Throwback Thursday Tisha B'Av Special: Don McLean Sings "Waters of Babylon" ("Al Naharot Bavel") in 1975

If you were expecting a joke today, we're sorry to disappoint you. Today is Tisha B'Av, an annual fast day in Judaism which commemorates the destruction of the First and Second Temples in Jerusalem and the subsequent exile of the Jews from the Land of Israel.

The day also commemorates other tragedies which occurred on the same day, including the Roman massacre of over 100,000 Jews at Betar in 132 CE. Instituted by the rabbis of 2nd-century Palestine, Tisha B'Av is regarded as the saddest day in the Jewish calendar, a day in which all pleasurable activity is forbidden, and is marked by synagogue attendance the night before and during the day. But that doesn't mean there's no singing, or more accurately, chanting.

The highlight of the day's service is the chanting of the megillah of Eicha (Lamentations), written by the prophet Jeremiah. Eicha is read in synagogues and in groups meeting indoors and outdoors.

If Eicha's dirge-like melody and mournful lyrics don't speak to you, there's another musical way to get into the mood. In 1975 Don McLean performed his hit song Babylon in front of a live audience in Dublin and had them singing along with him. The lyrics are just perfect for Tisha B'Av, adapted from Psalm 137 in Tehilim (The Book of Psalms). 

עַ֥ל נַהֲר֨וֹת ׀ בָּבֶ֗ל
שָׁ֣ם יָ֭שַׁבְנוּ גַּם־בָּכִ֑ינוּ
בְּ֝זׇכְרֵ֗נוּ
אֶת־צִיּֽוֹן׃

By the rivers of Babylon,
there we sat and also wept,
as we remembered Zion. 

 

   #Throwback Thursday     #TBT

Finding Hope and Joy Today on Tisha B'Av - The Day of Mourning for the Holy Temples

There is no day during the year when we can't find an opportunity to laugh, chuckle, guffaw, grin, or maybe just crack a smile.  Without humor, the world would be a much grimmer place.  Even during the High Holy Days and on fast days, most of us find a moment to share an anecdote or witty comment with friends.  

Today is no exception, but the overall mood of the elongated day is much more sorrowful than any other.  The reason, of course, is that today we observe Tisha B'Av, the ninth day of the Hebrew month of Av.

Tisha B’Av is a fast day that commemorates the destruction of the two Temples. It also happens to be the day that many other calamities have befallen the Jewish people. 

 

This year Tisha B'Av was actually yesterday, but because we don't fast on Shabbat, the day of mourning and fasting was put off until today. The same thing happened in 2018, and in that year Israel's i24 News posted a YouTube video by Rabbi Yaacov Kirmayer of the Fifth Avenue Synagogue who explained the significance of the day.

 

Amid the sadness of the day, there is room for hope and even a bit of laughter, as the rabbi described how centuries ago Rabbi Akiva laughed while visiting the site. Why laughter? Because he realized that the destruction was the fulfillment of a prophecy and pointed to a later prophecy that the Temple would ultimately be rebuilt.

We hope you have an easy and meaningful fast.