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Click on the Parashah name to read the summary:
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Moses' Farewell Address...
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The concluding book of the Torah of Moses is called Devarim (i.e., דברים, "words" or "things"), from the phrase eleh ha'devarim ("these are the words...") found in its opening verse. In our English Bibles, Sefer Devarim (ספר דברים) is known as the Book of "Deuteronomy," from a Greek word meaning "second (or repeated) law" (δευτερονόμιον), a term used to translate the phrase mishneh ha-Torah ("copy of the Torah," Deut. 17:18). Generally speaking, this book represents Moses' "farewell address" to Israel, where he reviews and summarizes the history and the laws given to the people and repeatedly warns that obedience will bring blessing while disobedience will bring disaster. The series of personal discourses (or sermons) in this book all have the tone of rebuke and admonition, and indeed some sages say it resembles a sort of "deathbed blessing" not unlike Jacob's blessing given to his sons.
Our Torah portion (פרשה) for this week – the very first of the Book of Deuteronomy – begins with Moses recounting the journey from Mount Sinai to the edge of the promised land. He mentioned the difficulty of personally governing the people and recalled how he set up a system of judges to help him administer justice among the various tribes. Moses then reminded the people of the sin of the spies and the rebellion of the people at Kadesh Barnea, which led to God's decree that no one of that generation would live to enter the land of Canaan (except for Caleb and Joshua). Moses then provided an outline of the 38 year exile of the Israelites back toward the Sea of Reeds, into the desert regions, and then back again until the subsequent generation was ready to enter the promised land.
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The fifth month of the Hebrew calendar (counting from the month of Nisan) is called the month of Av (i.e., Chodesh Av, "the month of the Father"), which begins sundown Tuesday, July 14h this year (this is also the anniversary of the death of Aaron, the first High Priest of Israel, see Num. 33:38).
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The month of Av is regarded as most solemn among the Orthodox. The ninth day of this month ("Tishah B'Av") marks the date when the people believed the evil report of the spies and were sent into exile by the LORD (see Num. 14:28-35). Later, the destruction of both the First Temple (in 586 B.C.) and the Second Temple (in 70 AD) occurred on this same date, resulting in the worldwide exile (diaspora) of the Jewish people. In somber recognition of this we observe Tishah B'Av (תִּשְׁעָה בְּאָב), or the "ninth of Av," as a fast day for mourning the lost vision of Zion. This year Tishah B'Av begins Wednesday, July 22nd at sundown.
Since Rosh Chodesh Av marks the time of mourning for Zion, we humbly ask the LORD to help us prepare for the coming time of teshuvah:
יְהִי רָצוֹן מִלְּפָנֵיךָ יהוה אֱלהֵינוּ
וֵאלהֵי אֲבוֹתֵינוּ שֶׁתְּחַדֵּשׁ עָלֵינוּ חדֶשׁ טוֹב
בַּאֲדנֵינוּ יֵשׁוּעַ הַמָּשִׁיחַ אָמֵן
ye·hi · ra·tzon · mil·fa·nei'·kha · Adonai · e·lo·hei'·nu
vei·lo·hei · a·vo·tei'·nu · she·te·kha·deish · a·lei'·nu · cho'·desh· tov
ba'a·do·nei'·nu · Ye·shu'·a · ha·ma·shi'·ach · A·men
"May it be Your will, LORD our God and God of our fathers,
that you renew for us a good month in our Lord Yeshua the Messiah. Amen."
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Shabbat Chazon...
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The Sabbath that immediately precedes the fast of Tishah B'Av is called Shabbat Chazon (the "Sabbath of the Vision") since the Haftarah that is read (i.e., Isa. 1:1-25) describes the vision of the prophet Isaiah regarding the imminent destruction of the Temple:
"Hear, O heavens and give ear, O earth,
For the LORD has spoken;
Though I brought up and raised My children,
They have rebelled against me." (Isa. 1:2)
When it was first recorded, Isaiah's vision of the destruction to come was still future, and the Jews still had a chance to repent before the great tragedy befell them. However, since they refused to do teshuvah (turn back to God), calamity overtook them. Today the Haftarah is traditionally chanted to the same haunting melody as Megilat Eichah (Lamentations), written by the prophet Jeremiah, who was an eyewitness to the destruction and fall of Judah and Jerusalem.
During the last nine days of the Three Weeks of Sorrow (from Av 1 - Av 9) it is common to confess the sins in our lives that likewise contribute to the lack of God's Presence in our midst. Hashivenu Adonai, elekha ve'nashuvah; chadesh yamenu kekedem: "Turn us back to You, O LORD, and we shall be turned; renew our days as of old" (Lam. 5:21).
Though Shabbat Chazon is a time of mourning, it is also a time for hope. The Torah reading for Shabbat Chazon is always parashat Devarim, the first portion of the Book of Deuteronomy. In this reading, Moses details the victorious battles with Sihon the king of Amorites and Og the king of Bashan. Because it speaks of God's victory, the sages recommended envisioning the future Temple that will be built by the Messiah at this time. According to Jewish tradition, after the Messiah comes and restores Israel, Tishah B'Av will become one of the happiest days of the year (and may He arrive soon and in our days).
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Tishah B'Av - July 22nd
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Tishah B'Av (תשעה באב, or the "ninth [day] of [the month of] Av") is an annual day of mourning that recalls the many tragedies that have befallen the Jewish people over the centuries, but most especially the destruction of the Holy Temple and the ongoing galut (exile) of Israel. This year Tishah B'Av begins Wednesday, July 22nd at sundown and runs 25 hours until an hour after sundown the following day. The customs for observing the fast are similar to those of Yom Kippur.
Tishah B'Av is generally regarded as the saddest day of the Jewish year (even sadder than Yom Kippur) since it was on this date that both the First and the Second Temples were destroyed and the Jewish people were forced into exile. The root of these tragedies is said to go back to the Exodus from Egypt, when the LORD decreed a 40 year exile from the Promised Land because of the Sin of the Spies on the ninth of Av. In addition, Aaron died on Av 1 (Num. 33:38), and this was said to foreshadow the destruction of the Temple. The sages call this prophetic principle: ma'aseh avot siman labanim (מַעֲשֵׂה אֲבוֹת סִימָן לַבָּנִים): "The deeds of the fathers are signs for the children."
The ninth of Av is the lowest point of a three week period of mourning that began with the fast of the 17th day of the fourth month (undertaken to recall the first breach in the walls of Jerusalem by the Babylonians before the First Temple was destroyed). The "Three Weeks of Sorrow" is intended to instill a sense of teshuvah (repentance) and to prepare for the Messianic redemption to come.
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Dates During the Three Weeks of Sorrow:
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Torah Readings for Tishah B'Av
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Tishah B'Av allows us to express heartfelt grief over the loss of Zion and therefore over the fraility of our human condition. During this time it is appropriate to grieve over our sins and to shed tears that attest to lev nishbar ve'nidkeh, a "broken and crushed heart" (Psalm 51:17). Indeed, during the entire "Three Weeks of Sorrow" we read selections from the prophets that forewarn of the coming destruction of the Temple (churban) and the subsequent exile of the Jewish people (galut). During this time of the year, we listen to the lamentations of the prophet Jeremiah crying out for our repentance...
During Tishah B'Av synagogue services, the lights are dimmed and the Aron Hakodesh (Holy Ark) is draped in black (in some synagogues the parochet (curtain) is removed as a sign of mourning). The crowns with tinkling bells are removed from Torah scrolls. Congregants remove their leather shoes and do not greet each other. The cantor leads the prayers readings in a low, mournful voice, and the cantillation (chanting style) for the Scripture reading is set to elegiac, sorrowful melodies.
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Some terms:
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- Parashah is the weekly Scripture portion taken from the Torah. Each parashah is given a name and is usually referred to as "parashat - name" (e.g., parashat Noach). For more information about weekly readings, click here.
- Aliyot refer to a smaller sections of the weekly parashah that are assigned to people of the congregation for public reading during the Torah Reading service. In most congregations it is customary for the person "called up" to recite a blessing for the Torah before and after the assigned section is recited by the cantor. For Shabbat services, there are seven aliyot (and a concluding portion called a maftir). The person who is called to make aliyah is referred to as an oleh (olah, if female).
- Maftir refers to the last Torah aliyah of the Torah chanting service (normally a brief repetition of the 7th aliyah, though on holidays the Maftir portion usually focuses on the Holiday as described in the Torah). The person who recites the Maftir blessing also recites the blessing over the Haftarah portion.
- Haftarah refers to an additional portion from the Nevi'im (Prophets) read after the weekly Torah portion. The person who made the maftir blessing also recites the blessing for the Haftarah, and may even read the Haftarah before the congregation.
- Brit Chadashah refers to New Testament readings which are added to the traditional Torah Reading cycle. Often blessings over the Brit Chadashah are recited before and after the readings.
- Mei Ketuvim refers to a portion read from the Ketuvim, or writings in the Tanakh. Readings from the Ketuvim are usually reserved for Jewish holidays at the synagogue.
- Perek Yomi Tehillim refers to the daily portion of psalms (mizmorim) recited so that the entire book of Psalms (Tehillim) is read through in a month. For a schedule, of daily Psalm readings, click here.
- Gelilah refers to the tying up and covering the Sefer Torah (Torah Scroll) as an honor in the synagogue.
- Divrei Torah ("words of Torah") refers to a commentary, a sermon, or devotional on the Torah portion of the week.
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