The Three Weeks

The Three Weeks, also known as bein hametzarim (between the straights) begin on the 17th of the month of Tammuz, which is a minor fast day and continue through Tisha b’Av, or the ninth of Av, which is a major fast day, on which we mourn the destruction of both the First and Second Temple as well as numerous other tragedies which have befallen the Jewish people. Tradition teaches us that five tragedies occurred on the 17th of Tammuz—Moses broke the two tablets after seeing that the Jews had created and were worshipping the Golden Calf, the korban tamid—daily animal sacrifice ceased in the 1st Temple shortly before it was destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 B.C.E. (Before the Common Era), the walls of Jerusalem were breached by the Romans, a Torah scroll was burned and an idol was placed in the Temple. Fasting lasts from dawn to nightfall. Additional prayers are added during the morning and afternoon prayer services (Shacharit and Mincha) and the Torah is read as well.

As the Three Weeks are a time of great national mourning, it has become customary for Ashkenazic Jews (Jews from eastern and central Europe) to refrain from getting married, getting a hair cut, shaving and listening to music. It is permissible to become engaged during the Three Weeks. Sephardic Jews (Jews originally from Spain, Portugal and North Africa) commence the observance of these customs on the 1st of Av. Three haftarot of rebuke are read on the Shabbatot which occur during this period--two from the Book of Jeremiah and one from Isaiah.

The 1st of Av ushers in a period of intensified mourning known as the Nine Days, these being the first nine days of Av. During this period, it is customary to refrain from eating meat and drinking wine, making significant purchases and wearing freshly laundered clothing.

Tisha b’Av is a major fast day, marking the destruction of both the First and Second Temples. It was also the day on which the Children of Israel accepted the spies' report regarding the Land of Israel and thus the decree was issued which forbade their entry. Additionally, the Bar Kokhba revolt was crushed by the Romans, Betar, the last Jewish stronghold fell, the Spanish Jews were expelled in 1492, World War I began in 1914 and the mass deportation of Jews in the Warsaw Ghetto began in 1942. Fasting commences at sunset and lasts through the following nightfall. On Tisha b’Av, Jews traditionally gather in synagogues to hear the chanting of the Book of Lamentations, which is chanted using a mournful melody. This is generally chanted by candlelight and people sit on the floor as a sign of deep mourning and loss. Kinot or elegies are also chanted, which recount the tragedies that befell the Jewish people throughout the centuries, from the destruction of both the 1st and 2nd Temples to the Crusades, Pogroms, the Spanish Inquisition and expulsion of Spanish and Portuguese Jewry, as well as the expulsion of Jewish communities from many other countries including England and France. In our own time, numerous kinot have been composed for the six million Jews who died in the Holocaust. On Tisha b’Av, it is customary to refrain from greeting others as a sign of mourning. As on Yom Kippur, it is forbidden to wear leather shoes, engage in sexual relations, bathe or wear perfumes or ointments on Tisha b’Av. It is also forbidden to study Torah on Tisha b’Av, owing to the fact that the study of Torah is a joyful activity. The only sections of Torah that are permitted to be learned on this day are the Books of Lamentations and Job, as well as various sections of the Talmud dealing directly with Tisha b’Av and mourning.

It is traditional to study the story of Kamtza and bar Kamtza, found in the Babylonian Talmud (Gittin 56a), which is a very famous story regarding the destruction of the Second Temple by the Romans in 70 C.E. (Common Era). Our sages teach that the Second Temple was destroyed on account of Sinat Chinam—baseless hatred—and the story of Kamtza and Bar Kamtza illustrate this to great effect.

The story centers around a very well-to-do man living in Jerusalem in the first century, C.E. who is planning a dinner party and sends a servant to deliver an invitation to a friend of his by the name of Kamtza. The servant mistakenly delivers the invitation to Bar Kamtza, a man whom the wealthy host dislikes immensely. Upon seeing Bar Kamtza at his party, the man demands that he leave immediately. Trying mightily to avoid embarrassment and shame, Bar Kamtza attempts to reason with the host three times. He first offers to pay for his meal, then for half of the party and, finally, for the entire party. None of these offers satisfy the aggrieved host and finally, deeply humiliated Bar Kamtza leaves. Bar Kamtza is not only upset at the treatment that he received at the hands of the wealthy host but also very angered by the fact that not a single one of the rabbis at the event stood up for him. He vows to get revenge upon these rabbis who he deduces must not disagree with the actions of the host given that they did nothing to stop him and decides to do so by going to the Roman Caesar and telling him that the Jews are planning to rebel against the Roman Empire. In response, the Caesar sends an animal as a peace offering in the Temple along with Bar Kamtza, as he is not sure whether or not to believe Bar Kamtza’s claims.

On his return journey to Jerusalem, Bar Kamtza purposely wounds the animal, making it non-Kosher and thus unable to be offered as a sacrifice. Upon their discovery that the peace offering was non-kosher, the rabbis present are unsure of the proper decision. Do they make an exception to the law that an animal with a blemish of any kind is unfit for sacrifice and go ahead and sacrifice the animal anyway to avoid conflict with the Romans or do they stick to their guns and refrain from sacrificing the animal. Many are in favor of sacrificing the animal but Rabbi Zecharia ben Avkolos vetoes this plan. They next suggest that Bar Kamtza be put to death which Rabbi Zecharia ben Avkolos vetoes once again. Rabbi Yochanan taught that it was owing to Rabbi Zecharia ben Avkolos’ great piety that the Temple was destroyed.

As a result of his offering not being sacrificed in the Temple, the Roman Caesar was deeply angered and sends an army to conquer Jerusalem, leading to its downfall in70 C.E., when it was renamed and became a Roman, Pagan city.

The story of Kamtza and Bar Kamtza is meant as a means for us to reflect upon how the infighting and tensions within the Jewish community magnified the external threat from the Roman Empire. Baseless hatred, or sinat chinam, is traditionally believed to be the reason for the destruction of the Second Temple. During the Three Weeks and on Tisha b’Av especially, it is appropriate for us to each reflect upon the ways in which baseless hatred, causeless hatred and distrust is still very much alive with us today, not only within the Jewish community specifically but also in our world at large. It is all too easy to distrust those with whom we do not agree, to judge unfavorably those we know very little about and to make assumptions about others as a result of choices they make that are entirely without merit. It is incumbent upon all of us to think about how we can strive to overcome this all-too-common human tendency and to instead extend a favorable judgment to others.