Thursday, July 30, 2009

Tisha B'Av by the Western Wall

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Some people stayed the whole night of Tisha B'Av beside the beloved Western Wall.
When the sun came up and peaked over the Kotel, Jews were still praying or sitting on the ground as in mourning, reading the Book of Lamentations.
You too can see the Hebrew and English text and even listen to the Prophet Jeremiah's words being chanted at VirtualCantor.com (just click on Eicha).
Please see yesterday's post for more about this special day.


This wall was not totally knocked down by the Romans in 70 C.E. when the Temple and Jerusalem were destroyed. It is the only remaining remnant, not of the Temple building itself, but of the retaining wall of the elevated platform called the Temple Mount.
For 19 centuries it was a Wailing Wall.
Women to the right of the mechitsa screen, men to the left.

These photos are from the 9th of Av, three years ago. But it would have looked the same this morning. Nothing changes much.
Jews have been observing this fast day for over 1,900 years and will continue to do so.
Why?
As Yossi Goldman of Chabad writes,
"Jews never had history. We have memory. History can become a book, a museum, and forgotten antiquities. Memory is alive. And memory guarantees our future."
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The sun and sky over Jerusalem are for SkyWatch Friday .

21 comments:

  1. It's crowded there. Nice photos. I always get amazed by similarities of religions. Your photos reminded me some of our religious events back in Mashhad when people gathered in the Emam Reza Shrine (see the photo in the background of the title of Sara's blog.) or when I was in Mecca and Medina.

    In Jerusalem, people stand or sit in front a stone-made wall to pray and chat with their God and probably hearing back at the same time or later.
    People in Mashhad stand or sit in a shrine facing toward Mecca and do the same.
    People in Mecca stand or sit right in front the Kaba (the stone-made cube) and do the same too.

    We have a pome in Farsi says:
    ٍEach person may pray you with a different language,
    Pigeon by poem reading and nightingale by singing
    هر کس به زبانی صفت حمد تو گوید
    قمری به غزلخوانی و بلبل به ترانه

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  2. Dina, Although I do not keep your fasts, I pray for your people.

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  3. Great post.
    I always love the great photos and terrific writeups.

    Come visit...
    Troy and Martha
    To see Big Sky & Buffalo Country, Click here.
    Troy and Martha

    Back in the blog groove again...
    Trying to catch up with everyone.

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  4. Traditions are very important, so is religion. The pictures say more then words could.

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  5. I saw on my calendar that today is the "Fast of the 9th of Av" but I did not know all that implied until I read your two posts. Thank you for the education. Next time I read Lamentations it will have new meaning for me.

    Blessings.
    Sara

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  6. Very good article and information Saludos

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  7. always learn something new when i come by and visit...and i like mr.goldman's words...they are oh so true.
    a most inspiring skywatch post.
    have a good weekend.

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  8. Absolutely stunning!

    I cannot wait to see it in person for myself, thank you for sharing!

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  9. Religion has a way of uniting people, and understanding other culture and being tolerant can usher us to peace.

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  10. Thank you for taking me along!
    It's a mitzvah.....
    Aloha my friend

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  11. What beautiful photographs, Dina. So poignant. They are stories within their framing.

    I like Yossi Goldman's quote. It resounds true, throughout the decades, generations and centuries.

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  12. Again, I love this. Great post. I especially liked the quote about the difference between history and memory.

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  13. As always I enjoyed your informative post. I really like the quote. If there were more memories instead of history the world would be a better place.. History can be forgotten or rewritten. Memories are forever.

    An Arkies Musings

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  14. Very interesting report, Dina.
    I find so nice and true the words of Yossi Goldman.

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  15. Thanks for sharing your skies Dina.
    Beautiful post.

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  16. For me,an idea to travel to a certain country usually starts with a single image.Some could came from years ago. For Israel, it is the wall and more important than that the people's attachment to it. I just want to see it with my own eyes one day.

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  17. I have never seen the place so crowded. Great shots of one of the most famous walls in the world!

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  18. Only who has suffered so many blames it has the ability to preserve the memory of her history.
    A good weekend.

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  19. I already start smiling when I click on your name. I love your posts, well, except the very sad ones.

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  20. Interesting reading and nice shots!

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