Rabbi & Rebbetzin's Corner August 2024

Shalom Mishpocha!

August has arrived! August is the last month of summer and the hottest month of the year. The original name of the month of August was originally a Latin word, Sextilis. In the 8th century BC, during the early Medieval period, the month was renamed August in honor of Augustus Caesar, the first Roman emperor. Interestingly, more babies are born in August than in any other month. August 1st is Airforce Day. The Air Force Day was established on August 1, 1947, by President Truman “in recognition of the personnel of the victorious Army Air Forces and all those who have developed and maintained our nation’s air strength. The United States Airforce became a separate military service on September 18th, 1947. United States Coast Guard Day is recognized on August 4 to commemorate the founding of the United States Coast Guard as the Revenue Marine on August 4, 1790, by then-Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton. On that date, U.S. Congress, guided by Hamilton, authorized the building of a fleet of the first ten Revenue Service cutters, whose responsibility would be enforcement of the first tariff laws enacted by the U.S. Congress under the U.S. Constitution.

August is often a wonderful month for stargazing! It’s the month of the Perseid meteor shower, which is one of the most prolific showers and reaches its maximum between August 11 and 13.  You can still see the Perseids even if they’re not at their peak. The shower lasts from about July 23 to August 22, so be sure to look skyward and keep an eye out.

Monday, August 12th, 2024, at sunset begins Tisha B’av (the 9th of Av). Av is the fifth month of the Hebrew calendar which falls in July/August on the Gregorian calendar.  The 9th of Av is a traditional day of fasting and mourning by the Orthodox Jewish community in Israel due to numerous, national catastrophic events that have occurred against Israel and our people through the span of History. The main focus of this day is the destruction of both Solomon’s Temple and Herod’s Temple accompanied by the expulsion of our people from the Land of Israel into Exile or Diaspora.

The First Temple was built by King Solomon and the unified Kingdom of Israel and Judah in Jerusalem about the 10th century BCE. Its description is found in I Kings chapters 6-8. It stood for about 410 years until it was destroyed in the siege of Jerusalem by the Babylonians and King Nebuchadnezzar in 587 BCE on the 9th of Av.

After the prophesied 70-year Babylonian exile was complete, our Jewish people returned to Jerusalem and Judah. Under the leadership of Ezra and Nehemiah, the Second Temple and Jerusalem was rebuilt. The second Temple stood for about 420 years until it was destroyed by the Roman 10th Legion and Prince Titus in August 70 C.E. on the 9th of Av.
After the destruction of the Second Temple, our Jewish people were dispersed among all the nations. The final revolt of our Jewish people against the Romans occurred in the city of Betar. On July 8, 132 CE, the city of Betar was destroyed and 100,000 Jews slaughtered.  One year later, the Roman commander Turnus Rufus plowed under the site of the Temple and the surrounding area. Both events occurred on the 9th of Av. Besides all these events occurring on the same exact day, numerous other historical events have happened to our Jewish people and Israel on the 9th of Av that continue to keep this a somber day for us. 
The First Crusade (Ironically to deliver Jerusalem from the Muslims) destroyed hundreds of French and Rhineland Jewish communities murdering some 1.2 million Jews.  The First Crusade, which murdered 10,000 Jews in the first month alone, began on August 15, 1096, the 9th of Av.

All Jewish people were expelled from England, accompanied by pogroms and confiscation of books and property on July 18, 1290, the 9th of Av.

All Jewish people were expelled from France on July 22, 1306, the 9th of Av.

On March 31, 1492, Queen Isabella along with her husband, Ferdinand, ordered our Jewish people banished from all areas of greater Spain.  The edict was signed on March 31, 1492 and the Jews were given four months to leave the country.  There was a massive loss of property, wealth, with many families becoming separated and many died by drowning.  The final day Jews could live in Spain, thus beginning the Spanish Inquisition, was July 31, 1492, the 9th of Av.

World War I began when Germany declared war on Russia.  This war began a massive socio-economic upheaval in Europe that concluded with the Shoa (Holocaust) and World War II.  World War I began on August 1-2, 1914, the 9th of Av.

SS Commander Heinrich Himmler received approval for “The Final Solution” which resulted in the Holocaust and murder of nearly ⅓ of the world’s Jewish population.  It was approved on August 2, 1941, the 9th of Av.

The mass deportation of Jews from the Warsaw Ghetto to the Treblinka extermination camp began on July 23, 1942, the 9th of Av.

Gush Katif was a Jewish community in Gaza with 8,600 residents. It was known for its unique greenhouses that exported more than $200,000,000 in bug-free fruits and vegetables to Europe and the Majority of our Esrog’s Lulav sets. In a Land for Peace deal brokered by President George Bush and Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, all Jewish residents of Gush Katif were forcefully removed on August 13, 2005, the 9th of Av.  This land for peace deal was brokered by the United States of America who 10 days later (10 is Yad, the hand of God) was struck by the most powerful hurricane every recorded up to that time, Katrina made landfall August 29th, 2005. Katrina was followed by an even stronger Hurricanes Rita and Wilma, three of the largest hurricanes ever recorded strikes the United States in the same year.

There’s more but you get the point!  Historically the 9th of Av is not a good time frame for us as a people and as a nation! Let us pause on Tuesday August 13th, 2024, and pray for the protection, restoration, and salvation of the land and people of Israel!

Blessings and Shalom,

Rabbi and Rebbetzin Carlson