Tisha B'Av: Jewish Day of Fasting and Mourning Begins Tonight

Tisha b’Av is the saddest day of the Jewish calendar. On the ninth day of the Hebrew month of Av, Jews remember the tragedies that have marked our history, beginning with the destruction of our Temple in Jerusalem in 586 B.C.E. and continuing through the centuries of expulsions, pogroms and massacres to the catastrophes of our own era.

The day is marked by the signs and customs of mourning. From sundown Monday night until nightfall Tuesday evening, Jews engage in a complete fast—abstaining from eating, drinking, bathing, wearing leather shoes, putting on cosmetics and from sexual activity. During the synagogue service, it is customary to sit on the floor and refrain from offering greetings or engaging in friendly small talk.

On Tisha b’Av evening, Jews come together to hear the biblical Book of Lamentations (Eikha) chanted in its slow, haunting melody. Eikha tells the story of the destruction of Jerusalem and the resulting exile of the Jewish people. It begins with the words:

Alas! Lonely sits the city, once great with people. She that was once praised among the nations has become like a widow.”

The chanting is concluded with kinot, bitter songs of lament, which aim to further stir and break the heart.

Yet despite the sadness, as the day progresses the collective mood turns from grief to hope. On Tisha b’Av afternoon, many Jews will put on their tefilin (phylacteries)—a symbol of dignity and refusal to give up on our distinctive identity. The Rabbis of the Talmud even go so far as to teach that the Messiah will be born on Tisha b’Av, affirming that even in the midst of sorrow we remain committed to a vision of peace and justice for all people.

By the end of the full day of mourning, Jews gather to break the fast and step out of our collective darkness with a heightened understanding of loss and renewed belief in the possibility of a future that will be brighter than the past.

“The basic interpretation in what is called Rabbinical Judaism of Rabbi’s interpretation of the Old Testament is this: A sackcloth sun is a total lunar eclipse of the sun. And a blood moon is an eclipse of the moon can appear bloody red. When sun is eclipsed it appears dark. The Rabbi’s taught that when the sun is in eclipse it is a bad omen for the world. Another observation is when the luminaries are in eclipse it is a bad omen for Israel (blood moon stage). The most eclipses that can occur in one year are 7. Twice in the 20 Century here were 7 eclipses (1917 & 1973).(additional note; there was a report of an eclipse of the sun recently over Africa and part of Asia).

1917 (4 eclipses of sun; 3 of moon); events happening this year were WWI came to a climax; Russian Revolution; General Allenby liberating Palestine from Turkish rule (Israel related); Balfour Declaration (concerning Jews return to Israel).

1973 (7 eclipses): Yom Kippur War(6 Day War in Israel); Oil Embargo; 28 nations suffering drought. The imageries of the signs in the heavens were seen by the ancient Biblical prophets indicating when you see certain alignments of the sun in eclipse form and when you see the moon in a blood moon stage (full lunar eclipse) then you know these are indicators of heavenly signs.

Israel’s calendar is a lunar/solar calendar. They practiced their Feast Days by the phases of the moon. The moon goes into a cycle of 29.5 days. The Jews divide the moon’s cycle by complete darkness to complete light; from complete light to complete darkness in 29.5 days. Prophetcially this is saying to us that 15 generations of Israel and another 15 generations of Israel is a parallel with the moon’s cycle of 15 days dark and 15 days light.

From the time of Abraham when everything was dark to the time of Solomon was 15 generations. In other words Israel went from nothing (total darkness) to the fullness that it ever was under Solomon. After Solomon Israel began to diminish and 15 generations later it led to the Babylonian captivity and Israel was in total darkness again.

So, Jewish Rabbi’s understood that God had put them on a lunar cycle for their Feast Days and also a lunar cycle as far as their ancient calendar concerned. In ancient times they had two eyewitnesses to detect the sliver of moonlight and would announce it to the High Priest and this was the beginning of the month. Alot of the Feasts come at the time of a full moon. One Feast (Feast of Trumpets or Rosh Hoshanah) is not practiced on the full moon and is determined at the first sliver of the moon in order to begin (beginning of the month). At the time of Jesus and before no one knew the day or hour of the Feast of Trumpets because you had to see the moon to know that the month was beginning, so there was a 48 hour window that was allowed for the two witnesses to see the moon; one of the ways they communicated was to build fires to send their message/signal. So within a hour people would know from thousands of miles that the Feast was starting.

The Jewish Talmud

Talmud Sukkah 29a “When the moon is in eclipse, it is a bad omen for Israel. If its face is red as blood, it is a sign that the sword is coming to the world.” Jewish Rabbi’s for 100’s amd 100’s of years have followed the positioning of the sun and moon and they’ve also followed the positioning of sackcloth suns and bloody moons and also comets and they have come up with an elaborate way of discerning the signs of the heavens how it will affect events on earth.

Genesis 1:14 This scripture says that the sun, moon, and stars were given for signs and seasons.

We DO NO as Christians believe that one looks at the constellations and categorize people under certain signs that have bearing on personal lives (horoscope/astrology). This practice is forbidden in Deuteronomy 4:19.

The simple sun, moon, and stars are for signs and seasons to ancient Israel and they began to discover that when, for example, when they saw a comet that within 4 years there would be a major war some where. Examples: 66 AD (appearance of Halley’s Comet) and 4 years later in 70 AD the Temple was Destroyed; in 1910 (Halley’s Comet) and in 1914 WWI; in 1988 (Halley’s Comet) and in 1992 Gulf War. This gives evidence of what’s going to happen.

Bloody Moons

When the moon is in full eclipse it’s a bad omen for Israel. In 1996 Israel celebrated its 3,000th year anniversary. On April 3, 1996 there was a full lunar eclipse over Jerusalem at Passover (1st major Feast Day of Israel). On September 26-27 of same year of the 3,000th anniversary there was a 2nd lunar eclipse on the eve of the Feast of Tabernacles - the last Feast of Israel. Six months later on Purim (Esther 9:24-32) which is the celebration of Queen Esther’s victory over Haman, there was another blood moon. When blood moons fall on Jewish Feast Days or they fall on days significant to the Jews it is a sign to Israel that something major is going to happen in the world or something major is going to happen involving Israel personally.

Solar Eclipses

Solar eclipses are a negative sign for the world. The month of “AV” (on Jewish calendar) is most negative month of all months for the Jews. These things have occurred in the month of AV:

- 12 spies brought a negative report to Moses
- Solomon’s Temple was destroyed by the Babylonians
- The 2nd temple was destroyed by the Romans
- The Romans plowed the city under with salt in 71 AD
- England expelled the Jews in 1290 AD
- Spain expelled the Jews in 1492 AD
- Huge meteorites hit Jupiter in 1994
- Jews were removed from their homes in Gaza (2004?)

On the 9th of AV Jews do a day of fasting and mourning in reflection of these events.

Solar eclipses have and will happen: on AV the first August 2008; AV the 2nd, August 2009; AV the first, August 2010.

Pastor Mark Blitz of El Shaddai Ministries in Washington did research on this: since 1 AD there has been blood moons to occur on the Feast Days of Passover and Tabernacles 7 times.

1492: Jews were expelled from Spain and bloody moons came on: Passover, April 2, 1493; Tabernacles, September 25, 1493; Passover, March 22, 1494; Tabernacles, September 15, 1494.

1948: Israel became a nation, bloody moons came on: Passover, April 13, 1949; Tabernacles, October 7, 1949; Passover, April 2, 1950; Tabernacles, September 26, 1950; war/conflict over Israel’s becoming a nation, etc.

1967: Jerusalem becomes capital of Israel; bloody moons came on: Passover, April 24, 1967; Tabernacles, October 18, 1967; Passover, April 13, 1968; Tabernacles, October 6, 1968.

All these years wars or fights against the Jews (see the link here?).

The 8th occurence will happen 2014 and 2015. The time frame of 2012-2015 will produce major cosmic activity, and is interesting only because of what the scripture tells us.

See Luke 23:45; Revelation 6:12; Matthew 24:29; Isaiah 13:10

In 2015 the Jewish new year will begin with a total solar eclipse and 2 weeks later a total lunar eclipse then in the civil year (?) of Rosh Hoshanah another blood moon on the Feast of Tabernacles.

2015: Bloody moons will come on: Passover, April 15, 2014; Tabernacles, October 8, 2014; Passover, April 4, 2015; Tabernacles, September 28, 2015.”

http://www.meetup.com/PensacolaAreaCampaignforLiberty/messages/8971931/

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