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Tisha B'Av - Abolition in Modern Israel?

Tisha B'Av - Abolition in Modern Israel?: Encyclopedia II - Tisha B'Av - Abolition in Modern Israel?

In the 20th century, with the re-establishment of a Jewish state in the Land of Israel, many religious Zionists opined that the commemoration of Tisha B'Av would have to be modified, and possibly overturned. A notable body of responsa on this subject were developed among religious Zionists, notably rabbis within Modern Orthodoxy and the Conservative movement. Orthodox Judaism, while on the whole supporting the establishment of the State, has not seen it as a reason to abandon mourning over the destruction of the Temples and the other calamities, at least until the arr ...

Tisha B'Av: Encyclopedia II - Tisha B'Av - Abolition in Modern Israel?

Tisha B'Av - Abolition in Modern Israel?

A notable body of responsa on this subject were developed among religious Zionists, notably rabbis within Modern Orthodoxy and the Conservative movement. Orthodox Judaism, while on the whole supporting the establishment of the State, has not seen it as a reason to abandon mourning over the destruction of the Temples and the other calamities, at least until the arrival of the Messiah, when it will be a day of celebration.

The law committee of the Masorti Movement (Conservative Judaism in the State of Israel) issued responsa on the question "In our time do we still have to fast for the whole of Tish'a b'Av, seeing that our sovereign independence has been regained? May we reduce the outward signs of mourning and permit eating after the Minchah Service?" Two responsa were given:

Rabbi Theodore Friedman wrote a responsum, concluding: "There is already an historical precedent in Megillat Ta'anit which stipulated days on which we may not fast because of salvation wrought for Israel. In our time we have been vouchsafed a great salvation in the establishment of the State... It therefore seems to us that this great historical turning point in Israel's history should be celebrated by not completing the fast on 9th Av, but concluding it after the midday Minchah."
Rabbi David Golinkin wrote a responsum^[2], concluding "It is forbidden to fast only half the day on Tish'a b'Av for several reasons:
- we have demonstrated that during the period of the Second Temple they did fast on Tish'a b'Av...
- From the halakhic point of view this is not possible. Either we must fast on all four of the fasts [and Tisha b'Av] or on Tish'a b'Av alone...
- From the ideological point of view, we cannot yet say that we have reached the period of "peace". We should revert to the custom of the Ge'onim ... and fast the whole day on Tish'a b'Av and declare the other fast days to be voluntary and not compulsory."

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Abolition in Modern Israel?", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki

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