[Avodah] tisha ba-av

[Richard Wolpoe]

Tangential to this see my blog
Blog: Rabbi*Wolpoe*Comment
Post: Why is there no Aveinu Malkeinu on Tisha B'av?
Link:

http://rabbiwolpoecomment.blogspot.com/2007/07/fwd-utj-l-aveinu-malkeinu-on-tisha-bav.html

Also see Avodah archives becasue i posted on this idea about 10 years ago

KT
RRW

On 7/20/07, Eli Turkel <eliturkel at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> Some thoughts on tisha ba-av from the book
> "The Lord is Rightwous in All his Ways" (RYBS)
> The introduction is over 100 pages and so I will give a VERY
> short synopsis (with my own additions)
>
> Questions:
> Many things are missing from the Tisha Ba'ac tefila:
> Tachanun, Avinu Malkenu, Titkabel (in the morning), Neilah
> (unlike a taanit tzibur over rain)
> We dont sit on chairs only until noon unlike other dinei aveilut
> that apply the whole day. Nahem only in the afternoon.
> A mourner is prohibited in all work while on Tisha Ba'av only
> work that disturbs ones concentration. One should cry on
> tisha ba'av but there is nothing equivalent for a mourner.
> The kinot do not stress the absence of korbanot and other
> avodah in the Temple unlike musaf of Yom Kippur.
> "Moed" in the Eichah has nothing to do with happiness. How
> can Tisha Ba'av be considered a happy day.
>
> Answer: The essence of Tisha Ba'av is "Sattom Tefillati"
> On Tisha Ba'av we mourn not the destruction of the Temple but rather
> the result that we are distant from Hashem. While between Rosh Hashana
> and Yom Kippur we are close to Hashem on Tisha Ba'av we are at the
> other extreme. Hence, it is not appropriate to add requests like
> Neilah, Tachanun, Avinu Malkenu or Titkabal. RYBS refused to
> say a request for a sick person on Tisha Ba'av. As opposed to RDE
> it is a day far away from approaching G-d with Teshuva. RYBS interpreted
> Moed in the original sense. Tisha Ba'av is an appointed time - for
> destruction and removal from this time. Thus we dont say Tachanun because
> it is a holiday but rather because of our distance from Hashem.
> We mention other tragedies like the crusades since the essence is
> not the Temple but what can happen when G-d is distant.
>
> A mourner is not required from the din to not sit on chairs. Hence the
> requirement on Tisha Ba'av is not because of aveilut which in fact would
> last the whole day and similarly for work. Rather we dont sit on chairs
> because we are banned from Hashem and working would disturb are
> kinot. A mourner's main obligation is "aveilut be-lev". Inward and not
> crying. On Tisha Ba'av the mourning is not natural and so we force
> ourselves
> to cry. Similarly the 3 weeks build up to the highest level slowly as we
> learn intellectually about our distance from G-d. A mourner is emotional
> and begins with the worst and slowly acclimates to the world. Kinot and
> Eichah are central to Tisha Ba'av but not to a mourner because
> we must cause ourselves to feel the loss of the Templw while for a mourner
> it is natural.
>
> After Mincha we begin Nechama. Paradoxically this occurs when the
> fire was set to the Temple. Hence we are comforted that G-d chose
> to destroy wood and stone rather than the nation. In the morning it
> was not clear what the punishment would be. So the afternoon changes
> from stressing our distance from G-d to a more "normal" aveiult of
> other fast days though the 5 "iyunim"  of a taanit tzibur continue
> but not sitting on the floor or titkabel and now we can say nachem.
>
> --
> Eli Turkel
> _______________________________________________
> Avodah mailing list
> Avodah at lists.aishdas.org
> http://lists.aishdas.org/listinfo.cgi/avodah-aishdas.org
>
>


-- 
Kol Tuv- Best Regards,
Rabbi Richard Wolpoe
RabbiRichWolpoe at Gmail.com
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.aishdas.org/pipermail/avodah-aishdas.org/attachments/20070720/79312340/attachment.htm>