Tisha B'Ab - The day they burned the books

[Ian David]

The day they burned the books
------------------------------------------------------------------------
DAVID SHAMAH, THE JERUSALEM POST Aug. 13, 2005
------------------------------------------------------------------------

The ninth of Av, known as the fast of Tisha Be'av, has been, historically, a
bad day for the Jews. Tisha Be'av, of course, commemorates the destruction
of both Holy Temples, and presaged our loss of national independence and
descent into exile.

<snip>


But there have been other lesser known events that have occurred throughout
the centuries on Tisha Be'av. Along with the better and lesser known
tragedies listed at http://ohr.edu/yhiy/article.php/1088, on Tisha Be'av in
1242 there was a mass burning of the Talmud and other Jewish books. This
event occurred in Paris, and was ordered directly by Pope Gregory IX and
King Louis, who were responding to the Jews' refusal to convert.


And it wasn't the first, nor the last, time Jewish books were burned. From
Cairo in 1190 until the Nazi era, book burning was a common practice for
anti-Semites who thought that if they could destroy the word, they would be
able to destroy the Jew.




<snip>


The basic books in the Jewish library are, of course, the Bible, the Mishna
and the Talmud. Then come the commentaries, compendia of the law, rabbinic
answers to halachic problems and midrash. Almost all the basic (and many not
so basic) Jewish writings are available free on the Internet. You can find
the 1917 Jewish Publication Society translation of the 24 books of the Bible
at http://www.davening.net/jpstanach.html. An on-line Hebrew edition of the
Bible is available at http://kodesh.snunit.k12.il, which also has on-line
copies of the Mishna, Tosefta, Jerusalem and Babylonian Talmuds and
Maimonides' Mishne Torah.

More:
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1123813191633&p=1111893688911

[garthranzz]

1. And how ironic

and sad that on Tisha B'Av this year, Jews started expelling Jews - reminiscent of the cause of the destruction of the 2nd Temple -hatred among Jews.

The Talmud lists 5 tragedies that occurred on Tisa B'Av. In modern times, the Jews were expelled from Spain, perhaps the worst disaster between the destruction of the Temple and the Holocaust. Also, World War I started on Tisha B'Av - and many historians see WWII as a continuation of WWI. Even those that don't recognize it as the cause of it.

[Ian David]

2. Here are some more

1312 B.C.E-- Spies return from 40 days in Israel with evil reports of the Land of Israel. Jewish people cry in despair, give up hope of entering the Land of Israel.

421 B.C.E-- Destruction of First Temple by the Babylonians, under Nebuchadnezar. About 100,000 Jews killed during invasion. Exile of remaining tribes in southern kingdom to Babylon and Persia.

70 CE Destruction of Second Temple by Romans, under Titus. Over 2,500,000 Jews die as a result of war, famine and disease. Over 1,000,000 Jews exiled to all parts of the Roman Empire. Over 100,000 Jews sold as slaves by Romans. Jews killed and tortured in gladiatorial "games" and pagan celebrations.

132 C.E.-- Bar Kochba revolt crushed. Betar destroyed - over 100,00 killed.

133 C.E.-- Turnus Rufus ploughs site of Temple. Romans build pagan city of Aelia Capitolina on site of Jerusalem.

1095 C.E.-- First Crusade declared by Pope Urban II. 10,000 Jews killed in first month of Crusade. Crusades bring death and destruction to thousands of Jews, totally obliterate many communities in Rhineland and France.

1290 C.E.-- Expulsion of Jews from England, accompanied by pogroms and confiscation of books and property.

1492 C.E.-- Inquisition in Spain and Portugal culminates in the expulsion of the Jews from the Iberian Peninsula. Families separated, many die by drowning, massive loss of property.

1914 C.E.-- Britain and Russia declare war on Germany. First World War begins. First World War issues unresolved, ultimately causing Second World War and Holocaust. 75% of all Jews in war zones. Jews in armies of all sides - 120,000 Jewish casualties in armies. Over 400 pogroms immediately following war in Hungary, Ukraine, Poland and Russia.

1942 C.E.-- Deportations from Warsaw Ghetto to the Treblinka concentration camp begin.

1989 C.E.-- Iraq walks out of talks with Kuwait.

1994 C.E.-- The deadly bombing the building of the AMIA (the Jewish community center in Buenos Aires, Argentina) which killed 86 people and wounded some 300 others.

More:
http://ohr.edu/yhiy/article.php/1088

[sakabatou]

3. So... how's the fast going for those who are doing it?

[sakabatou]

4. Oh... wait, it was yesterday

God, I'm not thinking...