Tishah be-Aḇ—the Ninth of Aḇ (CCAR 1923)

Contributor(s):

Aharon N. Varady (transcription), Unknown and Central Conference of American Rabbis [CCAR]

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12 April 2026 under the Creative Commons Zero (CC 0) Universal license a Public Domain dedication

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20th century C.E., 57th century A.M., English vernacular prayer, teḥinot in English

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	Comfort ye, comfort ye My people, saith your God. Bid Jerusalem take heart, and proclaim unto her, that her time of service is accomplished, that her guilt is paid off; that she hath received of the Lord’s hand double for all her sins. Hark! one calleth: Clear ye in the wilderness the way of the Lord, make plain in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill shall be made low; and the rugged shall be made level, and the rough places a plain; and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together; for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it. (Isaiah 40:1-5)
	The Lord saith: My law is in your hands, but the great future is in My hands. Each depends upon the other. If ye desire that I hasten the Messianic time then I require of you to observe My Divine Law. As I shall not forget the promised future, so forget ye not My Law. (Pesiqta Rabbati ed. Friedmann 144b)
	‘The path in the wilderness’ and ‘the highway in the desert’ of which the prophet speaks,^[1] Isaiah 40:3 means the training and experience which brings perfection to the soul. This is the ‘pathway to God’ (Isaiah 40:3) When men will learn righteousness in all their deeds, they will be prepared to come near unto Him; and His glory will be seen over them, as the prophet sayeth: ‘The glory of the Lord will be revealed’ (Isaiah 40:5) Since the sorrows have indeed come to purge the soul of the sins which separate it from God, surely there will also come the sense of nearness unto Him, which is the whole hope of the soul. (adapted from Aqedat Yitsḥaq 88.1.5 by Isaac Arama)
	Benighted men worship gods of wrath. When men lived under the cruelties of savage and barbaric life, their primitive minds could conceive only of an angry God, who punishes constantly, and who yields reluctantly to pleas for mercy. But as men’s souls expanded and their sense of justice grew, they began to perceive that God is not harsh, although He may be stern, and that even when He sends afflictions He is ever just. It is not His wilful displeasure which sends sorrow to man, but rather a benign and serene purpose.
	Thus when both the first and the second Temples were destroyed on the ninth of Aḇ, our fathers had long outgrown the belief that God was raging against them in cruel anger. They staunchly believed that the calamities which befell them, were either just requital for their sins, or else sage discipline to lead them into sinlessness.
	They knew that God was just and merciful. Even in their deepest woe they trusted in Him. Confident of His goodness they listened to words of comfort. Gradually the sense of sin wore away from their souls, and they stood in strong humility, as men chastened by God to fit them for His purposes. They realized that the Divine intentions were unsearchable, but they believed them to be benevolent, and they accepted them in love. Into the tangled thicket of their former lives came the scythe of pain, clearing away the nettles of iniquity and making a highway for the Lord of Hosts, that men may be able to walk with God.
	O Eternal One, Master of History, to whom a thousand years are but a span, kingdoms of the earth wither as a leaf and fade as a flower, but Thy purposes stand unchanged from age to age. We cannot know Thine eternal plans. Such knowledge is too wonderful for us. Yet we thank Thee for the trust in Thee, which Thou hast implanted within us.
	Pardon the bitter tears which we have shed at Thy chastisements. Forgive our regrets when we recall the smouldering ruins of ancient glories.^[2] A profound statement in the context of Reform movement opposition to political Zionism, at the time. –Aharon Varady Forgive us, for we are but mortal and our sight is blinded.
	Plant Thou in our hearts unconquerable faith that we may trust in Thy goodness. Comfort us with evidence of Thy mercy. Strengthen us that we may triumph over pain, and give us courage to live and fulfil the duties which Thou hast set before Thy people Israel. Amen.

“Tisha be-Aḇ—the Ninth of Aḇ” is the forty-fifth prayer found in ברכה ותהלה Blessing and Praise: A Book of Meditations and Prayers for Individual and Home Devotion (CCAR 1923), pp. 149-151. Unfortunately, we do not yet know of a resource providing clear attribution of authorship for any of the prayers in this volume.

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Notes

Notes
1	Isaiah 40:3
2	A profound statement in the context of Reform movement opposition to political Zionism, at the time. –Aharon Varady

Aharon N. Varady (transcription)

Aharon Varady (M.A.J.Ed./JTSA Davidson) is a volunteer transcriber for the Open Siddur Project. If you find any mistakes in his transcriptions, please let him know. Shgiyot mi yavin; Ministarot naqeni שְׁגִיאוֹת מִי־יָבִין; מִנִּסְתָּרוֹת נַקֵּנִי "Who can know all one's flaws? From hidden errors, correct me" (Psalms 19:13). If you'd like to directly support his work, please consider donating via his Patreon account. (Varady also translates prayers and contributes his own original work besides serving as the primary shammes of the Open Siddur Project and its website, opensiddur.org.)

Unknown

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Central Conference of American Rabbis [CCAR]

The Central Conference of American Rabbis (CCAR), founded in 1889 by Rabbi Isaac Mayer Wise, is the principal organization of Reform rabbis in the United States and Canada.

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ויהי נעם אדני אלהינו עלינו ומעשה ידינו כוננה עלינו ומעשה ידינו כוננהו׃ (תהלים צ:יז) · "May the pleasantness of אדֹני our elo’ah be upon us; may our handiwork be established for us — our handiwork, may it be established." (Psalms 90:17)

Tishah be-Aḇ—the Ninth of Aḇ (CCAR 1923)

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