Today is: Yom , Av 9, 5771 • 8 9, 2011
.
Topics in the news
.
Public disorder in London continues into its third day.
.
The Cambridgeshire Guided Busway, the longest guided busway in the world, opens in England.
.
Standard & Poor's downgrades the credit rating of the United States government to AA+ for the first time.
.
Juno, the first solar-powered spacecraft on a mission to Jupiter, is launched (pictured) from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.
.
NASA announces that its Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter captured imagery of possible liquid water on Mars during warm seasons.
.
Government forces crack down on protesters in Hama, a center of the Syrian uprising, killing more than 200 people.
.
Current events
.
Arts and culture
.
Australians fill out the 2011 Australian census. (ABC News Australia)
.
Business and economy
.
8 2011 stock markets fall
.
The Australian Commonwealth and Westpac banks cut fixed home loan rates as world share prices continue to fall in Australia and Asia. (News Limited), (Sydney Morning Herald), (Market Watch), (Reuters)
.
South Korea's financial authorities promise to take action to stabilise markets as stocks on the Korea Exchange continue to fall. (Yonhap)
.
The Australian and New Zealand dollar continue to fall as investors seek security with the Aussie dollar falling below parity. (Bloomberg)
.
Disasters
.
At least four people are dead and two missing after former Typhoon Muifa hits South Korea - 600 homes had earlier been destroyed in the People's Republic of China. (Chosun Ilbo), (AFP via Google News)
.
Law and crime
.
United Kingdom riots
.
Rioting continues in London with lawlessness spreading to other United Kingdom cities such as Liverpool, Leeds, Bristol and Birmingham. (Sydney Morning Herald) Can it be that The British have finally come to realize that it is a morally BANRUPT society? Will that old reilic, the Monarchy, be swept aside once and for all?
.
David Cameron, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, returns to Britain to chair an emergency meeting on the crisis and later recalls Parliament on Thursday. (BBC), (BBC)
.
Police have arrested 334 people and charged 69 after last night's riots. (Al-Jazeera)
.
The Football Association calls off a friendly match between the England national football team and Holland national football team. (The Guardian)
.
Politics and elections
.
Voters in some parts of the US state of Wisconsin go to the polls for recall elections for six Republican Party State Senators. (New York Times)
.
Penny Wong, the first openly gay member of the Australian Cabinet, announces that her partner will be having a baby. (Adelaide Advertiser)
.
Today in Judaism
.
Fast of Tishah B'Av
.
Today's Laws & Customs
.
• The Fast of Tishah B'Av
.
Mourning the destruction of the Temple and the exile of Israel, (see "Today in Jewish History") we abstain from eating and drinking, bathing, the wearing of leather footwear, and marital relations--for the night and day of Av 9 (i.e., from sundown on Av 8 to nightfall on Av 9). It is customary to sit on the floor or a low seat until after mid-day. Torah study is restricted to laws of mourning, passages describing the destruction of the Temple, and the like. The tefillin are worn only during the afternoon Minchah prayers.
.
• Sanctification of the Moon
.
Once a month, as the moon waxes in the sky, we recite a special blessing called Kiddush Levanah, "the sanctification of the moon," praising the Creator for His wondrous work we call astronomy.
.
Kiddush Levanah is recited after nightfall, usually on Saturday night. The blessing is concluded with songs and dancing, because our nation is likened to the moon—as it waxes and wanes, so have we throughout history. When we bless the moon, we renew our trust that very soon, the light of G‑d's presence will fill all the earth and our people will be redeemed from exile.
.
Though Kiddush Levanah can be recited as early as three days after the moon's rebirth, the kabbalah tells us it is best to wait a full week, till the seventh of the month. When sanctifying the moon of the month of Av, it is customary to wait till the night after Tishah B'Av.
.
Once 15 days have passed, the moon begins to wane once more and the season for saying the blessing has passed.
.
Today in Jewish History
.
• Exodus Generation Condemned to Die in Desert (1312 BCE)
.
On the Ninth of Av of the year 2449 from creation (1312 BCE), the generation of Jews who came out of Egypt under Moses' leadership 16 months earlier were condemned to die in the desert and the entry into the Land of Israel was delayed for 40 years.
As related in Numbers 14, when the Spies that Moses sent to the Land of Canaan returned with their disheartening report (see "Today in Jewish History" for yesterday, Av 8), the people wept all night -- the night of Av 9th -- proclaiming that they'd rather return to Egypt than attempt to conquer and settle it; G-d decreed that the entire generation will wander in the desert for 40 years until that last of them died out, and that their children, under the leadership of Joshua, will enter the land He promised as Israel's heritage.
This is the first of five national tragedies that occurred on Av 9 listed by the Talmud (Taanit 4:6), due to which the day was designated as a fast day. The other four are: the destruction of the two Temples, the fall of Betar, and the plowing over of Jerusalem. (see below)
.
• Holy Temples Destroyed; Birth of Moshiach (423 BCE and 69 CE)
.
Both the first and second Holy Temples which stood in Jerusalem were destroyed on Av 9: the First Temple by the Babylonians in the year 3338 from creation (423 BCE), and the second by the Romans in 3829 (69 CE).
The Temples' destruction represents the greatest tragedy in Jewish history, for it marks our descent into Galut--the state of physical exile and spiritual displacement in which we still find ourselves today. Thus the Destruction is mourned as a tragedy that affects our lives today, 2,000 years later, no less than the very generation that experienced it first hand.
Yet the Ninth of Av is also a day of hope. The Talmud relates that Moshiach ("anointed one"--the Messiah), was born at the very moment that the Temple was set aflame and the Galut began. [This is in keeping with the teachings of our sages that, "In every generation is born a descendent of Judah who is worthy to become Israel's Moshiach" (Bartinoro on Ruth); "When the time will come, G-d will reveal Himself to him and send him, and then the spirit of Moshiach, which is hidden and secreted on high, will be manifested in him" (Chattam Sofer).]
.
• Fall of Betar (133 CE)
.
Betar, the last stronghold in the heroic Bar Kochba rebellion, fell to the Romans on the 9th of Av of the year 3893 (133 CE) after a three-year siege. 580,000 Jews died by starvation or the sword, including Bar Kochba, the leader of the rebellion.
.
• Expulsion from England (1290)
.
The Jews of England were expelled by King Edward I on this date in 1290.
.
• The Spanish Expulsion (1492)
.
The Jews of Spain were expelled by King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella on the 9th of Av of 1492, terminating many centuries of flourishing Jewish life in that country.
.
Daily Quote
.
There are four types of temperaments. One who is easily angered and easily appeased--his virtue cancels his flaw. One whom it is difficult to anger and difficult to appease--his flaw cancels his virtue. One whom it is difficult to anger and is easily appeased, is a chassid. One who is easily angered and is difficult to appease, is wicked.
.
- Ethics of the Fathers 5:11
.
Daily Study
.
Chitas and Rambam for today:
.
Chumash: Va'etchanan, 3rd Portion Deuteronomy 4:41-4:49 with Rashi
.
Tehillim: Chapters 49 - 54
.
Tanya: Iggeret HaKodesh, end of Epistle 1
.
Rambam:
• Sefer Hamitzvos:
• 1 Chapter: Mechirah Chapter Twenty Five
• 3 Chapters: Maaser Chapter 7, Maaser Chapter 8, Maaser Chapter 9
.
Hayom Yom: Today's Mitzvah
.
Positive Commandment 127
.
The First Tithe
.
"But the tithes of the Children of Israel which they offer to G‑d as a gift..."—Numbers 18:24.
.
We are commanded to separate a tenth of our crops and give it to a Levite.
.
This biblical precept only applies in the Land of Israel.
.
THE SACREDNESS OF EACH DAY IN TORAH
.
Genesis Chapter 1
בְּרֵאשִׁית
.
Yom Shlee´shee.........Third day
.
וַיֹּאמֶר אֱלֹהִים, יִקָּווּ הַמַּיִם מִתַּחַת הַשָּׁמַיִם אֶל-מָקוֹם אֶחָד, וְתֵרָאֶה, הַיַּבָּשָׁה; וַיְהִי-כֵן. 9 And God said: 'Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear.' And it was so.
י וַיִּקְרָא אֱלֹהִים לַיַּבָּשָׁה אֶרֶץ, וּלְמִקְוֵה הַמַּיִם קָרָא יַמִּים; וַיַּרְא אֱלֹהִים, כִּי-טוֹב. 10
And God called the dry land Earth, and the gathering together of the waters called He Seas; and God saw that it was good.
יא וַיֹּאמֶר אֱלֹהִים, תַּדְשֵׁא הָאָרֶץ דֶּשֶׁא עֵשֶׂב מַזְרִיעַ זֶרַע, עֵץ פְּרִי עֹשֶׂה פְּרִי לְמִינוֹ, אֲשֶׁר זַרְעוֹ-בוֹ עַל-הָאָרֶץ; וַיְהִי-כֵן. 11
And God said: 'Let the earth put forth grass, herb yielding seed, and fruit-tree bearing fruit after its kind, wherein is the seed thereof, upon the earth.' And it was so.
יב וַתּוֹצֵא הָאָרֶץ דֶּשֶׁא עֵשֶׂב מַזְרִיעַ זֶרַע, לְמִינֵהוּ, וְעֵץ עֹשֶׂה-פְּרִי אֲשֶׁר זַרְעוֹ-בוֹ, לְמִינֵהוּ; וַיַּרְא אֱלֹהִים, כִּי-טוֹב. 12
And the earth brought forth grass, herb yielding seed after its kind, and tree bearing fruit, wherein is the seed thereof, after its kind; and God saw that it was good.
יג וַיְהִי-עֶרֶב וַיְהִי-בֹקֶר, יוֹם שְׁלִישִׁי. {פ} 13
And there was evening and there was morning, a third day. {P}
.
Topics in the news
.
Public disorder in London continues into its third day.
.
The Cambridgeshire Guided Busway, the longest guided busway in the world, opens in England.
.
Standard & Poor's downgrades the credit rating of the United States government to AA+ for the first time.
.
Juno, the first solar-powered spacecraft on a mission to Jupiter, is launched (pictured) from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.
.
NASA announces that its Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter captured imagery of possible liquid water on Mars during warm seasons.
.
Government forces crack down on protesters in Hama, a center of the Syrian uprising, killing more than 200 people.
.
Current events
.
Arts and culture
.
Australians fill out the 2011 Australian census. (ABC News Australia)
.
Business and economy
.
8 2011 stock markets fall
.
The Australian Commonwealth and Westpac banks cut fixed home loan rates as world share prices continue to fall in Australia and Asia. (News Limited), (Sydney Morning Herald), (Market Watch), (Reuters)
.
South Korea's financial authorities promise to take action to stabilise markets as stocks on the Korea Exchange continue to fall. (Yonhap)
.
The Australian and New Zealand dollar continue to fall as investors seek security with the Aussie dollar falling below parity. (Bloomberg)
.
Disasters
.
At least four people are dead and two missing after former Typhoon Muifa hits South Korea - 600 homes had earlier been destroyed in the People's Republic of China. (Chosun Ilbo), (AFP via Google News)
.
Law and crime
.
United Kingdom riots
.
Rioting continues in London with lawlessness spreading to other United Kingdom cities such as Liverpool, Leeds, Bristol and Birmingham. (Sydney Morning Herald) Can it be that The British have finally come to realize that it is a morally BANRUPT society? Will that old reilic, the Monarchy, be swept aside once and for all?
.
David Cameron, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, returns to Britain to chair an emergency meeting on the crisis and later recalls Parliament on Thursday. (BBC), (BBC)
.
Police have arrested 334 people and charged 69 after last night's riots. (Al-Jazeera)
.
The Football Association calls off a friendly match between the England national football team and Holland national football team. (The Guardian)
.
Politics and elections
.
Voters in some parts of the US state of Wisconsin go to the polls for recall elections for six Republican Party State Senators. (New York Times)
.
Penny Wong, the first openly gay member of the Australian Cabinet, announces that her partner will be having a baby. (Adelaide Advertiser)
.
Today in Judaism
.
Fast of Tishah B'Av
.
Today's Laws & Customs
.
• The Fast of Tishah B'Av
.
Mourning the destruction of the Temple and the exile of Israel, (see "Today in Jewish History") we abstain from eating and drinking, bathing, the wearing of leather footwear, and marital relations--for the night and day of Av 9 (i.e., from sundown on Av 8 to nightfall on Av 9). It is customary to sit on the floor or a low seat until after mid-day. Torah study is restricted to laws of mourning, passages describing the destruction of the Temple, and the like. The tefillin are worn only during the afternoon Minchah prayers.
.
• Sanctification of the Moon
.
Once a month, as the moon waxes in the sky, we recite a special blessing called Kiddush Levanah, "the sanctification of the moon," praising the Creator for His wondrous work we call astronomy.
.
Kiddush Levanah is recited after nightfall, usually on Saturday night. The blessing is concluded with songs and dancing, because our nation is likened to the moon—as it waxes and wanes, so have we throughout history. When we bless the moon, we renew our trust that very soon, the light of G‑d's presence will fill all the earth and our people will be redeemed from exile.
.
Though Kiddush Levanah can be recited as early as three days after the moon's rebirth, the kabbalah tells us it is best to wait a full week, till the seventh of the month. When sanctifying the moon of the month of Av, it is customary to wait till the night after Tishah B'Av.
.
Once 15 days have passed, the moon begins to wane once more and the season for saying the blessing has passed.
.
Today in Jewish History
.
• Exodus Generation Condemned to Die in Desert (1312 BCE)
.
On the Ninth of Av of the year 2449 from creation (1312 BCE), the generation of Jews who came out of Egypt under Moses' leadership 16 months earlier were condemned to die in the desert and the entry into the Land of Israel was delayed for 40 years.
As related in Numbers 14, when the Spies that Moses sent to the Land of Canaan returned with their disheartening report (see "Today in Jewish History" for yesterday, Av 8), the people wept all night -- the night of Av 9th -- proclaiming that they'd rather return to Egypt than attempt to conquer and settle it; G-d decreed that the entire generation will wander in the desert for 40 years until that last of them died out, and that their children, under the leadership of Joshua, will enter the land He promised as Israel's heritage.
This is the first of five national tragedies that occurred on Av 9 listed by the Talmud (Taanit 4:6), due to which the day was designated as a fast day. The other four are: the destruction of the two Temples, the fall of Betar, and the plowing over of Jerusalem. (see below)
.
• Holy Temples Destroyed; Birth of Moshiach (423 BCE and 69 CE)
.
Both the first and second Holy Temples which stood in Jerusalem were destroyed on Av 9: the First Temple by the Babylonians in the year 3338 from creation (423 BCE), and the second by the Romans in 3829 (69 CE).
The Temples' destruction represents the greatest tragedy in Jewish history, for it marks our descent into Galut--the state of physical exile and spiritual displacement in which we still find ourselves today. Thus the Destruction is mourned as a tragedy that affects our lives today, 2,000 years later, no less than the very generation that experienced it first hand.
Yet the Ninth of Av is also a day of hope. The Talmud relates that Moshiach ("anointed one"--the Messiah), was born at the very moment that the Temple was set aflame and the Galut began. [This is in keeping with the teachings of our sages that, "In every generation is born a descendent of Judah who is worthy to become Israel's Moshiach" (Bartinoro on Ruth); "When the time will come, G-d will reveal Himself to him and send him, and then the spirit of Moshiach, which is hidden and secreted on high, will be manifested in him" (Chattam Sofer).]
.
• Fall of Betar (133 CE)
.
Betar, the last stronghold in the heroic Bar Kochba rebellion, fell to the Romans on the 9th of Av of the year 3893 (133 CE) after a three-year siege. 580,000 Jews died by starvation or the sword, including Bar Kochba, the leader of the rebellion.
.
• Expulsion from England (1290)
.
The Jews of England were expelled by King Edward I on this date in 1290.
.
• The Spanish Expulsion (1492)
.
The Jews of Spain were expelled by King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella on the 9th of Av of 1492, terminating many centuries of flourishing Jewish life in that country.
.
Daily Quote
.
There are four types of temperaments. One who is easily angered and easily appeased--his virtue cancels his flaw. One whom it is difficult to anger and difficult to appease--his flaw cancels his virtue. One whom it is difficult to anger and is easily appeased, is a chassid. One who is easily angered and is difficult to appease, is wicked.
.
- Ethics of the Fathers 5:11
.
Daily Study
.
Chitas and Rambam for today:
.
Chumash: Va'etchanan, 3rd Portion Deuteronomy 4:41-4:49 with Rashi
.
Tehillim: Chapters 49 - 54
.
Tanya: Iggeret HaKodesh, end of Epistle 1
.
Rambam:
• Sefer Hamitzvos:
• 1 Chapter: Mechirah Chapter Twenty Five
• 3 Chapters: Maaser Chapter 7, Maaser Chapter 8, Maaser Chapter 9
.
Hayom Yom: Today's Mitzvah
.
Positive Commandment 127
.
The First Tithe
.
"But the tithes of the Children of Israel which they offer to G‑d as a gift..."—Numbers 18:24.
.
We are commanded to separate a tenth of our crops and give it to a Levite.
.
This biblical precept only applies in the Land of Israel.
.
THE SACREDNESS OF EACH DAY IN TORAH
.
Genesis Chapter 1
בְּרֵאשִׁית
.
Yom Shlee´shee.........Third day
.
וַיֹּאמֶר אֱלֹהִים, יִקָּווּ הַמַּיִם מִתַּחַת הַשָּׁמַיִם אֶל-מָקוֹם אֶחָד, וְתֵרָאֶה, הַיַּבָּשָׁה; וַיְהִי-כֵן. 9 And God said: 'Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear.' And it was so.
י וַיִּקְרָא אֱלֹהִים לַיַּבָּשָׁה אֶרֶץ, וּלְמִקְוֵה הַמַּיִם קָרָא יַמִּים; וַיַּרְא אֱלֹהִים, כִּי-טוֹב. 10
And God called the dry land Earth, and the gathering together of the waters called He Seas; and God saw that it was good.
יא וַיֹּאמֶר אֱלֹהִים, תַּדְשֵׁא הָאָרֶץ דֶּשֶׁא עֵשֶׂב מַזְרִיעַ זֶרַע, עֵץ פְּרִי עֹשֶׂה פְּרִי לְמִינוֹ, אֲשֶׁר זַרְעוֹ-בוֹ עַל-הָאָרֶץ; וַיְהִי-כֵן. 11
And God said: 'Let the earth put forth grass, herb yielding seed, and fruit-tree bearing fruit after its kind, wherein is the seed thereof, upon the earth.' And it was so.
יב וַתּוֹצֵא הָאָרֶץ דֶּשֶׁא עֵשֶׂב מַזְרִיעַ זֶרַע, לְמִינֵהוּ, וְעֵץ עֹשֶׂה-פְּרִי אֲשֶׁר זַרְעוֹ-בוֹ, לְמִינֵהוּ; וַיַּרְא אֱלֹהִים, כִּי-טוֹב. 12
And the earth brought forth grass, herb yielding seed after its kind, and tree bearing fruit, wherein is the seed thereof, after its kind; and God saw that it was good.
יג וַיְהִי-עֶרֶב וַיְהִי-בֹקֶר, יוֹם שְׁלִישִׁי. {פ} 13
And there was evening and there was morning, a third day. {P}
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