The יהדותינו organization on Sunday, 18 Tammuz 5772 distributed white shirts to mispallalim heading to the Kosel to permit those wishing to tear kriya to do so. As a reminder, Sunday was the fast day since 17 Tammuz this year fell on shabbos.
The volunteers gave out new shirts to use for kriya to enable mispallalim to properly feel and recall the destruction of the Beis HaMikdosh.
Organization officials explain that many people regularly visit the Kosel to daven, yet not everyone is aware that one who does not visit the site for 30 days should tear kriya while others may be aware but simply do not wish to use one of their own shirts.
To increase awareness and observance of this, the organization purchased hundreds of white shirts to distribute. Most mispallalim took shirts happily and praised the effort to remind the tzibur of the significance of the loss of the Beis HaMikdosh on the fast day.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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11 Responses
How is it a minhag to tear somebody else’s shirt?
Any time I retire a shirt, instead of trashing it, I put it aside for my next trip to Israel, to the Kossel. Thus I have been fulfilling this Mitzwah of Keri’ah each time I go to the Kossel after an interval of 30+ays, without unduly Bal Tashchis on an expensive state of the art shirt. … Needless to say, at such times, I put my jacket in a bag, so the Chiyuv of Keri’ah only devolves on a shirt and not on my jacket.
What a waste of good shirts that could go to poor people. Who doesnt have old shirts to tear kriyah on?
We are supposed to tear a shirt in anguish over the Churban. Though this is a very commendable action on behalf of the organization, if the sorrow of loss isn’t there then this is as meaningless as tearing your shirt at the Tachana Merkazit. There is no mitzvah to actively tear kriya, just a chiyuv Dirabbonon and the chiyuv is very much open to different circumstances. Some poskin hold if you never left Eretz Yisroel the whole 30 day count doesn’t begin.
NOTHING, not fasting many Tisha B’Avs, NOTHING about the churban Bayis hit me harder than the first time I went to the Kosel while in my 30s and I tore k’riya over the churban.
It has to mean something otherwise the fasting means nothing.
I’m an am ha’aretz. Why would there be ba’al tashchis to tear a good shirt if you’re doing it for the Mitzvah of kriah? When I was in Eretz Yisroel I was going to use an old shirt but felt guilty and instead ripped a good shirt. Was I wrong??
I was at the kossel yesterday, no one offered me a shirt, I did see somone with a torn shirt, his own
Does Klal Yisroel have no legitimate needs that we just waste “mamon Hekdesh”?
The Chiyuv Kriah is “ad sheyialeh es libo”. One must tear his jacket also. (If he’s wearing one, I quess).
This Chiyuv will soon become botel Bimheiro B’Yomeinu
@ Akoopermah
This was not one of your better comments. It probably woul have been better to wait till you thought of something better to enlighten us with. I am positive you are aware that once someone accepts the shirt it becomes their own.
Your lowering an already low bar with this comment.
I just published a 16 page pamphlet in Hebrew on all the pertinent laws of kriyah at the Kosel HaMaaravi endorsed by Gedolei Yisroel, and am distributing it for free.