Tisha B’Av: Remembering The Destruction Of The Temple
Today is not just any old day. On the Jewish calendar, Tisha B’Av is a solemn day of remembrance for all Jews.
The ninth day of the month of Av on the Hebrew calendar usually coincides with July or August. Throughout the history of the Jewish people, this was their 9/11 event, but unfortunately, it happened more than once. So in many areas of the world, it's hot and humid during this time of year. Some people observe their fast on this date because it is made up of reflection and mourning rather than celebration, like other days throughout the year.
The Jewish holiday of Tisha B'av falls this year on Saturday at sundown, July 17 going until sunset on Sunday, July 18, 2021. Some call it "the saddest day" because it commemorates two major tragedies that happened thousands of years ago. And they happened on the exact same day (the 9th of Av), 656 years apart. The destruction of Solomon's Temple in 586 BC by the Babylonians led by King Nebuchadnezzar II involved the destruction of Jerusalem and the First Temple. The biblical account is corroborated by evidence found in archeological digs around Jerusalem, which include parts of the wall from this Temple and inscriptions that refer to an attack on "the city of David".
Then, 656 years later, the Second Temple was destroyed by Roman legions under Titus Vespasian as he sacked Jerusalem after breaching its walls with battering rams and siege towers in 70 AD. The ruins of the Second Temple that are visible today date from the early Roman period. The western wall of the Temple Mount (also known as 'the Wailing Wall') is actually a retaining wall and is the only remaining reminder of the Herodian-era Second Temple.
King Solomon's Temple, also known as the First Temple, was built by King Solomon in 957 BC and is considered to be one of the most celebrated religious structures ever built. Its splendor was rivaled only by its beauty. It stood for almost 400 years before being destroyed (2 Chronicles 36:19–20).
So on this day, we mourn the destruction of our Temple in Jerusalem. It was a time that marked history and is still deeply engraved in Jewish culture today. The Book of Lamentations resonates with sorrowful tones when being chanted by Jews on Tisha B’Av because it recounts Jeremiah's lament over the Holy City falling to Nebuchadnezzar’s Babylonian forces. They were exiled 70 years in Babylon specifically for ignoring God’s command to let their land lay fallow on the sabbatical year (i.e., every seventh year they were to let the land rest). They did not do this for 490 years. That would be 70 sabbatical years. God gave those 70 years back to the land by bringing in Babylon to take the people captive for that 70 years as a result of their disobedience to God’s command.
The Jewish people grieve on this day and it is like hearing Jeremiah lamenting over the loss so many years ago; mourning those who died defending Israel against its enemies but also knowing that what was lost for now still shall be gained at a later date.
In the face of unrelenting tragedy, Jewish people cling to hope. Jeremiah's account is wrought with despair but concludes on a note of comfort and renewed faith in God:
"Restore us to yourself, O Lord, that we may be restored! Renew our days as if they were old." Lamentations 5:21
Today, Jerusalem’s Western Wall is the holiest site to Jewish people and very significant to Christians too - it's where Jews pray for the redemption of their firstborn sons from Exodus 13:2 as Mary and Joseph did with Jesus in Luke 2:23-24 as they brought Him to the Temple.
And let’s make a few quick clarifications here.
The Wailing Wall is also called the Western Wall. Or, in Hebrew, the Kotel.
The Wailing Wall is NOT the Temple. It is simply the supporting wall of the larger Temple complex built by King Herod. The Temple itself stood ROUGHLY near where the Dome of the Rock stands today.
For many years, the Wailing Wall was the nearest the Jewish people could get to the place where the Temple once stood, and for that reason, it has become significant and holy.
The Wailing Wall is also NOT the Western Wall that everyone recognizes in touristy pictures of Israel. That wall was built by King Hadrian, circa 135 CE.
The Wailing Wall is made up of all kinds of different stones, placed there over the last 2,000 representing the different time periods and peoples who were living in the holy land at the time.
Today, as you stand close enough to touch the horrors that occurred when the Temple was destroyed forcing Jewish People into exile; here at this place known as “the holiest spot on earth" – a towering limestone wall fills your sight. Little do we know today what happened nearly 2000 years ago during the Roman occupation (AD 70), but one thing remains true about these ancient stones even now - the Wall still stands as a reminder. The Jewish people remain on this earth, and they endure even now in spite of these devastating attacks against them.
Just like the Temple was destroyed then rebuilt - just as our ancient ancestors left Egypt following God's commandment to Moses – so shall we leave behind what happened two thousand years ago and once again return back home to Israel.
Today is a time for mourning, but also one for celebrating the resilience of my people in spite of their oppression throughout history, and to remember the miracles God has done to restore His people. The prophet Amos even predicted that Tisha B’Av would become a festive day when he said:
"On that day I will raise up the fallen booth of David; I will repair its breaches, and raise up its ruins...On that day I will raise up the booth of David that is fallen and repair its damages." – Amos 9:11-12
The complex of the Wailing Wall is an emotional and spiritual experience for Jews. You’ll see hundreds of people mourning the destruction of The Temples, on Tisha B'Av at this holy site where you can also find a prayerbook with readings from Eichah. Men read it aloud in their characteristic wail while women cry out as they listen to each verse echoing through the stones.
The Kotel was originally built as part of the expansion of Herod's Temple. The natural hill, known as the temple mount, is encased by a huge rectangular structure to create more space for worshippers and visitors at this holy site.
The Kotel has stood in the Jewish Quarter of Jerusalem for centuries. The area is a testimony to how time and place have both impacted and shaped our history forever. King Solomon dedicated this site as the Temple, but then later it was destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar II during his siege against Judah (2 Kings 25:3). And though many Jews were dispersed throughout exile due to persecution or because they voluntarily moved out of Israel, something about these stones sticks creates a long for a new Temple. For the Jewish people today, preparations have already been made to reconstruct a Third Temple. For those who have studied Bible prophecy, that Temple will be a significant catalyst to launch our world into the eschatological events predicted in books like Daniel, Matthew, and Revelation. For followers of Jesus today, there is a longing for an even greater Temple, one we call the Millennial Temple where Sar Shalom, Yeshua, the Prince of Peace, will reign.
But more on that another time...
The Kotel in Jerusalem has become the center of prayer for Jews. It has been a site where people have gone since antiquity trying to get close to the original Temple. The Jewish community believes that because all prayers enter heaven through the Kotel, it must also pass from there and bless them with good fortune as well as happiness and peace on earth. That is the belief. We know God hears our prayers just as much from the walls of our houses as He does from the stones of Jerusalem.
King David knew God was in this place:
“In my distress I called upon the LORD; to my God I cried for help. From His temple, He heard my voice, and my cry to Him reached His ears.” - Psalm 18:6
The Wailing Wall is a historic and holy site for Jews from all over the world who travel to Jerusalem in order to pray at this sacred spot. It's customary for visitors to bring pieces of paper on which they have written their prayers or notes that are then tucked into crevices within the wall as prayer offerings. Anyone can place prayer requests here!
But here’s the thing I tell groups who we take to Israel: The Temple in Jerusalem is gone, but there is still a Temple. After the Second Temple was destroyed, another Temple was built, not made with stone, but of flesh.
“Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God?” - 1 Corinthians 6:19
That ancient Spirit of God, the very Shekinah glory that fell upon the Temple of Solomon, now resides in the bodies of the followers of Jesus today. Let that sink in a moment. So when a Jew comes to the Wailing Wall to pray, trying to get close to the ancient Temple and the presence of God, when they stand next to you, they are closer than they have ever been.
If you ever have the opportunity to go to Israel and visit the Wailing Wall, look up. Centuries of rebuilt stones amassing to create a mosaic of destruction and restoration as each new people group would come through and claim the Holy Land their own. Remember that on this very place where we stand today is a reminder for why we need to be strong and not falter in our faith; it was here on "The Ninth of Av" when both Temples were destroyed by enemies who sought nothing short but complete destruction.
Restoring peace and order back into Jerusalem will come again, through a greater King. We call Him Yeshua, Jesus, the Prince of Peace.