Friday, August 3, 1919 '19
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
Customs of Tisha b'Av
By RABBI SAMUEL FOX
(Copyright 1979, JTA, Inc-)
No benediction is pro-
nounced before the Megilla
of Lamentations is read- on
Tisha b'Av in the
synagogue. The same istrue
of the Megillot of Ruth,
Song of Songs and
Ecclesiastes:
The only one of the megil-,
lot over which a benediction
is pronounced is the Megil-
lat Esther which is read on
Purim. Some authorities
explain this by saying that
only the Book of Esther is
really referred to as a
megilla and requires the
same writing traditions as
does the Sefer Torah.
We thus read the Book of
Esther from a scroll that has
the same characteristics as
a Torah.
The other four, including
the Book of Lamentations,
are read from a printed-book
edition and do not consti-
tute a scroll (i.e., a megilla).
• Some claim that the obliga-
tion of reading and listening
to the Book of Esther is a
definite obligation which
requires a benediction like
any other religious obliga-
tion. The reading of the
other four books was estab-
lished as a custom which be-
came a requirement.
Since its original status is
a custom, it does not require
a benediction, as important
as the cutom may be.
One of the commentaries
(L'vush) explains that the
Book of Lamentations is not
written on parchment in the
form that a Torah is written
because it is the hope of the
Jewish people that the at-
mosphere of lament will not
be a permanent one and
that when the Messiah and
the final redemption will
come, there will be no need
for Lamentation, thus the
character of lamentation is
not permanent.
The usual blessing for the
appearance of the new moon
is delayed until after the
Fast Day of the Ninth of Av
becatise the blessings of-
fered upon observing the
new moon spell redemption
and deliverance. Such a
theme is not congruent to
the period of lamentations
and sadness that takes
place from the first to the
ninth of Av when many
tragic events in Jewish his-
tory are recalled.
It is only after this sad
period is over that the new
moon is blessed and rede-
mption is again hoped for.
Some claim that one must
learn to properly mourn his
losses before seeking a cura-
tive solution to his troubles.
Thus, a people who learned
to mourn can become a
people which can manage to
hope.
Israeli-Brazilian Relations
Tense' After Accusations
RIO DE JANEIRO (JTA)
— Relations between the Is-
raeli Embassy in Brasilia
and the Brazilian Foreign
Ministry are somewhat
"tense" over the Ministry's
accusation that Israeli dip-
lomats here are interfering
in Brazil's internal affairs.
Israeli Ambassador
Moshe Erell was summoned
to the Ministry to explain
what it considered anti-
Arab League and anti-
Palestine Liberation
Organization press releases
by the Israeli Consulate in
Sao Paulo.
Erell was later sum-
moned to the Ministry
again because it labeled as
"inopportune" Erell's press
release denying that the Is-
raeli actions constituted in-
terference. "Jf a country
embraces an international
organization which uses
violence as its official policy
against another country, is
it an internal or interna-
tional affair?" Erell said.
Meanwhile, a delegation
representing the Jewish
community met with
President Joao Baptista de
Figueiredo to present him
with a petition asking that
the PLO not be allowed to
open an office in Brazil. We
are worried over the possi-
ble opening of a terrorist re-
presentation in Brazil," the
petiton said. The delegation
was headed by Dr. Jose
Reiches, the new president
of the Brazilian Jewish Con-
federation.
Journalist-Rabbi Super, 71
JERUSALEM (JTA) —
Rabbi Arthur Saul Super,
former chief minister of the
Johannesburg Progressive
Jewish Congregation, died
in Natanya this week at the
age of 71.
Super was born in Britain
and studied at Jews College
and at the School of Orien-
tal Studies of London Uni-
versity. He also took a de-
gree at Cambridge.
He served as rabbi of
Shaar Hashamaim in
Montreal from 1933-36 and
of the United Hebrew Con-
gregation of Leeds, England
from 1937-1940.
Super was an army
chaplain during World
War II and resided in Is-
rael during the 1950s
>
where he •worked as a
journalist. For a time he
was the chief editorial
writer and assistant
editor of The Jerusalem
Post.
In 1960, he went to South
Africa, where he worked
first as editor of the Zionist
Record, and later, after his
ordination as a Reform
rabbi, as chief minister of
the Johannesburg Progress-
ive Congregation.
.
Tourism Higher
NEW YORK — Nearly
30,000 Americans visited
Israel in June, a four per-
cent increase over the same
month of 1978. In the first
six months of 1979, 136,227
Americans visited Israel.
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