Sunday, July 5, 2015

Remembering When the Temples Fell and Other Events

Nadene Goldfoot                                                                    
Babylonian Nebuchadnezzar

    

The 9th of Tamuz (June 26, 2015) was a date when we remember that Nebuchadnezzar, the Babylonian,  breached the walls of Jerusalem.  Back then the months of June and July fell under the month of Tamuz..  Some scholars have 423 BCE as the Babylonian Exile, which is what then happened, while I use  586 BCE as the date.  The 9th of Tamuz was then remembered by having it as a day of fasting.
                                                                               
4 weeks later, the Temple was destroyed and the people were exiled to Babylon. 100,000 Jews were killed during the Babylonian invasion and the rest were exiled.
                                                                   
70 years later, the 2nd Temple was built and the the 9th of Tamuz became a holiday.

500 years later, Jerusalem fell on the 17th of Tamuz.  This was before the destruction of the 2nd Temple.  The 17th of Tamuz became a fast day.  This year that date fell on the 4th of July.  
                                                     

Jerusalem fell to Titus in 70 CE. on the 9th of Av.   2,500,000 died in the war and from the resulting famine and disease. 1,000,000 were exiled to all parts of  the Roman Empire and 100,000 were sold as slaves. Aluf Bar Kokhba, fought the Romans from 132 to 135, had, then lost Jerusalem.  He lost Betar which was destroyed.  100,00 killed in the 3 year defense including Bar Kokhba.  All this happened on the 9th of Av.  Much more had happened on this date.  The latest has been the bombing of the building AMIA-the Jewish Community Center in Buenos Aires, Argentina which killed 86 people and wounded 300 others in 1994.  
                                                

 It is the 9th of Av that we commemorate with much sadness, the destruction of our two Temples of 586 BCE and 70 CE. This is called Tisha B'Av, and it is a very sad remembrance.   We have the 10th of Av as the Fast of Tisha B'Av. It is a day of mourning.   "As a sign of mourning it is customary to fast, refrain from bathing, wearing leather shoes, and having sexual relations."  It starts on the evening before on July 25th  (9th of Av) and goes on until July 26th (10th of Av) .  Our holidays always start the evening before the date. 

The Jewish people have had many tragedies fall on the 9th of Av.   It was only after 135 that the land was referred to by the Romans and others as "Palestine, which the Romans picked because it was the name of their past enemy.  Jews were expelled from Spain in 1492 on this date.  Other national calamities have occurred on this date.  In 1290, Jews were expelled from England.   Germany declared war on Russia on the 9th of Av.  Caesar had his Ides of March and we have our 9th of Av.  

 September:  This brings us to the months of Elul and Tishrei.  The 28th of Elul (September 12th) is a day now designated to let it be known who the Moshiach is, according to Rabbi Kanievsky.  It is also the end of the 50 year cycle of letting the ground of Israel lie fallow every 7th year.  The 50th year is the Jubilee year which is so special.  In the olden days of slavery, the slaves were freed on this day.  No cultivation is done in this 50th year as well.  Land, bought since the previous Jubilee, reverts to its original owner.  According to the law (halakhah, the commandments of the Jubilee year are valid only when all Jews are living in their land, each tribe in its territory.  Nevertheless, ultra-Orthodox Jews in Israel observe the Sabbatical year.   This new year is will be the year 5776.  This brings to mind  the American year of 1776, the year of the USAs  birthday.  

Every 7th year,
 The nation collectively took a breather and focused on higher, more spiritual pursuits.  It's a sabbatical year.  It's a year that farmers did not plant but let the land rest-lie fallow.  Loans are to be absolved.  This year the jubilee year or 50th year converges with the 2015 last blood moon's appearance which is supposed to foretell what is to happen.  This is the year of The 17th of Elul which is September 1st of the year 5775 and 5776 then starts  with Rosh Hashanah.                                                   

  Rosh Hashanah would start on the evening of the 29th of Elul or the 13th of September and last through the 1st of Tishrei or the 14th of September and the 2nd of Tishrei or the 15th of September, for Rosh Hashanah is the 1st month of the new year.  Then we have Yom Kippur, a fast day spent in the synagogue asking for forgiveness of our sins, which is on the 9th of Tishrei or the 22nd of September and lasts until the 10th of Tishrei which is also the 1st day of Autumn.  One remembers that the war started on October 6, 1973 was the Yom Kippur war. We lost 2,600 men in that war which lasted till  October 22nd with a cease fire.
                                                                         
Succot, the time of living in little booths as the 600,000 migrated in the Exodus with Moses, is celebrated from the 15th of Tishrei (September 28th) to the 20th of Tishrei or the 3rd of October with  the 22nd of Tishrei being Shemini Atzeret and the 23rd of Tishrei being Simchat Torah.  Shemini Atzeret is the 8th day of solemn convocation, the final day or 2 days in the diaspora (outside of Israel).  This is the holiday when the  Yizkor memorial prayer is said.
                                                                             
 Simchat Torah  is most special.  it's the holiday of happiness and rejoicing from receiving the Law.  In the synagogue, the reading of the Pentateuch is completed for the year, ready to start anew again.  The rabbi has all the scrolls taken out of the aron (closet)  and they are carried around the synagogue 7 times or more, sometimes with dances which may be continued on for hours.  All male worshippers are called up for an aliyah at the time of reading from the Torah.   The last section of Deuteronomy is read by or for the Bridegroom of the Law (Hatan Torah) and is followed by the Bridegroom of Genesis (Hatan Bereshit) who reads the first verses of Genesis.  Candies are given out to the children and the bridegrooms act as hosts to the community gathered there.

Resource:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tammuz_(Hebrew_month)
http://www.aish.com/dijh/Tammuz_9.html
http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/562077/jewish/What-Is-Shemittah.htm
http://www.pray4zion.org/thecomingshemitahjubileeyear57745.html
https://www.hebcal.com/converter/
http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/946703/jewish/What-happened-on-the-Ninth-of-Av.htm
http://ohr.edu/1088
The New Standard Jewish Encyclopedia

2 comments:

  1. numbers and dates and names are all highly significant in the Bible aren't they? there are so many parallels that run throughout the Bible too. like something that is a seed understanding at the first, that develops and grows over time. and dual prophecies, layers of prophecies, just getting deeper and more far reaching. like a micro view but macro view understandings to many of them also. no wonder i love and am intrigued by God's Word and know it is true because it is flawless in it's detail and execution, so we can count on what God has said. in isaiah he said the Word of the LORD will not return unto Him void. so everything i am looking into and studying has something very important to say and to reveal--i take this to heart. the world would be altogether different if people truly understood and followed what God has to say. HE deserves worship and adoration ---- always and forever.

    these times we are in are leading up to very huge fulfillments----will be horrible for those whose souls war against Him...but.....for those whose trust is in the Lord God ("who is on the Lord's side?") the future is beautiful. absolutely beautiful.............
    thanks for the information that you are passing on. glad that the things i am wanting to know more of, are inspiring you to share.

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  2. That's what intrigued me about the Bible Code. I have all 3 books. The code comes up with certain words, and under it is the regular paragraph of something in the Torah that has something to do with the coded words, a code on top of a meaning, usually. It's awesome. This has been pooh poohed and people have used the book, Moby Dick, to find codes in that. They found codes all right, but not with the same punch that the Bible gives.

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