And It Begins...
The 3-weeks-of-listening-to-the-same-acapella-cd's-over-and-over-again begin today. The major thing we're fasting for (besides the other 5 things) is that the Babylonians/Romans breached the walls of Yerushalayim today, making their way to the Beis HaMikdash on 9 B'Av.
But you ask yourself (or, at least I have, and then my rabbi told me that R' Soloveichik asked himself too), what were they doing for 3 weeks? What took so long to get from the walls of Yerushalayim to the Beis HaMikdash? For those of you who have been there, how long does it take to walk to the Kotel from when you walk into the Ir Ha'Atikah (Old City)? 15 minutes maybe? And it took them 3 weeks? What took so long? And not only that, the walls we have today aren't the same walls that were up in the times of the Batei Mikdash--or at least the 1st B"M (I think that by the 2nd B"M period Yerushalayim might have been this already I don't remember). So it was even smaller, and still took 3 weeks. What's with that?
Well, the answer is that us Jews know how to fight. It was pretty much non-stop fighting for 3 weeks. I think it's mentioned it the midrashim to Eicha, how much blood covered Yerushalayim after that--it was a lot. Tons of people lived there (I mean, come on, it's Yerushalayim, y' know?), and everyone went to fight, to protect themselves and the B"M. Crazy fighting for 3 straight weeks.
"Eichah yashivah badad, ha'ir rabasi am, hayisa ki'almanah; rabasi bagoyim sarasi bammidinos, hayisa lamas--Alas--she sits in solitude! The city that was great with people has become like a widow. The greatest among nations, the princess among provinces has become a tributary."
May the Lord change this bim'heirah b'yameinu, speedily in our days. And now let us respond, "Amein."
But you ask yourself (or, at least I have, and then my rabbi told me that R' Soloveichik asked himself too), what were they doing for 3 weeks? What took so long to get from the walls of Yerushalayim to the Beis HaMikdash? For those of you who have been there, how long does it take to walk to the Kotel from when you walk into the Ir Ha'Atikah (Old City)? 15 minutes maybe? And it took them 3 weeks? What took so long? And not only that, the walls we have today aren't the same walls that were up in the times of the Batei Mikdash--or at least the 1st B"M (I think that by the 2nd B"M period Yerushalayim might have been this already I don't remember). So it was even smaller, and still took 3 weeks. What's with that?
Well, the answer is that us Jews know how to fight. It was pretty much non-stop fighting for 3 weeks. I think it's mentioned it the midrashim to Eicha, how much blood covered Yerushalayim after that--it was a lot. Tons of people lived there (I mean, come on, it's Yerushalayim, y' know?), and everyone went to fight, to protect themselves and the B"M. Crazy fighting for 3 straight weeks.
"Eichah yashivah badad, ha'ir rabasi am, hayisa ki'almanah; rabasi bagoyim sarasi bammidinos, hayisa lamas--Alas--she sits in solitude! The city that was great with people has become like a widow. The greatest among nations, the princess among provinces has become a tributary."
May the Lord change this bim'heirah b'yameinu, speedily in our days. And now let us respond, "Amein."
posted by Karban Nesanel at 18:38
2 Comments:
our walls are turkish
i know, 15th century i know. i meant the size of the old city though.
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