Abraham Lincoln’s Secretary of State, William H. Seward, visited the Western Wall in Jerusalem in 1871. He writes the following in his book, Travels Around the World:
For centuries (we do not know how many) the Turkish rulers have allowed the oppressed and exiled Jews the privilege of gathering at the foot of this wall one day in every week, and pouring out their lamentations over the fall of their beloved city, and praying for its restoration to the Lord, who promised, in giving its name, that he would ‘be there.’
The Jewish sabbath being on Saturday, and beginning at sunset on Friday, the weekly wail of the Jews under the wall takes place on Friday, and is a preparation for the rest and worship of the day which they are commanded to ‘keep holy.’ The small rectangular open plaza serves for the gathering of the whole remnant of the Jewish nation in Jerusalem. Here, whether it rains or shines, they come together at an early hour, old and young, men, women, and little children – the poor and the rich, in their best costumes, discordant as the diverse nations from which they come.
They are attended by their rabbis, each bringing the carefully-preserved and elaborately-bound text of the book of the Lamentations of Jeremiah, either in their respective languages, or in the original Hebrew. For many hours they pour forth their complaints, reading and reciting the poetic language of the prophet, beating their hands against the wall, and bathing the stones with their kisses and tears. It is no mere formal ceremony.
Jews mourn for the destruction of the Temples year-round, as Seward witnessed at the Western Wall in 1871. But there is one day in the Jewish calendar – the ninth of the month of Av – in which mourning over the Temples is the exclusive focus of Jews worldwide.
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In 586 BCE on this date, the First Temple in Jerusalem, built by King Solomon, was destroyed by the Babylonians led by Nebuchadnezzar. In 70 CE on the same date, the Second Temple, refurbished by Herod the Great, was destroyed by the Romans led by Titus. One can see the Arch of Titus in Rome today which shows images of Roman soldiers pillaging the Temple and looting its ritual vessels. Both Temples sat on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem on the exact spot where the Dome of the Rock and the Al Aqsa Mosque currently sit.
During the 2,000 years of exile, no matter where they were around the world and not matter what horrific persecution they were experiencing, Jews have commemorated the destruction of the Temples on Tisha B’av in a uniquely Jewish way – fasting, introspecting, and reciting sad prayers while sitting on low chairs or on the floor. They also prayed for a return to Jerusalem and the restoration of the Temple on a daily basis and at their wedding ceremonies they broke a glass, declaring that their happiness cannot be complete as long as the Temple sits in ruins.
The international media often portrays Jews who seek to pray on the Temple Mount as radicals, trouble-makers, and even militants, seeking to create tension between Jews and Muslims. First and foremost, this is inaccurate. Jews simply seek the right to pray on the site where their Temples once stood. There is no reason for this to be seen as interference with Muslim worship which takes place in the same area. Second, the Jewish Temple itself was not a place for only Jews to worship.
A Place for All Nations
The prophet Isaiah records that the Temple was “a house of prayer for all nations,” a place where people from all faiths could pray and connect to God. The Temples were a platform for peace, love, and unity among all people of the world.
Related reading: Jewish Ties to the Temple Mount – What’s the Story?
However, while Israel prides itself on providing religious freedom to people of all faiths throughout the Jewish state, it has ceded control of the Temple Mount to the Jordanian Islamic Waqf. The Waqf refuse to allow Jews, Christians, or people from any faith other than Islam to pray there, zealously ensuring that anyone who even closes their eyes for a moment in what seems like prayer is ejected from the site.
While Jews mourn the destruction of their Temples throughout the year and specifically on Tisha B’Av, this is a loss for people of all faiths. We also cry over the fact that the free, civilized, democratic world has accepted a reality in which Muslims alone can pray on the Temple Mount.
Related reading: Freedom of Religion: Equal Rights in the Jewish State
Legend has it that when Napoleon observed Jews sitting on the floor reciting the same lamentations which Steward saw Jews chanting at the Western Wall on Tisha B’av, he commented:
A nation that cries and fasts for 2,000 years for their land and the Temple will surely be rewarded with both its land and the Temple.”
In fact, Jews do not simply mourn over the Temple but pray and yearn daily for the rebuilding of the Temple and the world peace which it represented.
On this Tisha B’av, let us all hope that we will experience peace among all nations and a world in which people of all beliefs can pray wherever and whenever they choose.
