What do we mean when we speak of the Destruction of the Temple? For most of us, the phrase evokes the destruction of the Second Temple – the catastrophe that ushered in nearly two thousand years of exile and is documented in relatively abundant historical sources. Yet Jerusalem had already known devastation long before then, and the Ninth of Av (Tisha B’Av) was established as a day of mourning and fasting centuries earlier.
So, what led to the destruction of the First Temple?
The Story of the Destruction
The Continuing Evolution of Tisha B’Av
Over the centuries, the most somber day in the Hebrew calendar has become associated with different tragedies across Jewish history. It is a process that still continues.
Rabbi Yochanan Ben Zakkai’s Choice: Jerusalem or the Jewish People?
Shortly before the destruction of the Second Temple, with Jerusalem under siege by the Romans, Rabbi Yochanan Ben Zakkai made a very difficult decision, leaving his beloved and holy city behind to its fate. Feeling he could not save it, he decided to try something different in an attempt to keep the Jewish People alive.
Martha, Daughter of Boethus, Who Died From Stepping Out Onto Jerusalem’s Streets
More delicate than the princess from “The Princess and the Pea”, more spoiled than a Kardashian. Among the Talmudic legends surrounding the destruction of ancient Jerusalem is the strange story of a wealthy woman who was unaccustomed to contact with the outside world. Why did the Talmudic sages choose to focus on this particular tale, and is there a modern lesson to be learned from it?
Did an Illicit Relationship Lead to the Expulsion of England’s Jews?
The story of two courageous converts, their Jewish wives and institutional anti-Semitism
The National Day of Mourning… and Fundraising?
In the early 20th century, Zionists rallied around Tisha B’Av
How the Western Wall Became One of Judaism’s Holiest Sites
When and how did Jews begin praying at the Western Wall?
