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August 1, 2003
Temple tragedies on Tisha b'Av
In our hearts, there is a sacred place and we can walk in God's
ways.
OZZIE NOGG SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH BULLETIN
Once, long ago, the ark with the Ten Commandments rested at Shiloh.
King David brought the ark to Jerusalem, his city, where he longed
to build it a proper house.
But God did not approve.
"You are a man of bloodshed and war," God said to David.
"You shall not build a house in My name." So it was that
David's son, King Solomon, built the House of the Lord.
Tens of thousands of men worked many years to build the Temple,
using blocks of choicest stone, as well as glowing copper, silver,
brass and gold. In the centre of the Temple, in its heart, was a
small, plain room. In this room – in this sacred Holy of Holies
– the priests placed the ark with the Ten Commandments.
Then the elders, the princes of the tribes and all the people assembled
for the Temple's dedication. Solomon praised God and asked Him to
be merciful to the people, to hear their prayers and forgive their
sins. God accepted the Temple but warned, "If you turn away
from Me, you and the Temple will be cast out of My sight."
So the people brought offerings and celebrated their festivals at
the Temple.
Solomon died and his kingdom was divided. Ambitious kings murdered
one another. Priests neglected their duties and the people turned
to the adulterous ways of Baal. The prophets warned that punishment
would come from God. But the people did not listen.
Then, Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylonia, thundered into Jerusalem.
He took everything he could carry from the Temple and, on the ninth
day of the month of Av (Tisha b'Av), his soldiers burned
it to the ground. The tablets of the Ten Commandments disappeared.
The people understood that because of their ways, the First Temple
was destroyed and the Jews were carried off by the Babylonians into
exile.
Eventually, Babylonia fell to Cyrus, king of Persia, who was called
the Anointed Shepherd of the God of Israel. He freed the people
and they returned to Jerusalem to rebuild the Temple. The building
was small and humble, and in it the people heard Ezra read the Torah.
They vowed, once again, to follow God's Law and brought offerings
and celebrated their festivals at the Temple.
Years passed. Antiochus and his troops desecrated the Temple, but
the brave Maccabees cleansed the holy place and rededicated it to
the One God.
In time, Herod became king of Judea. To win the favor of the people,
he made the Temple larger than Solomon's, with massive marble pillars
and many courtyards. In the centre of the Temple was the Holy of
Holies, but now it was an empty room. The people brought offerings
to the altar and celebrated their festivals there.
The Romans ruled the land and the Jews rose in revolt. They fought
the enemy without, but there was much dissension and disunity within.
Factions feuded. Zealots battled moderates. The sages saw the discord
and intolerance and warned that punishment would come from God.
Weakened by internal strife, the people could resist no longer.
The armies of Titus charged into Jerusalem. On the ninth of Av,
they burned the Temple to the ground. The Jews understood that,
because of their hatred toward one another, the Second Temple was
destroyed.
The people wept and mourned. They sat on the ground wailing lamentations
in remembrance of the Temple and of Jerusalem plowed under like
a field. And they asked the rabbis, "What shall we do, now
that the Temple is no more? Where shall we bring our offerings to
God?"
And Rabbi Yochanan, son of Zakkai, replied, "Now you must bring
acts of loving kindness to God, for He desires mercy and not sacrifice."
Yes, the house built for God is gone. But be comforted, for the
Lord lives everywhere and His spirit rests in everyone. Each of
us is a living Temple. In our centres, in our very hearts, is a
sacred place.
From this place, we can follow God's commandments and do what He
has asked. We can remember Him, walk in His ways and bring our offerings
of love, kindness and justice to Him – and to everything that
lives on Earth.
Ozzie Nogg is a freelance writer living in Omaha, Neb.
Tisha b'Av falls this year on Aug. 7. It commemorates the destruction
of the two Temples in Jerusalem, as well as other Jewish tragedies
that occurred on that date. In addition to the recitation of Kinot
and the Book of Lamentations, Tisha b'Av is observed by a sundown-to-sundown
fast beginning Aug. 6, and other aspects of mourning. The three-week
period of sadness that culminates in Tisha b'Av began with the Fast
of the 17th of Tammuz, July 17.
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