Shalom.
Tisha B'Av is the saddest day on the Jewish calendar because of the incredible series of tragedies which occurred on that date throughout Jewish History.
Tisha B'Av means "the ninth (day) of the Hebrew month of Av." Tisha B'Av primarily commemorates the destruction of the first and second Temples, both of which were destroyed on the ninth of Av (the first by the Babylonians in 586 B.C.E.; the second by the Romans in 70 C.E.).
Although this day is primarily meant to commemorate the destruction of the Temple, it is appropriate to consider on this day the many other tragedies of the Jewish people, many of which occurred on this day, most notably the expulsion of the Jews from Spain in 1492.
You can learn more about this Jewish fast day (begins Saturday evening, July 28, 2012) at:
www.jr.co.il/hotsites/j-hdayav.htm
May we see the rebuilding of the Temple in our days and that Tisha B'Av becomes a day of celebration.
If you are fasting:
Have a meaningful fast.
Jacob
Hi Everyone!
Congratulations and welcome home to the 229 new olim that made aliyah to Israel from North America. The NBN aliyah charter flight arrived in Israel on Thursday morning and included 99 children in 38 families and 59 singles. The youngest oleh in the group is 6 months old and the oldest oleh is 86 years old. The flight also included 6 dogs.
I took 300 photos of the exciting, historic event and I posted them online at:
http://www.jr.co.il/pictures/israel/history/2012/a705.htm
I also posted the 300 photos on Facebook for name tagging. There are two sets of photos and you can access the albums via:
http://on.fb.me/olim-july12-2012-facebook-1
and
http://on.fb.me/olim-july12-2012-facebook-2
If you have a Facebook acccount and you are in the photos or see someone you know, please feel free to name tag the photos.
May the aliyah from all over of the world grow and bring more Jews back to their homeland, Eretz Yisrael.
Have a good day,
Jacob
