Tisha B'Av Should we fast on Tisha B'Av? Menachem Leibtag Check out the Tanach Study Center Why do we fast on Tisha B'av? The primary answer, of course, is to remember the destruction of the Bet Ha'Mikdash and Yerushalayim. Yet, according to the Navi Zecharya, not only Tisha B'av, but all four of the fast days in which we remember Yerushalayim take on an added dimension. As we shall see in the following shiur, the study of Zecharya chapters 7->8 gives extra meaning to Tisha B'av, especially today, some thirty years after the liberation of Jerusalem during the Six Day War. | INTRODUCTION / HISTORICAL BACKGROUND | Chagai & Zecharya, the two prophets who inspired the building of the Second Temple, lived during the time period which is better known as "shivat tzion" - the return to Zion. This 'return of the Exile' begins after the famous decree of Cyrus (the first king of the Persian empire), allowing the Jews to return to Jerusalem (see Ezra 1:1-9). Although efforts to begin construction of the Temple are first thwarted by the local population, some twenty years later, permission is finally granted when Darius (the Great) came into power, in the second year of his reign. In that year, both Chagai and Zecharya deliver their opening prophecies, encouraging the people with great hopes that this new Bet Ha'Mikdash may one day be greater than the first Bet Ha'Mikdash, despite their present and rather pitiful predicament. [See Chagai chapters 1->2, Zecharya chapters 1->6.] During this time period of SHIVAT TZION, many thousands of Jews had indeed returned to Zion (see Ezra chapter 2), however many thousands more remained in Bavel [later to be known as the Diaspora]. | THE BIG QUESTION | Our shiur begins with Zecharya chapter 7, in the FOURTH year of Darius (two years after construction of the Mikdash began), as a delegation of Jews from Bavel comes to Jerusalem (see 7:1-2) to inquire in regard to a very important halachik question: "HA'EVKEH B'CHODESH HA'CHAMISHI - Shall we continue to weep in the fifth month (i.e. Tisha b'Av), do we abstain ourselves as we have been doing all these years?" Their question is quite understandable. Since the time of destruction of the First Temple some seventy years earlier, the custom in Bavel had been to fast every year on Tisha B'av. Now, in the fourth year of Darius, as the construction of the new Temple is almost complete (it was finally completed in sixth year of Darius/ see Ezra 6:15), it may no longer be necessary to fast! With this in consideration, the delegation from Bavel inquires in order to inform the Jews of the Diaspora of the proper halacha, i.e. whether or not they need to continue fasting every year on Tisha B'av! For such a simple and logical question, we should expect a straightforward 'yes or no' answer. Instead, Zecharya fields this question with a complex prophetic answer, spanning two chapters. He begins [following an ancient Jewish custom] by answering their question with his own question: "[And God said to me:] Say to the people...When you fasted and lamented on the fifth and seventh [Tzum Gedalya] months during the last seventy years, HAVE I BEEN FASTING?! And when you eat and drink (not on a fast day), it is not you who decides to eat or drink?!" (7:4-6) | A BETTER QUESTION, & A BETTER ANSWER | It seems that God is telling Am Yisrael that they have reached the 'wrong address'. Why should they ask God concerning the laws of the fast days? After all, the fast days are not God's commands, rather they are customs instituted by the people themselves in order to remember Yerushalayim. Just as the people decide when and what they eat, let them decide on their own when they should fast. In any case, this is not a question for God to answer. However, in case the people are truly interested in God's opinion in regard to the rebuilding of the Second Temple, God has a very important message, but it has nothing to do with fasting: "Pay attention to the very same things which the earlier prophets [had warned your forefathers] when Jerusalem and its surrounding areas were populated and tranquil [i.e. during the good years of first Temple period]... Execute TRUE JUSTICE, deal loyally and compassionately with one another. Do not defraud a widow, orphan, stranger, or poor man, and do not plot evil against one another."(7:7-10) God's answer is very powerful, for in it, He reads between the lines of their question. If the people are fasting on Tisha B'av, it is not only to remember WHAT happened to Yerushalayim, but more important, they should be fasting in order to remember WHY it happened. God reminds Bnei Yisrael that the Mikdash was destroyed because or their behavior, for they did not follow the guidance of their prophets. God's answer is quite simple. He is not interested in their fasting. More important is that the people follow His laws properly, especially those of social justice, and not repeat the sins of their forefathers. It is important to note the reason for the destruction of the first Bet Ha'Mikdash, implicit from Zecharya's prophecy. God's anger was kindled primarily due to both a lack of social justice and a lack of fraternity within Am Yisrael, (and not necessarily due to religious impiety). [See for example Yirmiyahu 7:9-12, 7:22-24, 8:4-9, 9:1-8,22- 23 (that's in the Haftara for Tisha B'av!) A similar theme repeats itself throughout the Later Prophets, "v'akmal".] | WHAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN THE QUESTION | Therefore, Zecharya claims that the primary reason for fasting on Tisha B'av should be to remember this message of WHY Jerusalem was destroyed. To focus only on fasting to remember WHAT happened, INSTEAD of remembering WHY it happened would be meaningless. Now that the redemption process has begun, Zecharya would rather hear questions in the like of: 'What should we do assure that God's redemption will be complete? What does God expect from us?' Zecharya would rather the people become 'participants' in the process, rather than 'spectators'. With this backdrop, we can better appreciate how Zecharya continues. First, he reminds the people that even though God had punished their forefathers with Jerusalem's destruction for not listening (see 7:11-14), now they must recognize that a new opportunity has arisen: "Thus says the Lord: I am very zealous for Zion... I have returned to Yerushalayim, for it will be called IR HA'EMET - the city of EMET - TRUTH, and the mountain of God - HAR HA'KODESH - the mountain of holiness... (see 8:1-3) Just as God had gone out of His way to punish Jerusalem, now He is going out of His way to help rebuild Jerusalem, but on the condition that it become a city of truth. God can only provide the opportunity, it is up to PEOPLE to make Jerusalem a city of truth! | A HINT FOR THE DIASPORA | Note, that up until this point, God has not answered the delegation itself. Instead, He has taken the opportunity to address the entire nation (see 7:5) regarding the ultimate goal of this redemption, i.e. that Jerusalem become a city characterized by social justice (8:1-3), and the hope that it will soon return to normalcy (see 8:4-6). This is followed by what appears to be a message as well for the Jews in the Diaspora: "Thus says the Lord: I will rescue My people from lands of the east and from the lands of west, and I will bring them home to dwell in Jerusalem. They shall be My people, and I will be their God, [on the condition of] in TRUTH and RIGHTEOUSNESS - b'EMET u'b'TZDAKA" (see 8:7-8) It could be that Zecharya is 'hinting' here to the Diaspora that instead of worrying about whether or not to fast on Tisha B'av, they should be considering their own return to Tzion, to help their brethren create a Jerusalem of EMET u'TZDAKA, [but this interpretation may be a bit too zionistic]. This hope for the ingathering of all the Exile in Zecharya's prophecy continues with the hope for a better economy and future prosperity (see 8:9-13). Finally, after repeating His claim that He is eager to help the redemption of His people (8:14-15), God summarizes His advice concerning how this redemption will be achieved: "These are the things that you must do: Speak TRUTH to one another, EMET U'MISPHAT SHALOM SHIFTU B'SHAREICHEM - render true and perfect JUSTICE in your gates. And do not contrive evil against one another, and do not love perjury, for all these things I hate - declares the Lord" (8:16-17) | BACK TO THE ORIGINAL QUESTION | Now, after charging the people with His true hopes and expectations from this generation of SHIVAT TZION, God finally answers the original question in regard to the future of Tisha B'av and the other fast days of Jerusalem: "Thus says the Lord: The fast of the fourth month (17th Tamuz), the fast of the fifth month (Tisha B'av), the fast of the seventh month (Tzum Gedalya), and the fast of the tenth month (10th of Tevet), shall become for the House of Judah days of JOY and GLADNESS - HAPPY FESTIVALS - [on the condition that] you must love and follow - EMET v'SHALOM - truth and peace. " (8:18-19) [compare EMET v'SHALOM with 7:9, 8:3 & 8:16] God declares that should Am Yisrael fulfill their destiny and establish a nation characterized by justice & truth, there will BE no reason to destroy Jerusalem, and hence, no longer a need for the four fast days. Instead, these fast days will become holidays. [See Further Iyun section for an explanation why they actually become holidays.]. | THE MESSIANIC DREAM | Zecharya finishes his prophecy with an even higher aspiration for the future of the Second Temple: "Thus says the Lord: A time will still come when the inhabitants of many lands and great nations will come and gather in Yerushalayim to seek and find God's favor..." (see 8:20-23) Zecharya's concluding hope echoes the hopes of Yeshayahu's famous prophecy of the ideal potential for the first Bet Ha'Mikdash (see (& compare) Isaiah 2:1-4 & Micha 4:1-5/ [see also the parallel 'partial quote' at entrance to the United Nations Bldg.]). The reason for this conclusion is quite simple. Should Am Yisrael truly set up this ideal society of EMET v'SHALOM, TZEDEK u'MISHPAT, then the Bet Ha'Mikdash can fulfill its ultimate purpose to become a beacon by which all nations can find the proper path to God. [See also Dvarim 4:5-8 & I Melachim 8:41-43!] | ZECHARYA TODAY | Although Zecharya's prophecy to the founding fathers of "bayit sheni" (the Second Temple) was in response to a question raised some 2500 years ago, it is no less (and maybe even more) meaningful today, as we are in the midst of a redemption process whose direction is not clear. If there is prophetic message for Tisha B'av today, which can be agreed upon by every Jew, "chiloni" or "dati"; Orthodox, Conservative, or Reform; in Israel or in the Diaspora - it that of Zecharya (chapters 7->8). If there is a prophecy that recognizes all the realities of a 'far from ideal' GEULAH (redemption) process, yet shows the first step in the path to achieve its highest goals - it is the nevuah of Zecharya. If there is a prophecy which can unite Am Yisrael today, and set us in the proper direction so that next year it will no longer be necessary to fast on Tisha B'av - it is the nevuah of Zecharya. "tzom kal" menachem FOR FURTHER IYUN A. Regarding why the fast days will one day become holidays, Rav Yaakov Meidan, (in a shiur on 10 b'Tevet many years ago), suggested that each fast day actually contains a potential holiday: 17th of Tamuz Had Bnei Yisrael not sinned at "chet ha'egel", then on the 17th of Tamuz, Bnei Yisrael would have received the LUCHOT and the rest of the TORAH! In potential, this could have been a holiday similar to SIMCHAT TORAH. 9th AV Had Bnei Yisrael not sinned at "chet ha'meraglim", then on the day after the meraglim returned - the 9th of Av - Bnei Yisrael would have begun their conquest of Eretz Canaan. In potential, this could have been a holiday similar to Yom Atzmaut! Tzum Gedalya From the account in Yirmiyahu chapter 41, it seems that Gedalya was assassinated on Rosh Ha'shana. We fast on 3 Tishrei because we can't fast on Yom Tov. Rosh Ha'shana already is a holiday, when we 'celebrate' God's Creation of the world. 10 Tevet This one is bit more complicated, and requires an entire shiur to explain why. Iy"h, next year before 10 Tevet. B. In our shiur on Megillat Esther (if you didn't save it, it's downloadable from the WEB site), we mentioned how several passages in Megillat Esther may have based on the prophecies of Zecharya. With the above shiur as a background, it should be easier to appreciate those points in that shiur, especially in regard to the manner in which Mordechi instituted that we celebrate Purim. C. In the above shiur, Zecharya explained that the churban of the first bet ha'Mikdash was due to a lack of social justice and what seems to be "sinat chinam". Usually, we remember the Midrash that claims that Bayit Rishon was due to 'idolatry, murder, & arayot', while Bayit Sheni was due to "sinat chinam". To support that Midrash, see II Melachim chapter 21, which explains God's verdict of destruction of Bayit Rishon in the time period of Menashe. Had Menashe not performed teshuva, the destruction may have taken place at that time, however his repentance as well as the reform of his grandson Yoshiyahu delayed the destruction. [See II Divrei Ha'yamim chapters 33->36 for a more complete understanding of this time period.] The final destruction came during the time period of Tzidkiyahu. This is a complicated sugya. Iy"h we'll deal with in detail on the series on Nviim Rishonim which will begin iy"h this year in Elul. In any case, as we saw in the above shiur, the nviim also speak of "sinat achim" during the time period of "bayit rishon" as well. Note especially the story of Gedalya ben Achikam in Yirmiyahu chapters 40->43. See also Yoma 9b, bottom third of the daf, concerning the difference between bayit rishon and bayit sheni. Check out the Tanach Study Center