temple was
in City of David or at kotel plaza/temple
mount???? Please please please????"

answer to Lea's question:

http://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/2016/05/guest-post-cornelius-tacticus.html

https://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/2017/02/guest-post-josephus-vs-muslim-liars.html

Batya said...

Mr. Cohen, thanks. Lea, read what he suggested.

Anonymous said...

Shilo is fighting Torah (the Written & Oral) on a daily basis with his comments. What audacity?

sheldan said...

As usual, right on the mark.

Batya said...

Thanks, Sheldan

John S said...

So Gd's covenant people are mourning the loss of two temples.

It was Oscar Wilde who said, "To err once is human, to err twice is careless."

Now I have a serious question based on a genuine concern. What are Jews doing today that is different to avoid the loss of a third temple?

Anonymous said...

John - There is no loss of a third Temple. Whether Jews are totally worthy or even if totally unworthy, H' has promised us that He will redeem us. But, the Jews will do teshuvah and thus, be worthy of the third and Eternal Beit HaMikdash. Everything has been foretold and even as bleak as things are and can get (the world is now in chaos, a sign of pre-Moshiach), in an instant, everything can turn right side up. HE is in charge. There is separation already going on, i.e., the good from the bad. Those holding up the redemption, a bit, are not the Jewish souls within our midst. Everything in good time, according to HIS Will.

Batya said...

John, a is correct. There has not yet been a Third Temple. We now have the Land, but we do not fully use it. We are not yet fully sovereign. The Third Temple will come as a result of full Jewish Sovereignty.

John S said...

These verses from Jeremiah 31:31-33 are the basis of my question. Can you explain them to me?

“Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah—

“not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, though I was a husband to them, says the LORD.

“But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.

lea said...

After Hashem kills the yetzer harah He will remake our hearts so to speak. At this time we have hearts of stone. We wldnt survive here otherwise. As some hearts are softening on their own, the pain is tremendous but so is the connection to Hashm. With a new heart comes a new covenant and It will come more like a deposit. The question smacks of missionary work. If your wondering THIS NEW COVENANT HAS NOT YET OCCURRED!! It might however include righteous gentiles from what sources say.

Batya said...

I've never heard of "After Hashem kills the yetzer harah He will remake our hearts so to speak." We have free will, and Gd does not control us. We have to take responsibility and do teshuva.

lea said...

Emes. When we are finally faced with only Emes and without yetzer harah we are by definition "remade." Free will will be like Adam bf the cheit. Gd wont control us no need. We will naturally follow emes.

sheldan said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
John S said...

I noticed earlier that Anonymous said "H has promised us that He will redeem us."

But now, thus says the LORD, who created you, O Jacob,
And He who formed you, O Israel:
“Fear not, for I have redeemed you;
I have called you by your name;
You are Mine. Isa 43:1

Just before the loss of the first temple Gd spoke through Jeremiah,
"Cursed is the man who trusts in man
And makes flesh his strength,
Whose heart departs from the LORD. 17:5

Under the new covenant has Gd pledged to do something for us that we cannot do in our own strength?

Batya said...

John, no such thing as "new covenant."