The Three Weeks or Bein ha-Metzarim ( Hebrew : בין המצרים , "Between the Straits ", cf " dire straits ") is a period of mourning commemorating the destruction of the first and second Jewish Temples. The Three Weeks start on the seventeenth day of the Jewish month of Tammuz —the fast of the Seventeenth of Tammuz —and end on the ninth day of the Jewish month of Av —the fast of Tisha B'Av , which occurs exactly three weeks later. Both of these fasts commemorate events surrounding the destruction of the Jewish Temples and the subsequent exile of the Jews from the land of Israel. According to conventional chronology, the siege of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar II occurred in 586/7 BCE, and the second siege of Jerusalem (70) by the Romans , in 70 CE. Jewish chronology, however, traditionally places the first destruction at about 421 BCE: see Missing years (Jewish calendar) for more information.
36-490: Three Weeks may refer to: The Three Weeks , a period of mourning commemorating the destruction of both the first and second Jewish Temples in Judaism Arts and entertainment [ edit ] Three Weeks (book) , an early example of mass-market women's erotic fiction by Elinor Glyn Three Weeks , a 1914 film presented by B. S. Moss Three Weeks (film) ,
72-561: A 1924 film drama directed by Alan Crosland, based on the Glyn book ThreeWeeks , a magazine that covers the Edinburgh Festivals "Three Weeks", a song on the album Polka Party with Brave Combo: Live and Wild! by Brave Combo Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title Three Weeks . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change
108-478: A commentary to Lamentations 3:1,14,15; 4:12. The opinion set forth in the introduction to Buber's critical edition that the arrangement of the proems at the beginning of the work was made by a later editor, who included the marked comments of the Midrash as proems, and who, after prefixing the introductory formula to a comment on Ecclesiastes Rabbah 12:1 et seq., used it as a proem for Lamentations Rabbah 24 (23),
144-616: A connecting link with Lamentations 1:1, is found also in the Pesiqta as the first proem to pericope 15 (p. 119a) to Isaiah 1:21, the Hafṭarah for the Sabbath before Tisha B'Av. The same is the case with the second and fourth proems in the Pesiqta , which are identical with the fourth and third (according to the correct enumeration) of the proems to Lamentations Rabbah ; the fifth in
180-528: A few verses in chapter 3. Its commentary often involves stories, some of them far longer than the verses of Lamentations they comment on. For example, the words "the populous city, the city great among the nations" in Lamentations 1:1 are vividly interpreted in the Midrash as referring to how the people of Jerusalem were "great in intelligence". This interpretation is then expounded by the telling of eleven stories in which Jerusalemites outwit Athenians . In
216-537: A late date for the Midrash, especially since Zunz himself concludes that the authorities mentioned therein by name are not later than the Jerusalem Talmud. All that can be definitely stated is that Lamentations Rabbah was edited after the completion of the Yerushalmi, and that Genesis Rabbah must also be considered as of earlier date, not so much because it was drawn upon, as because of the character of
252-577: A record of Austrian customs , that haircuts are not taken and weddings are not celebrated during the Three Weeks. His opinion was cited as halacha by Moses Isserles in Rema on Shulchan Aruch , which is the foundation for most of current Ashkenazic practice. Special haftarot (passages from the Nevi'im ), the "Three of Affliction" ( tlat de-purʿanuta ), are read in the synagogue on each Shabbat of
288-417: A result, some Jews are particularly careful to avoid all dangerous situations during the Three Weeks. These include: going to dangerous places, undergoing a major operation that could be postponed until after Tisha B'Av, going on an airplane flight that could be postponed until after Tisha B'Av, and engaging in a court case if it can be postponed until after Tisha B'Av. The first source for a special status of
324-532: Is a dirge on the destruction of the First and Second Temples and the national destruction that came along with it—was treated by scholars as especially appropriate to Tisha B'Av , to the day of the destruction of the Temple, and to the evening before Tisha B'Av. The sources from which Jerusalem Talmud drew must have been accessible to the author of Lamentations Rabbah , which was certainly edited some time after
360-541: Is entirely wrong. There can be no doubt that precisely the opposite process has taken place. The entire interpretation in Ecclesiastes Rabbah 12:1-7, which consists of two versions, is composed of two proems—that in Leviticus Rabbah and the proem in this Midrash. The numberless proems originating in the synagogal discourses of the earliest times must be regarded as the richest source upon which
396-408: Is found embodied in the exposition of Lamentations 1:2, "she weepeth sore in the night," etc., a whole proem, the text of which is Psalms 78:7 et seq., "I remember my lute-playing in the night," etc.; this proem contains also the final sentence which serves as introduction to the section Isaiah 49:14, and it is known from the Pesiqta pericope 17 to be a proem to a discourse on this section, which
SECTION 10
#1732775686867432-482: Is intended for the second "consolatory Sabbath" after Tisha B'Av. From this, it becomes evident that the collector of the Lamentations Rabbah used the aggadic exposition—found in the Pesiqta fulfilling its original purpose—as a comment on Lamentations 1:2. The same is true of the commentary to Lamentations 1:21 for which there was used a proem on the Pesiqta section Isaiah 51:12, intended originally for
468-537: Is introduced a story from the Jerusalem Talmud Ta'anit 65a, telling how Abba bar Zabda preached on this verse during a fast-day service. It is not strange that for similar expressions, such as "en lo . . ." and "lo matz'ah manoah" occurring in Lamentations 1:2, 3, and Genesis 8:9, 11:30, Lamentations Rabbah uses the explanations of Genesis Rabbah 38 and 33, or that in the Lamentations Rabbah
504-817: Is read on Saturday like the other special haftarot, but the other is read on the Fast of Gedaliah . According to the Mishnah , "from the beginning of Av , happiness is decreased." The last nine days of the three weeks—which are also the first nine days of the month of Av, culminating in the Tisha B'Av fast—constitute therefore a period of intensified mourning in the Ashkenazi custom. Many Jewish communities refrain from partaking of poultry , red meat , and wine; wearing freshly laundered clothes; and bathing in warm water. Sephardic Jews observe many of these restrictions only from
540-540: The Arukh . The work begins with 36 consecutive proems forming a separate collection, certainly made by the author of the Midrash. They constitute more than one quarter of the work These proems and, perhaps, most of the annotations, which are arranged in the sequence of the verses, originated in the discourses of which, in olden times, the Book of Lamentations had been the subject. The aggadic explanation of this book—which
576-550: The Pesikta de-Rav Kahana . The midrash is quoted, perhaps for the first time, by Chananel ben Chushiel under the name "Aggadat Eichah." Many passages are quoted by R. Nathan, who invariably calls the work Megillat Eichah . The term Eichah Rabbati , which is general even now, is used to designate the many extracts in Yalkut Shimoni which have been included with the other Biblical books. In Lamentations Rabbah itself,
612-408: The Pesiqta (120b-121b), which corresponds to the second in this Midrash, has a defective ending. With a change in the final sentences, the first proem in Lamentations Rabbah is used as a proem in the Pesiqta pericope 11 (110a), and with a change of the proem text and of its close, proem 10 (9) of Lamentations Rabbah is found as a proem in the Pesiqta pericope 19 (137b). On the other hand, there
648-532: The Clever Deductions". and AT 1533 "The Wise Carving of the Fowl". To some verses (2:20, 3:51, 4:13,18,19) are added the stories to which they were referred, even though they are also found in the large collections on 2:2 and 1:16: "For these things I weep; mine eye, mine eye runneth down with water." These collections, as well as the long passage on 1:5 ("her enemies prosper"), giving so many accounts of
684-401: The Midrash contains aggadic passages having some sort of relation to the verse. For example, in connection with the words "at the beginning of the watches" (Lamentations 2:19) is introduced the whole discussion of the Jerusalem Talmud on the statement of the Mishnah , "to the end of the first watch"; in connection with the words "let us lift up our heart with our hands to God in heaven" (3:41)
720-467: The Sunday before Tisha B'Av, dispensing with them entirely in years when Tisha B'Av falls on a Sunday. Yemenite Jews do not maintain these customs. Lamentations Rabbah The Midrash on Lamentations ( Hebrew : אֵיכָה רבה , romanized : Ēkhā Rabbāh ) is a midrashic commentary to the Book of Lamentations . It is one of the oldest works of midrash, along with Genesis Rabbah and
756-496: The Talmud. But Maimonides in his Mishneh Torah prescribes a slight variation of these three, and Yemenite Jews read the haftarot that he lists. The nine haftarot of the eight weeks following Tisha B'Av likewise were selected for their content. These are the "Seven of Consolation" ( shev di-nhemta ) followed by the "Two of Repentance " ( tarte di-tyuvta )—which two appropriately fall between Rosh ha-Shanah and Yom Kippur ; one
SECTION 20
#1732775686867792-437: The Three Weeks are divided into four levels, increasing in intensity: Standard Ashkenazic custom, or minhag , restricts the extent to which one may take a haircut, shave or listen to music with instruments. However, communities and individuals vary their levels of observance of these customs. No Jewish marriages or other major celebrations are allowed during the Three Weeks, since the joy of such an event would conflict with
828-596: The Three Weeks—which is also the oldest extant reference to these days as Bein ha-Metzarim—is found in Lamentations Rabbah 1:29 (4th century?). This midrash glosses Lamentations 1:3 ("All [Zion's] pursuers overtook her between the straits"), interpreting "straits" as "days of distress"—namely the Seventeenth of Tammuz and the Ninth of Av. Isaac Tyrnau (late 14th-early 15th centuries) wrote in his book Minhagim,
864-633: The breaking of the Tablets of the Law by Moses , when he saw the people worshipping the golden calf ; the burning of a Torah scroll by Apostomus during the Second Temple period ; the destruction of both Temples on Tisha B'Av; the expulsion of the Jews from Spain shortly before Tisha B'Av 1492; and the outbreak of World War I shortly before Tisha B'Av 1914, which overturned many Jewish communities. As
900-478: The collectors of the midrashim could draw. In the part of Lamentations Rabbah which contains the running commentary to the Book of Lamentations , the character of interpretation is on the whole the same as in Genesis Rabbah . Side by side with the simple interpretation of sentences and words, and with various midrashic explanations dating from different authors (whose comments are placed in juxtaposition),
936-447: The completion of the former, and which probably borrowed from it. In the same way older collections must have served as the common source for Lamentations Rabbah , Genesis Rabbah , and especially for the Pesiqta de-Rab Kahana . The aggadic comment on Hosea 6:7 appears earlier as a proem to a discourse on Lamentations, and is included among the proems in this Midrash as a comment on Genesis 3:9. The close of this proem, which serves as
972-499: The completion of the whole work must not be placed before the second half of the seventh century," because the empire of the Arabians is referred to even in a passage of the first chapter. However, according to a reading of Salomon Buber 's edition (which is the only correct one as shown by the context), Seir, not Ishmael, is mentioned in connection with Edom in this passage to 1:14. Zunz's other arguments likewise fail to prove such
1008-569: The expected mourning mood during this time. Many Orthodox Jews refrain from eating meat during the Nine Days from the first of the month of Av until midday of the day after the fast of Tisha B'Av, based on the tradition that the Temple burned until that time. The Three Weeks are considered historically a time of misfortune since many tragedies and calamities which befell the Jewish people are attributed to this period. These tragedies include
1044-436: The fourth Sabbath after Tisha B'Av, and a section which had for its text this verse of Lamentations (pericope 19, p. 138a); and also in regard to the comment to Lamentations 3:39, which consists of a proem of the Pesiqta pericope 18 (p. 130b). But the author also added four proems from Lamentations Rabbah itself (29, 18, 19, 31, according to the correct enumeration), retaining the introductory formula ר ... פת , as
1080-399: The link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Three_Weeks&oldid=902874840 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages The Three Weeks The mourning observances during
1116-547: The proem collection in Lamentations Rabbah . Like Genesis Rabbah, Lamentations Rabbah is of Judean origin, and rich in foreign words, especially Koine Greek . It certainly is not strange that the "Vive domine imperator!" with which Yohanan ben Zakkai is said to have approached Vespasian in his camp, should have been reproduced. The same phrase was likewise transmitted in Aramaic and Hebrew form, in Buber's edition and in
Three Weeks - Misplaced Pages Continue
1152-461: The same aggadah is found three times. For example, the same aggadah is used to explain the three passages Lamentations 1:1, 2:4, and 2:5, in each of which the word "like" occurs; the same comment is applied both to 3:53 and 3:56; a sentence of Shimon ben Lakish is used five times; and the explanation for reversing the order and putting the letter פ before ע is given twice. Lamentations Rabbah comments on every verse in Lamentations, except
1188-574: The sources are almost always missing. The names Midrash Eichah , Midrash Kinot , Megillat Kinot , are also found in the old authors. In Yalkut Shimoni , there are likewise long extracts from a Midrash on Lamentations published under the name Midrash Zutta . According to Galit Hasan-Rokem , Lamentations Rabbah was composed in Roman Palestine "approximately in the middle of the first millennium C.E.". Leopold Zunz concluded that "the last sections were added later" and, furthermore, "that
1224-618: The sufferings of Israel, including the times of the Temple in Jerusalem and the fateful Bar Kokhba revolt , are the most impressive in Lamentations Rabbah ; they form an integral part of the work, like the interesting sagas and stories to on the greatness of the city of Jerusalem and the intelligence of her inhabitants. In connection with "the sons of Zion, the splendid ones" (4:2), the Midrash tells of social and domestic customs. The stories of Lamentations Rabbah fill over fifteen columns of
1260-548: The three weeks. These prophecies of Jeremiah and Isaiah predict the fall of Jerusalem, unlike most haftarot of the yearly cycle, which reflect the theme of the day's Torah reading . The Pesiqta de-Rav Kahana is the first source to designate the appropriate 12 selections from the Prophets, the Three of Affliction being Most congregations use the haftarot suggested by the Pesiqta de-Rav Kahana , which are not mentioned in
1296-540: The view of Galit Hasan-Rokem, Athenians are chosen for this purpose as they were themselves seen as paragons of wisdom; "by telling of the life of Jerusalem before the destruction, the stories recreate what has been lost, not only to enhance the pain of its absence but also to awaken joy at what once was". Several of the stories belong to folktale types attested widely in Eurasia, such as Aarne-Thompson tale-types AT 655 "The Wise Brothers", AT 655A "The Strayed Camel and
#866133