Tisha b’Av-Sitting On The Ground

The Lubliner said to Rabbi Mordechai of Chernobyl: “When I reflect upon my continuous misdeeds, I fall into despair. The only comfort I derived from this  is the knowledge that I shall soon return to the earth, and Earth does not disobey God (Tiferet Yehudah, page 23).

On the Tisha b’Av we sit on the ground, acting out the way mourners sit on the earth to share the experience of being placed in the earth. It is a reminder of the grave. The Lubliner teaches us that to sit on the ground is to live in a state in which we will not disobey God. It is our way of expressing to God, that deep down, all we desire is to live a life of total obedience to His Will.