Tisha B’Av (תִּשְׁעָה בְּאָב)

As Tisha B’Av 2024 approaches—this is a fast day that remembers the destruction of the First Jewish Temple by the Babylonians in 586 BCE, and the razing of the Second Jewish Temple by the Romans in 70 CE—Israel awaits the reports that Iran could launch an attack on Israel this week.  At the time of this post, I am watching the Western Wall Live camera in Jerusalem.  The time stamp is 23:52.  There are many gathered at the wall.  There are some Jews who argue that the Jewish Temple belongs to Israel’s past.  However, not all agree.  Rabbi Sam Millunchick argues that,      

On Tishah b’Av, we grieve not only for the physical loss of the Temple but also for what that loss represents — our current distance from the ideal relationship with the Divine that the Temple embodies. We yearn for a day, soon to come, when we are again worthy of God’s presence.