“When the doors of compassion are opening, on the day that I will lift my hands in prayer to God, please, Almighty, keep in mind on this day of Judgment, the merit of the sacrificer (Abraham), of the sacrificed (Isaac) and the altar (which they built together) ”.

One of the best-known piyutim of the Rosh HaShana Tefilla (liturgy) is “ET SHAARE ​​RATZON”, “When the doors of compassion …”. This poem is recited immediately before hearing the Shofar, which officially announces the beginning of the Divine judgment. At that time, we ask God not to judge us according to the strict letter of His law, but with compassion. And we also ask Him to take into account the merit of Abraham, our patriarch, when he was willing to sacrifice his son Isaac (Aqedat Ytzjaq). We remember this event at this very moment, first, because the Shofar, a ram’s horn, reminds us of the last “test” to which our patriarch Abraham was subjected.

“It was the final test, the last of the ten: “Take your son, the one born to his wife Sarah, whom you love so much, and offer him as a pure sacrifice to God, on the mountain on which the glory of God manifests ”.

The most difficult test Abraham Abinu had to go through was the binding of Isaac.

The biblical text begins with an exceptional clarification: Genesis 22: “And God put Abraham to the test and said … sacrifice your beloved son Isaac.” God was not asking a human sacrifice. The text clarifies that He was “testing” the limits of Abraham’s love and loyalty to Him. It is a “test” —and an exercise that will train the Jewish people for generations. To understand it better, let’s think about the drill that is normally done in a school or a building when the alarm sounds, pretending that there is a fire, and everyone must leave in an orderly manner. This test not only shows if the school, students and teachers are prepared to face this eventuality in real life, but also serves as training for the future: if everyone responds well in this simulation, it means that they are prepared to respond if someday, God forbid, there is a real fire.

With this example in mind, let us now turn to Abraham’s test. What our patriarch learns in this test — and teaches for posterity — is that a Jew must be “willing” to sacrifice everything for his or her allegiance to God. And that is how we Jews did it for generations: Hananya, Mishael and Azaria, refuse to betray the Tora, knowing that they will be sentenced to death for refusing to bow down to an idol. The same happened with Chana and her seven sons, or with the “Hasidim Rishonim” in the time of Antiochus Epiphanes (2nd century BCE). And with Ribba Aquiba and with millions of Jewish martyrs from the Inquisition to the Shoah. All those who were willing to give up their lives – or that of their children – instead of renouncing their loyalty to God in these extreme circumstances were inspired by the test Abraham Abinu went through when he demonstrated that his love for God was absolutely unconditional.

Today, we don’t have to face any of those dire tests. The challenges we must overcome to observe the Tora are ridiculously small compared to the past: I must sacrifice a little of my sleep to pray with Minyan in the morning (especially now in Selichot) or to study Tora at night, or I must sacrifice part of my money to help others, or my business activity to keep Shabbat, etc., etc. Everything is insignificant compared to the challenges our ancestors faced, when fulfilling the Tora might have costed the loss of life …

It is important to keep in mind when listening to the Shofar, that at this very moment, I’m judging myself. I’m trying to recognize what I am doing wrong and acknowledging what I am not doing right  in terms of observing God’s will. And when we judge ourselves we always need a reference, an example with which to compare ourselves. What better reference than Abraham Abinu? If my Father Abraham was willing to sacrifice what he most loved in the world in order to obey God’s will, shouldn’t I be willing to make a few sacrifices to be more careful and vigilant in my allegiance to HaShem?

HARD TIMES
In just over a month we will celebrate Rosh HaShana, the new year 5782.
To officially inaugurate the Rosh HaShana prayer, on the evening of, we read a beautiful “piyut,” a liturgical poem, called Achot Qetana. Interestingly, this piyut does not allude to the Judgment Day or even to the Shofar; it instead focuses on our desire for a better year than the one we are coming out of.
At the end of each stanza, there is a special verse repeated; “tikhle shana veqileloteha,” may the year- and all of its curses- end.
It is at this very moment, right before the official tefilot of Rosh HaShana, during the final minutes of the year 5781, that we are opening up our hearts to HaShem and asking for better times.
Before delving into the piyut itself we should clarify that fortunately, as privileged Jews of the 21st century, it will be quite difficult to relate to the content of this poem, as it describes the terrible “curses” that the Jews of that time were experiencing. However, it is through this piyut, and through understanding the pain of our ancestors, that we will be able to recognize and appreciate all that HaShem has given us today.

The author of Achot Qetana is Rabbi Abraham Hazan from the city of Gerona, Spain. We know almost nothing about him, except that he was a contemporary of Nachmanides (Ramban, 1194-1270).
Fittingly, most of the text in the piyut focuses on the painful and tragic history of the Jews in 13th century Europe. In its nine stanzas, the text describes- by a poetic and somewhat elusive form- the many persecutions and abuses that the people of Israel had suffered at the hands of the other nations with whom they had tried to find refuge and protection. It narrates the nightmare that had come to life for generations upon generations of Jews. In fact, for most of our history in exile our ancestors were defenseless refugees- unwelcome, demonized, abused.

A CINDERELLA STORY
אָחוֹת קְטַנָּה תְּפִלּוֹתֶיהָ
The youngest sister directs her pleas to You, and sings [today] Your praises Oh God, please heal her from all her ailments, May this year conclude along with all of its curses!“

“Achot Qetana” literally means the “little sister,” the youngest of all siblings.
The nations of the world are the older siblings, coming from the same Father; the Creator of our world. Israel, always considered the smallest nation (Debarim 7:7) lives in exile, banished from her land, depending on the mercy of her older siblings. But far from defending and protecting their youngest sister, these siblings are jealous of her. She is the “chosen one,” the most loved.
The beautiful and adored
Cinderella has been abandoned by her Father, and left at the mercy of her evil stepsisters. But unfortunately, this was no Grimm-brothers tale; this was the very harsh, very real experience of our people for millennia.

רְעֵה אֶת צֹאנְךָ אֲרָיוֹת זָרוּ
[Please, Almighty,] tend back to your flock, which has been scattered by the wild lions, [and direct Your anger not towards us], but towards the enemies of Israel, those who shout “Destroy her!” who have uprooted the delicate branch of the vineyard that You planted, who have destroyed and uprooted it, and have not had compassion even for its little grapes.

Israel is the flock, and God the shepherd. But this flock has strayed from their protector, and now the sheep are scattered, more vulnerable than ever. They have run away to exile, to escape the claws of the cruel lions who took over their land. Israel is also compared to a delicate vine, planted by God. But the enemy has trespassed into the vineyard; not only to steal the grapes, but also to uproot the vine, to stop it from ever growing again. The enemies have destroyed the tender plant, and have not even allowed the “olelot” to survive. “Olelot” refers to the small baby grapes which have not yet ripened; a metaphor to the Jewish children, taken from their parents’ into slavery, or forced conversion. Ripped away from their vine before they were allowed to grow.

חֵילָהּ קָבְעוּ הַגּוֹי כֻּלּוֹ
They dispossess her … they degrade her … and from the pit of her exile her soul is consumed … she has become the poorest of the poor … When will You pity her and when will You rescue Your little daughter from her dungeon?

The youngest daughter sought refuge in Europe. Yet she suffers constant persecution and expulsion; Europe has turned into a prison… but ironically it is the walls of this horrible dungeon that protect her from her enemies. What can possibly be worse than this prison? Being thrown out, having absolutely nowhere to go, no home to return to. Being humiliated and exposed to her enemies that seek her complete destruction. Israel has no army, no base, no power, no political influence. She is completely alone…

FINAL REFLECTION

Reading and singing ACHOT QETANA nowadays leaves me with a bittersweet taste. On the one hand, it is impossible to ignore all what our ancestors went through for 2,000 years… And on the other hand, remembering their suffering helps me to have a better perspective of our contemporary problems as diaspora Jews- which seem so insignificant after reading this poem. Most importantly, Achot Qetana fills my soul with the enormous satisfaction and endless joy to see that after so much suffering, finally, the Youngest Sister is back home! And against all odds, she sees that the prophecies that announced a redemption which seemed impossible even to visualize, are finally realized in our privileged times!

שנזכה לגאולה שלמה, אמן

To be continued

Rabbi Yosef Bitton

This Shabbat morning (July 17th) we will begin reading the book of Debarim and at the end we will read a special Haftara from the book of Yesha’ayahu (Isaiah). This Haftara is known as “Chazon” (from its first word) and by extension the Shabbat before the 9th of Ab is called Shabbat Chazon. This text of the Haftara is found in the book of Isaiah 1: 1-27, and is a prophetic vision in which this great Jewish prophet rebukes the inhabitants of Jerusalem for their lack of integrity and corruption.

The Haftara describes the sins that caused God to ignore their prayers and pleads and eventually led to the destruction of our first Bet haMiqdash. By reading and remembering the mistakes of our ancestors, we can reflect on our own behavior, improve our actions, and deserve to see our Bet haMiqdash rebuilt very soon, in our days.

Among the points the prophet mentions, his criticism of religious hypocrisy is worth recalling.

1: 14-15: “Thus said the prophet to the people of Yerushalayim in the name of haShem: [Thus says God], when you stretch out your hands in prayer, I will take My eyes away from you; Even if you offer Me many prayers, I will not listen to you, [because] your hands are full of blood. “

Yesha’ayahu denounces the corrupt people who kill steal, cheat in their businesses, practice bribery and corrupt justice, and simultaneously pray to God, expecting God to hear their prayers! As the prophet Yesha’ayahu says: these people came to the Temple, “with their hands stained with blood,” and offered sacrifices, as if God could be bribed with gifts or offerings in order to ignore their wrongdoings. These individuals, who were possibly very powerful, had a very immature and pagan idea of God. Yesha’ayahu explained to them that there cannot be a divorce between what a person does and how he prays. A Jew cannot practice all kinds of immoralities, and then go to the Temple and pray as if nothing had happened and everything is fine. As if God does not know, or is not interested, in his affairs outside the Temple. This is a completely pagan concept, in which the pagan gods are limited to the affairs within the sanctuary and had no involvement in the lives of their worshipers.

Yesha’ayahu explains to them that this is unacceptable: that honesty and morality, and the protection of the weakest, is an imperative religious obligation. And if a person behaves piously in the Temple but is corrupt in his business, he is a hypocrite! And HaShem detests religious hypocrisy more than non-religiosity. God is not secluded in the Temple. He knows what we do. He rejects the prayer of the corrupt and demands that our life be honest and virtuous not only in the Temple, but also (or especially) outside it.

Yesha’ayahu also tells them that they are not condemned to be forever ignored by God. He explains to them that if a corrupt person repents, improves his behavior and becomes honest, HaShem will accept him or her again. For this situation to be reversed and for God to be willing to listen to their prayers, they need to change: (1: 16-17) “… Purify yourselves [of your wrong deeds]. Stop doing evil, learn to practice justice, seek righteousness, defend the oppressed, fight for the cause of the orphan, and defend the widows.”

When HaShem sees our repentance ,He accepts us again and hears our prayers. This is what we can do to have the merit of seeing our Bet haMiqdash rebuild again.

כֹּה אָמַר ה’ צִיּוֹן שָׂדֶה תֵחָרֵשׁ, וִירוּשָׁלַיִם עִיִּים תִּהְיֶה

We are explaining now one of the five tragic events that we remember on the 9th of Ab, the Jewish National Day of mourning. This terrible event, perhaps the least known, is called in Hebrew: “the city (of Jerusalem) was plowed” (חרישת העיר).

As we explained yesterday, after the Roman Emperor Hadrian retraced his steps and suspended his decision to rebuild the Bet HaMiqdash, relations between the Jews and the Roman Empire began to worsen.

One of the most tense moments was when Hadrian, traveling through the Middle East,  (129-130 CE) identified a common practice that took place in that region, which belonged almost entirely to the Roman Empire: castration, especially of slaves and servants (eunuchs). Let me explain by the way, that following Biblical Law, Jews never practiced castration, even with animals, something that was (and still is) fully accepted in the non-Jewish world. Hadrian, then, banned castration and made it punishable with the death penalty.  The problem was that, for some reason, Hadrian extended the banning of castration…. to Jewish circumcision!

Despite the desperate efforts of the Sages to explain the Romans the nature of  circumcision, and the obvious differences between these two acts, Hadrian still prohibited circumcision and punished it with death. Some speculate that in doing so Hadrian was influenced by early Christians, who opposed the practice of circumcision because they believed that circumcision was replaced by baptism. Abolishing circumcision then, was considered a great victory for Christian’s theological cause.

This decree, which took place around the year 129, further affected the spirits of the Yehudim, who from one side were willing to sacrifice everything in order to fulfill the first commandment for a Jewish child, and from the other side, were in a state of collective despair. Jews had already lost hope of seeing the reestablishment of their Bet haMiqdash, and now they saw that the same tyrant was compromising the future of our Tora ands religion. Some Jews felt as if the Jewish people was at the verge of extinction. Ribbí Yishmael ben Elisha said: “Perhaps the time has come for us to stop getting married and bringing children into the world (Baba Batra 60 b)”.

But the banning of the Berit Mila was just the prelude to something as bad, or worse, that was about to happen … In that disastrous trip to the Middle East, Hadrian made another catastrophic decision that caused so much harm ands more despair to the Jewish people: Hadrian decided that he indeed will rebuild Jerusalem, but, the Jewish city was going to be transformed into a new Roman colony. Hadrian plan was to “erase” all Jewish memory of the city, and changing its name, so very soon Jews would forget “Yerushalayim” and stop asking for their Temple again! To make it worse,  Hadrian’s plans included the construction of a pagan temple for the Roman idol Jupiter… in Har-haBayit, the Temple Mount, the holiest place for the Jewish people.

Hadrian’s decision provoked an indescribable state of indignation and mayhem , motivating the Yehudim to start a rebellion against the powerful roman empire. But we will speak of this rebellion later. Now I would like to refocus on understanding what is the meaning of “the city of Jerusalem was plowed”.

Hadrian decreed that the name of Yerushalayim should be eradicated, and the new city would be known from now on as: “Aelia Capitolina” . “Aelio”, in honor of Hadrian, since it was one of his names, and “Capitolina” “, in honor of the Roman mythological deity, Jupiter Capitolino, to whom the pagan shrines of the new city were dedicated.

Now, what did the Romans do to rededicate a new city? Especially a new city that will be built over the ruins of an older city, and needs to be renamed?  In modern times, there are many different dedication ceremonies: such as the inauguration of the foundation stone in a building, the cutting of a ribbon, etc.  The inauguration ceremony for a Roman city or colony consisted of “plowing the city”, and establishing with the plow the new edges of the city. The act of plowing Yerushalayim and its temple Mount, symbolized its eradication ח”ו, and the inauguration of the new pagan city Aelia Capitolina. This “ceremony” took place on the 9th of Ab.

The event was “celebrated” by the Romans, as was their custom, by minting a commemorative coin. The text of this coin, which can be seen in the image above, says: Col(onia) Ael(ia) Capit(olina). On the coin you can clearly see Hadrian, representing Rome, plowing the soil of Jerusalem to dedicate the new Roman colony.

Now we understand better why the plowing of Jerusalem is one of the five tragedies for which we fast, we sit in mourning and we weep on Tisha B’Ab … Obviously, by remembering that on that day the city was plowed and renamed, we also remember with great pain all what we suffered under the rule of the cruel Romans, and its tyrant emperor Hadrian.

Note from 2018: I’m in Erets Israel these days, and as I’m writing these lines, I cannot hide my emotions, my pride, my gratitude to HaShem and my amazement at witnessing this  miracle: no one remembers today Hadrian, יש”ו, or his Aelia Capitolina. But every human being in the planet knows and recognizes nowadays the holiest city in the world, by its real name “YERUSHALAYIM”. And evryone knows now that Yerushalayim עיר הקודש  is our capital again!  Yerushalayim, its very existence, its beauty, its intense life, is the greatest existing miracle in our times.

Once the month of Ab begins, “our happiness decreases”, because we are preparing ourselves, gradually and emotionally, for the 9th of Ab, the day of national mourning of the Jewish people. Thus, Jewish tradition indicates that we should avoid certain activities associated with joy or celebration, engagement parties or weddings are not allowed during these days, in addition to the other restrictions that are already in effect from the 17 of Tamuz. See here and here.

We will focus our attention now on other topics mentioned by the Shulchan Arukh:  1. MASA UMATAN, 2. NETIA, 3. UBINYAN SHEL SIMHA (buying, shopping; planting and building in a context of celebration ).

MASA UMATAN SHEL SIMCHA:

It is customary to refrain from buying  new clothes, jewelry or other luxury items from Rosh Chodesh Ab until after the day of fasting, especially clothing that is needed for a celebratory occasion, i.e., a wedding. Now, if one has a wedding (his own wedding, or the wedding of one of his children, for example) immediately after the 9th of Ab, and he or she was unable to buy clothing or other supplies for the wedding before the month of Ab begins, or if the wedding will be held a few days after 9 Ab, but if he won’t buy certain items now, these articles will be more expensive after the 9th of Ab, it is allowed to acquire the items needed for the wedding.

It is also permitted to buy jewelry or clothing when you do it as a business or investment. Because then the acquisition is part of your commercial activity (which does not need to be interrupted during this period) and not a direct function of joy or celebration.

Buying something that is intended for a Mitsva is also allowed. For example, you can buy a new Tefillin or a new book of Tora. You are also allowed to buy non-leather shoes to use during Tish’a Beab.

NETIA SHEL SIMCHA

Our rabbis also forbade “planting for joy”, that is,  planting intended for ornamental purposes, such as flowers, myrtle, or other ornamental bushes. Watering or taking care of flowers or ornamental plants, however, is allowed.

Any planting intended for a real practical purpose is permissible. Therefore it is permitted to plant fruit trees in the Nine Days and it is also permissible for a person who earns a living from growing ornamental shrubs and flowers to plant them in order to sell them.

BINYAN SHEL SIMCHA

The Rabbis also forbade to build  “a house for the groom”: in the past, the parents will build a small one-room house in their premises for their soon-to-be-married son, and the new couple would use that house for the first year, i.e., until they have a child.  Therefore, initiating or continuing the construction of such a house would not be permitted because it is an extension of celebrating a wedding.

Modern rabbis also extended this regulation for other types of buildings and renovations: you should not start any unnecessary renovation or construction in your home, like painting the walls of the house or renovating the kitchen, once the month of Ab begins. However, if you need to build something, for example, you need an extra room for a  guest, or you need to fix or renovate something in the kitchen which can not wait until after the 9th of Ab, it can be done. Similarly, if one has already started to build, repair or renovate, one does not need to stop the job during the Nine Days. It is also allowed to build or repair in order to prevent a physical risk, for example, building a fence on the roof or near a window.

Building something that is for the benefit of the community (לצורך רבים) is allowed. It is permitted to build or renovate a Synagogue or a school during the Nine Days.

According to the Sephardic tradition one is allowed to buy, rent or moving into a new house until the beginning of the month of Ab. Now, if by not moving to a new house that one has already bought or rented, one would incur into a significant financial loss, then it will be permitted for to move into the new house during these days (המנהג להורות שלא להיכנס לדירה חדשה, קנויה או שכורה, בתשעת הימים. אבל אם עיכוב הכניסה יגרום להפסד גדול, מותר להיכנס ).

In short, what is forbidden during these days, from the beginning of the month of Ab until after Tish’a beAb, is to do any shopping, acquisition or construction or renovation when it is done primarily for enjoyment or celebration because in order to reach a mindset of “mourning” we need first to disconnect from celebrations and other forms of happiness.  However, when we buy or build or renovate or we moved into a new home for necessity, for business or to avoid a significant economic loss, it is allowed.

MUSIC AND MOURNING

As we have already explained, during the three weeks between the 17th of Tammuz and the 9th of Ab we observe certain customs of mourning. We do not celebrate weddings, we do not recite Shehecheyanu, etc.  What about listening to or playing music during these three weeks? The answer is not a simple “yes” or “no”, and ultimately depends on the tradition of each community. Why? Among other reasons, because the Shulchan ‘arukh, when mentioning the customs and restrictions of these three weeks, and in particular the restrictions once the month of Ab begins, does not indicate anything explicit about listening to or playing music during these days.

In the following lines, we are going to explain the different points of view about music and mourning in Jewish sources 

HAPPY AND SAD MUSIC

Music is one of the highest expressions of happiness. When the people of Israel crossed the Red Sea and realized that they were finally free from their Egyptian masters, they were led by Moshe Rabbenu’s sister, Miriam, to sing and play musical instruments expressing joy and happiness for their freedom. From Talmudic times or earlier, we know that music was also played at weddings and on many other festive and joyous occasions. Jewish tradition also refers to music in times of mourning. A person who is in mourning cannot play or listen to music, or attend a celebration where music is played, in the case of one’s father or mother, for an entire year. Thus, when a grieving person attends, for example, a Bar Mitsva, he may participate of the religious ceremony but does not participate of the party when music is played at that event.  With all these elements in mind,  we must ask ourselves: since music is one, or the greatest, expression of happiness, and music is avoided in times of mourning, is it allowed to play or listen to music during these three weeks, when we are remembering the destruction of the Bet haMiqdash?

I present two views of two contemporary rabbis, Rabbi Eliezer Melamed and Rabbi Obadia Yosef z”l.

THREE TYPES OF MUSIC

Rabbi Eliezer Melamed (Penine Halakha, Zemanim, 141-146) explains that not all kinds of music should be prohibited during these days. In his opinion, the original restriction of the Hakhamim about not listening to music as part of our mourning for the Bet haMiqdash, refers to celebratory music, that is, when music “invites” to dance, for example, or at a live concert, that people attend specifically to enjoy music. But not all music is “celebratory” music. Classical music; inspirational music or background music in a shopping mall or gym is not related to “celebration” or “happiness.” The same could be said of taking music classes or listening to the national anthem, etc. Rabbi Melamed also refers to melancholic music. The Talmud relates that in ancient Israel, sad music was played at funerals to inspire the hearts of the bereaved to enter a mood of sadness (Shabbat 151a). Based on the distinction between these three types of music (celebratory music, inspirational music and sad music), Rabbi Melamed says that: 1. One should avoid listening to celebratory music during the three weeks. 2. And until the beginning of the month of Ab, one might listen to inspirational or non-celebratory music 3. Once the month of Ab begins and until the 9th of Ab, only sad melancholic Jewish music would be allowed.

The popular Israeli religious radio station, Arutz 7, follows this opinion (www.inn.co.il).

SONGS vs. MUSIC

Rabbi Obadia Yosef z ”l has a different opinion. Based on a text from Maimonides, Mishne Torah (Ta’aniot 5: 12-15), where he mentions the mourning traditions that the rabbis established after the destruction of the second Bet haMiqdash. Among those restrictions, he says (5:14) “וכן גזרו שלא לנגן בכלי שיר וכל מיני זמר וכל משמיעי קול של שיר אסור לשמוח בהן ואסור… . “The rabbis also forbade playing musical instruments, and all kinds of music and any form of song. It is forbidden to rejoice with this music and listen to it; because we can’t forget the destruction of the Bet haMiqdash. ” While Rabbi Melamed explains that we should distinguish between joyful and melancholic music, Rabbi Obadia Yosef distinguishes between music played with ​​”musical instruments”, which Maimonides mentions in this text, and singing songs without musical instruments.  For Rabbi Yosef, what makes music joyful or celebratory is not its content, but the fact that the music is played with or without instruments. Rabbi Yosef indicates then that it is permissible to listen to or sing songs “a cappella”, that is, without instruments, until Rosh Chodesh Ab, even if the music is of a festive or celebratory nature.