| "Rabbi Shimon the son of Gamliel said, 'One who eats and drinks on Tisha B'Av is akin to one who eats and drinks on Yom Kippur.' Rabbi Akiva said, 'One who works on Tisha B'Av will never see any blessing from that work.' The sages say, 'One who works on Tisha B'Av and doesn't mourn over the destruction of Jerusalem will not merit to witness its joy… from here we derive that anyone who mourns over Jerusalem will merit to experience her joy, and one who fails to mourn over Jerusalem will not merit to partake of her joy.'" Talmud Bavli Tractate Ta'anit 30a The wicked Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar instructed his general Nevuzradan, "The G!d of the Jews is always ready to accept penitents. Therefore, when you capture them, do not allow them to pray to Him, so that they should not be able to repent. Otherwise, He will take pity upon them… Midrash Eichah (Lamentations) "The world can be compared to a human eyeball – The white of the eye is the ocean surrounding the world – The iris is this continent – The pupil is Jerusalem – And the image in the pupil is the Holy Temple." Derech Eretz Zuta 9 "Each time the Jewish people were exiled, the Divine Presence accompanied them." Talmud Bavli Tractate Megillah 29a '' A bit of Kabbalah from Zohar Beresheit: Let us see what the traditional author, Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai (c. 135 CE) writes. On Tisha B'Av we read the book of Lamentations (Eichah ). Eichah does not mean Lamentations in Hebrew, just as B' Midbar does not mean Numbers in Hebrew. Eichah means 'How,' from the first words of the Book ,"How [in Hebrew, Eichah] lonely sits the city, that was full of people! (Lamentations 1:1) .'' R' Shimon teaches that in parasha Devarim, Moses asks '' How (in Hebrew, 'Eichah') can I alone bear your weight, and your burden, and your strife? (Deut. 1:12).'' And R' Shimon reminds us that the Jewish people's hatred of one another, caused Jerusalem's downfall. He also teaches that when God says to Adam " 'Where are you?' [in Hebrew, 'Ayecha'?] it is a broad hint to all of us, to ask this question to ourselves each day, as we journey with Jewish Spiritual Renewal and daily spiritual growth." Rabbi Arthur Segal Rabbi Arthur Segal | Lamentations 3:22. Truly, the kindnesses of the Lord never cease! Indeed, His mercies never fail! | | | 23. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. | | | 24. "The Lord is my portion," says my soul; "therefore I will hope in Him." | | | 25. The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul that seeks Him. | | | 26. It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord. | 30. Let him offer his cheek to his smiter; let him be filled with reproach. | | | 31. For the Lord will not cast [him] off forever. Written by The Prophet Jeremiah, circa 586 B.C.E. | (Pictured below on the front cover of the famous stained glass window by Mark Chagall ) | | | | | | | | | | | | ''R. Zvi Elimelech of Dinov (1783-1841), the author of the work "Bnei Yissachar, " explains that Tu B'Av is a day of deep-rooted significance because it falls forty days before the date of the world's creation. The sixth day of creation was Rosh Hashanah. On that day God created man. Six days before this is the Twenty-fifth of Elul, and forty days ahead of this is Tu B'Av (the Fifteenth of Av). The rabbis teach: "Forty days before the formation of the infant an announcement is made in heaven: "The daughter of so-and-so is matched up with so-and-so." Tu B'Av, too, because it comes forty days before the creation of the world, is a day of much importance as it has a unique capacity to initiate life not only for the bride and groom, but for the orchards, the trees, and the vines, indeed the whole eco-sphere, that these young boys and girls are meeting. To match human fertility with the earth's via fruit trees and fruits of the vine, which both have their own special beracoth, helps remind us, us to treat the earth with kindness and love and generosity, as we would when we are courting, and when we are in love with that special person.'' Authored by Rabbi Arthur Segal and published By Rabbi Arthur Waskow of the Shalom Center in his ''Compilation of Essays on the Jewish Holidays from an Eco-Judaic View Point.'' | | | | | | | | | | | | Tisha B'Av and Tu B'Av
A Holiday Message From Rabbi Arthur Segal's Jewish Spiritual Renewal July 2010
| | Shalom Arthur,
This month we celebrate two Jewish holidays. The 9th of Av, or Tisha B'Av, falls on July 20 and Tu B'Av follows on July 26.
Tisha B'Av and Tu B'Av are two of our lesser-known holidays. In fact, many Jews have never celebrated Tu B'Av despite the fact that the Talmud calls it the most joyous day on the Jewish calendar.
| | Sometimes the Message is Between the Lines
Tisha B'Av is a fast day that we celebrate in commemoration of the Temples' destruction; the first at the hands of the Babylonians in 586 B.C.E, and the second 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.
| | |  | | Don't Blame it On the Rain
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.
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 put a blemish on the calf.
Now, according to strict Hebraic laws of the Torah, a blemished calf may not be sacrificed. However, the rabbis, who adhered to the more spiritual Jewish Talmudic laws, advised that the sacrifice would bring peace between the Jews and Romans. They said that promoting peace and love is a greater good according to G!d's will than is following Torah law to the letter.
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.
In plain English, ask yourself: if you were in Jerusalem in 70 C.E. gazing at the ruins of your city and the Temple, would you say that a blemished calf caused this tragedy, or was it the anger and hate permeating your people?
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 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 mourning our past character defects and working toward improving our behavior in the future. | | | | | She's Everything You Dream About...But Don't Fall In Love
Tu B'Av is the 15th of the month of Av. Talmud Yerushalmi Tractate Ta'anit 4:7 teaches that it is the happiest day on the Jewish calendar.
Girls and young men would meet at the vineyards and dance together. Today we might call it a mixer or "singles night," but there is one notable difference.
The girls would all wear the same simple white dress so that rich and poor would all look alike - none adorned with jewelry or make up - and the men would get to know their character without being distracted by the superficial.
Talmud Bavli Tractate Ta'anit 30b-31a says: "When any Jew is decorated with the jewels of Torah learning, he or she is not ugly."
Isn't it interesting to juxtapose that Talmudic view from 2,500 years ago against the objectification of women that we see in today's popular culture?
For the Tu B'Av celebration the young women would dress alike and eschew jewelry and makeup so that the men would fall in love for the right reasons.
Contrast that to the "relationships" between men and women as portrayed in supermarket tabloids or the latest episode of Two 1/2 Men.
(Lessons about Tu B'Av continue below...)
| | | | | | She's right here behind the glass...
...and you're gonna like her, 'cause she's got class
Popular culture is a powerful thing, but not always in a good way.
We are inundated with images - on television, in music, in movies, on the Internet - that purport to show us how life is supposed to be.
"Beautiful People," fast cars, big houses, cool gadgets and a never-ending party; these are the things that we should value...or so we are told.
So many of us pursue these superficial things for years, only to wake up one day to find that the one thing missing from it all is happiness.
Look around you. Look at the state of our society.
Is it any wonder that our nation's literacy rate has the risk of becoming abysmal?
Or that half of marriages end up in divorce?
Or that we just can't seem to get along?
This is not how it ought to be, and we all know it.
We also know that we need to make a change; for our own happiness, and to save us from a modern-day Tisha B'Av.
But how do we make that change?
Too many of us have put our hope and faith in the wrong place for too long. We've expected others - the powerful elite - to fix the problems for us.
Now that we've reached the 21st Century, how's that working out?
The change that we seek has to come from within. We have to change as individuals, one by one.
We have to re-evaluate what is important in life and what will truly bring happiness.
We have to live more spiritually.
We have to address our own character flaws and change them.
I know it sounds difficult. The influences against it are everywhere and can be hard to resist.
But it is not that difficult.
You can live your life spiritually, and have deep, meaningful relationships without caring about fitting in or looking cool.
 My book, The Handbook to Jewish Spiritual Renewal: A Path of Transformation for the Modern Jew, teaches you how to transform your life into one that is happier, more peaceful, and more spiritual, regardless of what is going on in the world around you.
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In this book, I distill the teachings of our sages and rabbis that have been passed along for thousands of years, along with lessons from the Torah and the Talmud.
But unlike other Jewish spiritual texts that you may have read, or sermons you may have heard, this book presents these lessons in a concise, easy-to-read, easy-to-follow life transformation process that you can follow step-by-step at your own pace.
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- That "normative" Judaism as you have known it throughout your life is not really Judaism at all, why it may leave you uninspired, and how spiritual renewal will help you recapture that inspiration (Chapter 1).
- That your ego can be your own worst enemy, and how to win the battle against it (Chapter 2).
- How to stop struggling for control over things you cannot control, and be happier because of it (Chapter 3).
- How spiritual renewal conquers the fears and character flaws that are holding you back in life (Chapters 4 and 5).
- To actually get rid of your character flaws forever (Chapter 6).
- How to turn negative relationships in your life positive (Chapter 7).
- How simple it is to make prayer a regular part of your days...without going back to Hebrew school (Chapter 8).
- How to find peace of mind through meditation (Chapter 9).
- How to simplify life's toughest decisions
(Chapter 10). - How spiritual renewal transforms you into the best individual you can be, and how to stay on track (Chapter 11).
- How to celebrate the Sabbath and the Jewish Holidays with meaning (Chapters 12 and 13).
- How to live with happiness, joy, and freedom every day of your life (Chapter 14).
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| | | | | Good Times, Bad Times, You Know I've Had My Share
As the Hebrews wandered the desert for 40 years, orphaned girls without brothers were forbidden to marry outside of their tribe.
This was intended to prevent their fathers' inherited land from passing on to other tribes upon reaching the Land of Israel.
This ban was lifted on the 15th of Av (Tu B'Av) in the fortieth year.
That same year, the last of the generation of the ''sin of the spies,'' who were forbidden from entering the Promised Land, died out.
The Tribe of Benjamin was allowed to intermarry with the other tribes after the Concubine of Gibeah incident (Judges chapters 19-21).
Cutting of the wood for the main altar in the Temple was completed for the year. The event was celebrated with feasting and rejoicing (as is the custom upon the conclusion of a holy endeavor), and included a ceremonial breaking of the axes which gave the day its name, the Breaking of the Axe.
What is the significance of breaking an axe? We will learn about this below.
The Roman occupiers permitted burial of massacre victims at Bethar on Tu B'Av. Miraculously, the bodies had not decomposed, despite exposure to the elements for over a year.
Hosea ben Eilah opened the roads to Jerusalem upon the division of the Holy Land into two kingdoms following the death of King Solomon.
Jeroboam ben Nebat, ruler of the breakaway Northern Kingdom of Israel, set up roadblocks to prevent his citizens from making the thrice-yearly pilgrimage to the Holy Temple in Jerusalem, capital of the Southern Kingdom of Judea.
These were finally removed more than 200 years later by Hosea ben Eilah, the last king of the Northern Kingdom, on the 15th of Av.
Note that these joyous events occurred merely six days (on the calendar) after the horrors of Tisha B'Av, and there is a great lesson in that fact alone.
When bad things happen, we should not only remember to look inward for the cause, but that it is not necessarily the end of the world. We can always look forward to better times. Hope, Ha Tikva, has sustained the Jewish people for millennia.
| | | | When the Moon Hits Your Eye Like a Big Pizza Pie...
Tu B'Av is called the 15th of Av because it falls on the fifteenth day of the month (full moon) according to the lunar calendar.
We celebrate Tu B'Av on July 26 this year - and the exact date varies from year to year - so that our celebration coincides with the full moon.
The Kabbalah's Zohar explains that we mark time with the moon because:
"We rise and fall through the nights of history knowing times of growth and diminution, our moments of luminous fullness alternating with moments of obscurity and darkness. And like the moon, our every regression and defeat is but a prelude to yet another rebirth, yet another renewal."
The full moon is a sign of comfort, or nachamu, after the horrible events of the 9th of Av. The full moon of Tu B'Av gives Tikvah, hope, to the Jews, in the Diaspora.
As already mentioned, the 15th of Av also celebrates the Breaking of the Axe. An axe was used the to cut firewood for the altar for the Temple.
It was ceremoniously broken when the job was done - rather than saved for the next year's cutting - because the axe's destructive objective represents the antithesis of that for which the Altar, and the Temple as a whole, stood. The axe is a tool of destruction and represents warlike acts. Breaking the axe symbolizes an end to such acts in favor of peace, kindness and love.
"When you build a stone altar for Me, do not build it of cut stone; for if your sword has been lifted upon it, you have profaned it; Do not lift iron upon it... The altar of G!d shall be built of whole stones."
-- Ex. 20:22; Deut. 27:5-6
If any metal implement as much as touched a stone, that stone was rendered unfit for use in the making of the altar.
Our sages explain in Talmud Bavli Tractate Middot 3:4: "Iron was created to shorten the life of man, and the Altar was created to lengthen the life of man; so it is not fitting that an object which shortens should be lifted upon that which lengthens."
Iron, the instrument of war and destruction, has no place in the making of the instrument whose function is to bring eternal peace and harmony to the world.
While, it seems to be our destiny to wax and wane like the moon, I do pray that we have more days and years like a full bright moon, with no instruments of war aimed at us, or forced into our hands to defend ourselves, and that our shovels and backs are used to plant fruit trees and see a world full of Shalom and love.
| | | | Many Blessings,
Rabbi Arthur Segal
| | | | | | The Torah and Talmud
A Modern Interpretation
In my years of Rabbinic Counseling I've noticed that many modern Jews are not as familiar with the Torah and the Talmud as they might be.
They find it difficult to understand and interpret in a way that makes sense and has relevance to their lives in the modern world.
The spiritual disconnection that this causes inspired me to write a second book, A Spiritual and Ethical Compendium to the Torah and Talmud.
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The Talmud teaches that the Torah is about loving our fellow man and that we are to ''go and study.'' The rest is commentary.
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