Pray for the peace of Jerusalem

May they prosper who love you

- Psalm 122:6

Category: Tisha b’Av

Tisha b’ Av-Call to reflection

On this day when Israel mourns the destruction of the Temple, let us remember that God is ready and willing to forgive and to bless.  He is waiting for Israel to repent and return to Him.

Tisha b’Av-A Time to Mourn

The God of Israel so loves Israel; He calls her the “apple of His eye.”  Try to imagine how His heart must break to watch His Beloved suffer.  Like a loving parent who must discipline a child, He knows what is best despite His personal pain.

Tisha b’ Av-Israel mourns

As these sad days of Tisha b’Av come to an end, we rejoice in God’s absolute promise to gather the Jewish and return them to Jerusalem to worship them in the beauty of holiness.

Tisha b’Av- Cry for restoration

God designed His calendar to give Israel at least one day every week to rest and reflect on their lives in relationship to God.  Today like then we are so busy we rarely take the time God has given us.  As a result, we like Israel find ourselves moving farther and farther way from Him.

 

Tisha b’ Av -Great is God’s faithfulness

Only faith in God’s faithfulness is realistic and can bring hope.  God is faithful to Himself, to His character and to His word.  Hoping, believing in anything else or anyone else is futile.

Tisha b’ Av -Call to repent

Often American educators talk about “the 3 R’s” meaning: reading, writing and arithmetic.”

Consider the “3 R’s” of relationship with God: rest, reflect and repent.  If we observe these three “R’s” the result will be: restoration and rejoicing!

Tisha b’ Av-The Nine Days

On this first Shabbat of the Hebrew month of Av the count down to the 9th begins with increasing mourning .  This nine day count down culminates on the day when the forces of Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia finally broke through the defensive walls surrounding Jerusalem, generally accepted as happening in 586 BCE — and ends with the public fast day of Tisha B’Av — when the Babylonians finally destroyed the First Temple in 597 BCE and when the Second Temple was destroyed by the Romans in 70 CE.