Zecher Lachurban

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Definitions

  • n. Remembrance of the destruction of the Temple.

  • adv. Serving as a remembrance of the destruction of the Temple. 

  • adj. Commemorating the destruction of the Temple.

Example Sentences

  • "Leaving part of one's wall unpainted Zecher Lachurban...Some Poskim rule it does not help to paint a 1×1 Ama space with black paint, and rather the space must remain unpainted...Other Poskim however justify those who do so and so is the custom of many to paint a black square on which they write Zecher Lechruban." (source)

  • "This week's article discusses the nature and laws of enactments that are Zecher LaChurban – in commemoration of the Destruction." (source)

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Languages of Origin

  • Textual Hebrew

Etymology

  • זכר לחורבן

      • Who Uses This

      • Religious: Jews who are engaged in religious observance and have some Jewish education

      Regions

      • North America

      Dictionaries

      • The Joys of Hebrew, by Lewis Glinert (New York, 1992).

      Alternative Spellings

      Zecher la-Churban, Zekher la-Khurban, Zekher Lakhurban

Notes

  • "If you walk into an Orthodox Jewish home, you may sometimes see a small section of wall undecorated. This is a zecher la-churban, literally 'a remembrance of the Destruction,' a traditional mark of grief for the loss of the Temple and Jewish life 2,000 years ago. Another well-known zecher la-churban is the bridegroom's breaking of a glass underfoot at his wedding. Less well known is the custom in Jerusalem, to this day, of restricting the music at a wedding to one lone drum." (Glinert)

    See also khurban.

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