Tisha b’Av (תִּשְׁעָה בְּאָב)
Tisha b’Av, the ninth day of the month of Av (July–August), is the saddest day in the Jewish calendar. It is a fast day that marks the anniversary of the destruction of the First Temple by the Babylonians in 586 b.c.e. and the Second Temple by the Romans in 70 c.e. Tisha b’Av eventually became a symbol for all the catastrophes that have befallen the Jewish people throughout its history. According to the Mishnah, Tisha b’Av was the date of several other disasters for the Jewish people (Taan. 4:6):
• The 10 spies brought back to Moses their negative report about Canaan, condemning the Israelites to spend 40 years wandering in the wilderness until they were permitted to enter the Promised Land.
• The Bar Kokhba revolt was finally crushed when Betar, the last stronghold, was captured by the Romans in 135 c.e.
• One year later, the Roman emperor Hadrian rebuilt Jerusalem as a city he renamed Aelia Capitolina (from which Jews were barred) and erected a pagan shrine on the site of the destroyed Temple.
According to tradition, Tisha b’Av was also the date of the expulsions of the Jews from England (1290) and Spain (1492).
The importance of Tisha b’Av as a fast day was emphasized in the Talmud, which observes: “He who eats or drinks on the Ninth of Av must be considered as guilty as one who has eaten on Yom Kippur” (Taan. 30b). The final meal before the fast often consists of hard-boiled eggs and lentils, which are customarily prepared for mourners, and some people used to even put ashes in their food
In addition to fasting, Tisha b’Av (known as the Black Fast), like Yom Kippur (which is termed the White Fast), is observed by refraining from wearing leather shoes, anointing with perfume, bathing, and sexual intercourse. If the ninth day falls on the Sabbath, the entire Tisha b’Av observance is moved to the next day, because no mourning is permitted on the Sabbath. From sunset to sunset, the general rule in the Talmud is that a person is obliged to observe all the mourning rites that apply in the case of the death of a next of kin (Taan. 30a). It is the only day when even the study of Torah is forbidden, since this would be a source of joy. All one is permitted to study is the Book of Job and the sections of Jeremiah and the Talmud that relate to destruction, especially of Jerusalem.
In synagogue, the congregation sits on the floor, footstools, or low benches (as would private mourners in their homes), reading by the light of candles or dim lights as a symbol of the darkness that has befallen Israel on that day. The curtain covering the ark (parochet) is removed; in some Sephardic synagogues in which the ark normally has no curtain, a black curtain is hung and the Torah scrolls themselves are draped in black mantles. Certain congregations even place the Torah scroll on the floor and strew ashes over it, while those in attendance recite the words “the crown has fallen from our head” (Lam. 5:16).
The megillah of Lamentations (Eikhah) is recited in a haunting melody, with the next-to-last verse repeated by everyone so that the book ends on the hopeful note of “Take us back, O Lord, to Yourself, and let us come back; renew our days as of old” (Lam. 5:21). (This same verse is the final line sung as the ark is closed after the scroll has been returned to it following the Torah reading.) The chanting of Lamentations is followed by the recitation of a series of special piyyutim called kinot, medieval dirges that recount the destruction of the Temple and the sins of the Jewish people. The prayer leader recites the service in a monotonal and melancholy tune. Tallit and tefillin are not worn, since the community is considered to be as mourners, who do not wear them between the time of death of a loved one and the funeral; some sprinkle ashes on their heads as a symbol of mourning. Congregants do not exchange greetings upon entering or leaving the synagogue.1
Work is not forbidden, though traditionally it is minimized as much as possible in accordance with the observation of Rabbi Akiva that “anyone who does work on the Ninth of Av will never see in his work any sign of blessing” (Taan. 30b).
There is a tradition that the Messiah will be born on Tisha b’Av, reversing the centuries of travail and suffering that have been the lot of the Jewish people. Like the mystical phoenix rising from the ashes, ultimate redemption will result from the depths of destruction and despair. An expression of this surprisingly hopeful mood as the day progresses is the custom of sweeping the house on the afternoon of Tisha b’Av in case the Messiah should come. For a similar reason, women in some communities don fine clothes and put on perfume. At the afternoon service, tallit and tefillin are worn (both are usually worn during the morning service, with the exception that the tallit is worn on Kol Nidre night), a sign that the mourning practices of Tisha b’Av will end at sundown. The ark curtain and Torah mantles are restored, the Torah is read again, and the full Kaddish is recited (including the line requesting that God accept our pleas [titkabeil]). There is an additional paragraph stressing comfort and looking hopefully to the future redemption.2 After sundown and the breaking of the fast, some go outside for the joyful service of Kiddush Levanah (Sanctification of the Moon; see p. 168).3
The Sabbath immediately following Tisha b’Av is called Shabbat Nachamu (Sabbath of Comfort). It takes its name from the opening Hebrew word of the haftarah, “Be comforted, [be comforted, My people, says your God]” (Isa. 40:1). This is the first of the seven “haftarot of consolation” (leading up to the observance of Rosh Hashanah), which prophesy the redemption of Israel, its restoration to the land, and the coming of the messianic days of peace and justice.4
Taan. Ta’anit (Talmud)
1 Steinsaltz, 229–231; Frankel and Teutsch, 177; Strassfeld, 88.
2 Strassfeld, 89.
3 Waskow, Seasons of Our Joy, 212.
4 Ibid., 213.
Eisenberg, Ronald L.: The JPS Guide to Jewish Traditions. 1st ed. Philadelphia : The Jewish Publication Society, 2004, S. 304