There
is a day, in the Jewish calendar, that has recently caught my attention. It is
Tisha B’Av, which is the 9th day of the month of Av. This year, 2019, Tisha B’
Av fell on August 11th on the Gregorian or Western calendar. As you might know, the Jewish calendar and the Western calendar are a bit different. The Jewish
calendar is based on the moon or lunar cycles while the western calendar is
based on the sun or solar cycles. Regardless of the calendar, Tisha B’ Av is a
very extraordinary day.
Tisha
B’Av is considered the saddest day of all the days on the Jewish calendar
(Five Calamities, 2019). The Jewish people will fast and pray for three weeks
to commemorate the destruction of the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem that happened
on the 9th day of Av. In fact, much
sadness has happened on or near this date throughout history showing us that
God is working through the Jewish people to relate a message of His greatness.
To
start the list, I will begin with Moses. After a time in the desert with the
children of Israel, he sent 12 men to spy out the land of Canaan, which would
later become Israel. The spies returned with only two having good news, the
other 10 reported a land impossible to conquer. This report caused the people
to panic and question God’s instructions. God punished the people telling them
that their generation would not go into the land. If you will remember only
Joshua and Caleb, the two spies that had a positive report, where allowed to
enter from the whole generation of people over 20 years of age. The Lord told
them that their crying would be pointless and that He would fix a day, that
same day, where they would remember this time (Five Calamities, 2019). I
believe this date was set by God to become a day of sadness throughout time for
the people of Israel.
The Tisha B' Av prophecy showed its head again during the destruction of the first Jewish temple.
In 587 BCE. Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon took the Jewish people into
captivity and destroyed the first Jewish Temple built by King Solomon (Five
Calamities, 2019). After the Babylonian captivity was over the people came home
and began to rebuild.
Ezra
and Nehemiah was among the ones involved in building the second Temple.
Although constructed to specification the temple was not the jewel King Solomon
built. A few hundred years later Herod the Great expanded the temple and all
who saw it was amazed in its beauty and greatness. Jesus proclaimed in Mathew
24: 2 stating, “Do you see all these things?” he asked. “Truly I tell you, not
one stone here will be left on another; everyone will be thrown down.” (Bible,
NIV). This very temple was destroyed by Roman in 70 CE during the 9th of Av.
The Romans killed over 500,000 Jewish men and women and scattered the ones who
survived to the four corners of the earth commencing the exile that continued
for almost 2000 years (Five Calamities, 2019). This is just another reminder of
the day God pronounced judgment on the Israeli people. A coincidence, I don’t
think so. Other historical events have happened on or around the 9th of Av
having a direct impact on the Jewish people.
On
August 15, 1096 (24th of Av) the first of the Crusades began. 10,000 Jewish
people were killed in just the first month.
On
July 18,]1290 (9th of Av) England expelled the Jewish people and 16 years
later, on the 10th of Av, France followed suit.
Most
people know that in 1492 Columbus set off from Spain to discover the new land.
What many don’t know is that in that same year, 7th of Av, Spain also expelled
the Jewish people from its lands. Makes me wonder if many were on board the
ships with Columbus going to a new land.
August
1st -2nd 1914 (9th-10th of Av) are two days that bring about great sadness to
the Jewish people. It was on these days that Germany entered World War I (Five
Calamities, 2019). Jewish people all over Europe began to suffer anti-Semitism.
A
couple of decades later, on August 2, 1941 (9th Av) Heinrich Himmler, an SS
commander got the OK from the Nazi Party to begin the “Final Solution”. On July
23, 1942 (9th Av) the mass of Jewish people from the Warsaw Ghetto began their
trip to Treblinka to be exterminated.
The Holocaust had begun and as a result, more than one-third of the Jewish people in the world, more than 6,000,000 were
killed (Five Calamities, 2019). The worse mass murder in history.
Other
incidences have occurred on the 9th of Av that has left a lasting impression
on the Jewish people. On July 18th1994 (10th of Av) 85 Jewish people were
killed and 300 injured after a bomb exploded in a Jewish community in Buenos
Aires. While on August 15, 2005 (10th of Av) 8000 Jewish people were pushed out
of the Gaza Strip leaving many homeless and destitute.
Although
the Holocaust lasted for many years. Most refer to Tisha B’ Av as the day to mourn
in addition to or instead of the official Holocaust Memorial Day.
There
is so much more information about Tisha B’ Av but I think you can see that
God stands by His word. He marked a day for remembrance, and He intended for it
to not be forgotten.
As
Christians we should be reminded of God’s faithfulness to His word and know, as He said in John 3:16, “Whoever believes in His Son Jesus will never
perish and have everlasting life” He intends to keep His word (Bible).
Reference
Five Calamities, August 12, 2019,https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tisha_B%27AvS
