Pesukei D’Zimrah for the Nine Days & Tisha B’Av 1
Tisha B'Av Prayers
1) The Ark Leads The Way
“So they set out from the mountain of God and traveled for three days. The Ark of the covenant of God went before them during those three days to find them a place to rest. The cloud of God was over them by day when they set out from the camp.
Whenever the Ark set out, Moses said,
“Rise up, O God!
May Your enemies be scattered;
May Your foes flee before You.”
Whenever it came to rest, he said,
“Return, O God, to the countless thousands of Israel (Numbers 10:33-36).”
2) The Ark Leads us Into the Promised Land
After three days the officers went throughout the camp, giving orders to the people:
“When you see the Ark of the covenant of God, your Lord, and the priests, who are Levites, carrying it, you are to move out from your positions and follow it.
Then you will know which way to go, since you have never been this way before.
But keep a distance of about a thousand yards between you and the ark; do not go near it.”
Joshua told the people, “Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow God will do amazing things among you.”
Joshua said to the priests, “Take up the ark of the covenant and pass on ahead of the people.”
So they took it up and went ahead of them.
And God said to Joshua, “Today I will begin to exalt you in the eyes of all Israel, so they may know that I am with you as I was with Moses.
Tell the priests who carry the Ark of the covenant:
‘When you reach the edge of the Jordan’s waters, go and stand in the river.’ (Joshua 3:2-8)
The Ark in Exile: Echoes of the Churban
The Philistines deployed their forces to meet Israel, and as the battle spread, Israel was defeated by the Philistines, who killed about four thousand of them on the battlefield.
When the soldiers returned to camp, the elders of Israel asked, “Why did God bring defeat upon us today before the Philistines?
Let us bring the Ark of God’s covenant from Shiloh, so that it may go with us and save us from the hand of our enemies.”
So the people sent men to Shiloh, and they brought back the Ark of the Covenant of God, Almighty, Who is enthroned between the cherubim.
And Eli’s two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the Ark of the covenant of the Lord.
When the Ark of God’s covenant came into the camp, all Israel raised such a great shout that the ground shook.
Hearing the uproar, the Philistines asked, “What’s all this shouting in the Hebrew camp?”
When they learned that the Ark of God had come into the camp,
the Philistines were afraid. “A Power has come into the camp,” they said. “We’re in trouble! Nothing like this has happened before.
Woe to us! Who will deliver us from the hand of these mighty gods? They are the gods who struck the Egyptians with all kinds of plagues in the desert.
Be strong, Philistines! Be men, or you will be subject to the Hebrews, as they have been to you. Be men, and fight!”
So the Philistines fought, and the Israelites were defeated and every man fled to his tent. The slaughter was very great; Israel lost thirty thousand foot soldiers.
The Ark of the Lord was captured, and Eli’s two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, died (I Samuel 4:2-11).”
The Ark Returns From Exile:
They brought the Ark of the Lord and set it inside the tent that David had pitched for it, and they presented burnt offerings and fellowship offerings before the Lord.
After David had finished sacrificing the burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, he blessed the people in the name of God.
Then he gave a loaf of bread, a cake of dates and a cake of raisins to each Israelite man and woman.
He appointed some of the Levites to minister before the Ark of God, to make petition, to give thanks, and to praise God, the Lord of Israel:
Asaph was the chief, Zechariah second, then Jeiel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Mattithiah, Eliab, Benaiah, Obed-Edom and Jeiel. They were to play the lyres and harps, Asaph was to sound the cymbals, and Benaiah and Jahaziel the priests were to blow the trumpets regularly before the Ark of the covenant of the Lord (I Chronicles 16:1-6).”
Psalm 30: Intentions: Inaugaration, by David
Our Intention to rebuild God’s Home
“After the king was settled in his palace and God had given him rest from all his enemies around him, he said to Nathan the prophet, “Here I am, living in a palace of cedar, while the Ark of the Lord remains in a tent.”
Nathan replied to the king, “Whatever you have in mind, go ahead and do it, for God is with you.”
That night the word of God came to Nathan, saying:
“Go and tell my servant David, ‘This is what God says:
Are you the one to build me a house to dwell in? 6 I have not dwelt in a house from the day I brought the Israelites up out of Egypt to this day. I have been moving from place to place with a tent as my dwelling. Wherever I have moved with all the Israelites, did I ever say to any of their rulers whom I commanded to shepherd my people Israel, “Why have you not built me a house of cedar?” ‘
“Now then, tell my servant David, ‘This is what God, Almighty, says:
I took you from the pasture and from following the flock to be ruler over my people Israel.
I have been with you wherever you have gone, and I have cut off all your enemies from before you. Now I will make your name great, like the names of the greatest men of the earth.
And I will provide a place for my people Israel and will plant them so that they can have a home of their own and no longer be disturbed. Wicked people will not oppress them anymore, as they did at the beginning and have done ever since the time I appointed leaders over my people Israel. I will also give you rest from all your enemies. ”
‘God declares to you that God Himself will establish a house for you:
When your days are over and you rest with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, who will come from your own body, and I will establish his kingdom.
He is the one who will build a house for My Name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.
I will be his father, and he will be My son.
When he does wrong, I will punish him with the rod of men, with floggings inflicted by men.
But My love will never be taken away from him, as I took it away from Saul, whom I removed from before you.
Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before Me; your throne will be established forever.’ ”
Nathan reported to David all the words of this entire revelation (II Samuel 7:1-17).”
Psalm 67: A Vision of the Messiah
“Here is My servant, whom I uphold, My chosen one in whom I delight; I will put My Spirit on him and he will bring justice to the nations.
He will not shout or cry out, or raise his voice in the streets.
A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out.
In faithfulness he will bring forth justice;
he will not falter or be discouraged till he establishes justice on earth. In his law the islands will put their hope.”
This is what the Lord, God, says:
He Who created the heavens and stretched them out,
Who spread out the earth and all that comes out of it,
Who gives breath to its people, and life to those who walk on it:
“I, God, have called you in righteousness;
I will take hold of your hand.
I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people and a light for the nations,
to open eyes that are blind,
to free captives from prison and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness.
“I am God; that is My Name!
I will not give My glory to another or My praise to idols.
See, the former things have taken place, and new things I declare;
before they spring into being I announce them to you.”
Sing to God a new song,
His praise from the ends of the earth,
you who go down to the sea, and all that is in it,
you islands, and all who live in them.
Let the desert and its towns raise their voices;
let the settlements where Kedar lives rejoice.
Let the people of Sela sing for joy; let them shout from the mountaintops. Let them give glory to God and proclaim His praise in the islands.
God will march out like a mighty man,
like a warrior He will stir up his zeal;
with a shout He will raise the battle cry
and will triumph over his enemies (Isaiah 42:1-13).”
Author Info:
Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with Rabbi Simcha Weinberg from the holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies. The Foundation Stone is the ultimate resource for Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah.