[HANASHIR:3563] Re: Rick's question

[GurevitzR <GurevitzR...>]

Not sure I want to continue on this track of debate - I found the last long 
mailing particularly confusing as it seems to contain someone's responses to 
pieces of an earlier e-mail without the usual e-mail markings to make it 
clear when one voice begins and ends.  Was anyone else confused, or am I just 
being stupid?

But, to answer your question, Rick.  The Torah doesn't say anything about 
what we can and can't do on Tisha B'Av, because Tisha B'Av marks about 10 sad 
occasions in Jewish history, the most marked being the destructions of the 
temples, which didn't happen 'till several hundred years after the end of 
Deuteronomy.  However, there is extensive discussion about what is and is not 
permitted on this day in both the Mishnah and Gemara and halachah is derived 
from these discussions (BTW, only reason I know this is because I got 
together with a couple of other staff members last night after we brought in 
Tisha B'Av at Elat Chayyim, and we studied the Mishnah and Gemara entries 
before reading the book of Lamentations).

It is meant to be a sad day - the culmination of a 3 week period (the 
beginning of the 3 weeks symbolises the date when the outer temple walls were 
first breached) when, traditionally, there is no music, entertainment, 
extravagance, bar/batmitzvahs, weddings, etc.

Hope that clarifies a bit.

Rachel

------------------------ hanashir (at) shamash(dot)org -----------------------+
Hosted by Shamash: The Jewish Internet Consortium  http://shamash.org
------------------------ hanashir (at) shamash(dot)org -----------------------=