Tisha B’Av
Tisha B’Av means the ninth of Av and usually occurs in August. It is a day of fasting and
mourning in observation of the misfortunes that have happened to the Jewish people, mainly the
destruction of the first and second Temples. The first Temple built by Solomon was destroyed
on the ninth of Av by the Babylonians in 586 BCE and the second Temple was destroyed by the
Romans in 70 AD. In 1492 all Jews were deported from Spain on the ninth of Av.
In Ta’anit 4:6 of the Misnah, it says:
Five misfortunes befell our fathers … on the ninth of Av.
On the ninth of Av it was decreed that our fathers should
not enter the (Promised) Land, the Temple was destroyed
the first and second time, Bethar was captures and the
city (Jerusalem) was ploughed up.
Other references in the Scriptures are:
And to speak unto the priests which were in the house of the LORD of hosts, and to the
prophets, saying, Should I weep in the fifth month, separating myself, as I have done these so
many years? Zechariah 7:3
And in the fifth month, on the seventh day of the month, which is the nineteenth year of
king Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, came Nebuzaradan, captain of the guard, a servant of the
king of Babylon, unto Jerusalem, And he burnt the house of the LORD, and the king's house, and
all the houses of Jerusalem, and every great man's house burnt he with fire.. II Kings 25:8-9
Now in the fifth month, in the tenth day of the month, which was the nineteenth year of
Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, came Nebuzaradan, captain of the guard, which served the
king of Babylon, into Jerusalem, And burned the house of the LORD, and the king's house; and
all the houses of Jerusalem, and all the houses of the great men, burned he with fire: Jeremiah
52:12-13
In Ta’anit 29a of the Talmud, the discrepancy in dates is explained:
How then are these dates to be reconciled? On the seventh the
heathens entered the Temple and ate therein and desecrated it
throughout the seventh and eighth and towards dusk of the ninth
they set fire to it and it continued to burn the whole of that day.
... How will the Rabbis then [explain the choice of the 9th as the
date]? The beginning of any misfortune [when the fire was set]
is of greater moment.
Tisha B'Av is the culmination of a three week period of increasing mourning, beginning with the
fast of the 17th of Tammuz, which commemorates the first breach in the walls of Jerusalem,
before the First Temple was destroyed. During this three week period, weddings and other
parties are not permitted, and people refrain from cutting their hair. From the first to the ninth of
Av, it is customary to refrain from eating meat or drinking wine (except on the Shabbat) and
from wearing new clothing.
The restrictions on Tisha B'Av are similar to those on Yom Kippur: to refrain from eating and
drinking (even water); washing, bathing, shaving or wearing cosmetics; wearing leather shoes;
engaging in sexual relations; and studying Torah. Work in the ordinary sense of the word [rather
than the Shabbat sense] is also restricted. People who are ill need not fast on this day. Many of
the traditional mourning practices are observed: people refrain from smiles, laughter and idle
conversation, and sit on low stools.
In synagogue, the book of Lamentations is read and mourning prayers are recited. The ark
(cabinet where the Torah is kept) is draped in black.
http://www.jewfaq.org/holidayd.htm
In connection with the fall of Jerusalem three other fast-days were established at the same time
as the Ninth Day of Av: these were the Tenth of Tevet, when the siege began; the Seventeenth of
Tammuz, when the first breach was made in the wall; and the Third of Tishri, known as the Fast
of Gedaliah, the day when Gedaliah was assassinated (II Kings 25:25; Jeremiah 41:2). From
Zechariah 7:5, 8:19 it appears that after the building of the Second Temple the custom of keeping
these fast-days was temporarily discontinued. Since the destruction of Jerusalem and of the
Second Temple by the Romans, the four fast-days have again been observed.
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After the Exodus
On this day in the year 1312 BCE, the generation of Jews who came out of Egypt under Moses'
leadership 16 months earlier were condemned to die in the wilderness (midbar) and the entry
into the Land of Israel was delayed for 40 years until the old generation died out.
[edit]
The five calamities
According to the Mishnah (Taanit, 4:6), five specific events occurred on the ninth of Av that
warrant fasting:
1. On this day, the Twelve spies sent by Moses to observe the land of Canaan brought an
"evil report" about the land that caused the Children of Israel to cry, panic and despair of
ever entering the "Promised land" for which they were punished by God that they would
not enter and that for all generations the day would become one of crying and misfortune
for the descendants of the Children of Israel, the Jewish people. (Numbers ch 13-14)
2. Solomon's Temple (the First Temple) and the Kingdom of Judah were destroyed by the
Babylonians led by Nebuchadnezzar in 586 BCE and the Judeans were sent into the
Babylonian exile.
3. The Second Temple was destroyed by the Roman Empire in 70 CE scattering the people
of Judea and and commnecing a two thousand year Jewish exile.
4. The Bar Kokhba's revolt against Rome failed, Bar Kokhba was killed, as was Rabbi
Akiva and many other important sages of the Mishnah, and Betar was destroyed.
5. Following the Siege of Jerusalem, the subsequent razing of Jerusalem one year later.
According to the Talmud (Tractate Taanit), the destruction of the Second Temple began on that
date and was finally consumed by the flames on the next day -- the Tenth of Av.
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Later calamities on 9 Av
A large number of calamities occurred on the ninth of Av:
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In 1290, the signature of the edict by King Edward I expelling the Jews from England
The burning of the Talmud in 1242
The declaration of the Crusades by Pope Urban II in 1095
The Alhambra decree was put into effect, leading to the Jewish expulsion from Spain in
1492
The First World War started in 1914
The first killings at Treblinka took place in 1942
The AMIA Bombing (Asociación Mutua Israelita Argentina) by Arab terrorists on July
18, 1994 in Buenos Aires, Argentina, which killed 86 and wounded more than 120.
The purpose of the day is not to institute annual commemorations of historical disasters. Rather,
they are commemorated on Tisha B'Av. Examples are the destruction of many Jewish
communities in the Rhineland during the Crusades. The liturgy often makes mention of specific
instances (see below).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tisha_B'Av
The three weeks prior to and ending with Tisha B'Av are known as Bayn HaMaytzarim, which means
"in the Straits." The haftarah portions[prophetic readings] for these three weeks are Jeremiah 1:2-28,
2:4-28, 3:4, and Isaiah 1:1-27. They call for the people to perform acts of repentance and to be firm
in their faith. God will not abandon them even though all seems lost.
While these are three weeks of mourning, the nine days prior to Tisha B'Av are more intense in
observance of the rules of mourning than the first 12 days. No weddings or other joyous festivities are
held during the entire 21-day period. During the last nine days of the period, no meat is eaten, there
are to be no haircuts, no clothes are washed unless they are to be worn again during these nine days,
and no ironed clothes are worn.
The practice among Reconstructionist, Reform, and Conservative Jews ranges from full observance of
the 21 days to observance of the nine-day period to observance of only Tisha B'Av itself.
Teaching Jewish Holidays: History Values and Activities, by Robert Goodman. © A.R.E.
Publishing, Inc. 1997, ISBN #0-86705-042-X. Available from A.R.E. Publishing, Inc., 700 N.
Colorado Blvd. #356, Denver, CO 80206 (800) 346-7779.
That is exactly the purpose of a fast day: to give you a chance to momentarily retreat from your
imperfect present, the imperfect world, to step back and indulge in your dissatisfaction with it,
and then step forward and take action that will lead to positive change. Tisha B'Av allows you to
experience loss for what was and what might have been, individually and collectively. If used
well, it can help you create what can be, personally and communally.
There may be any kind of past loss or regret in your life whose hold you need to relinquish. But
what is it Jewishly that you miss? If it's the smell of chicken soup on Friday night, the sales
techniques of Maxwell Street, the colors and characters of the Lower East Side, or Bubbe
[gradmother] and Zaide's [grandfather's] Yiddish-accented speech, you've got a case of nostalgia,
the source of melancholy reminiscence, perhaps, but not a reason to cry. As the once-popular
poster of an oversized bagel suggested, there's more to 2,000 yearsof Jewish civilization than
this.
A concern for Tisha B'Av--which came about because the possibility of living a full Jewish way
of life ended--should be the kinds of meaningful connections to the Jewish past, and future, you
are missing. Lacking the knowledge to make time-honored traditions relevant and to infuse your
everyday life with Jewish value, being illiterate about Judaism (can you explain Sukkot, identify
Abraham, and name the Twelve tribes of Israel with the same ease you explain Thanksgiving,
identify George Washington, and name the original 13 American colonies?)--these are things to
mourn. Having not had a Jewish summer camp experience, first-hand exposure to Israel, or an
exceptional Hebrew school teacher are legitimate disadvantages to regret and worthwhile aspects
of Jewish life to consider on Tisha B'Av.
Moving On
But once the day of mourning for what might have been ends, we stop "crying over spilled milk"
and go out to fill the bottle. There's still time for you to increase your knowledge and for your
children to take advantage of the opportunities you missed.
In the collective arena, most of us find it difficult to identify with the moaning and weeping the
Jews of past centuries went through on this holiday. Unlike them, we have Israel and position
through our status as citizens of other countries. But if we step back from our seemingly secure
position, we realize that we still lack much of what they mourned. We have not eliminated antiSemitic persecution from the world or established the universal peace that guarantees a life of
dignity, self-sufficiency, and mutual respect for all; we have not effected a spiritual
reconciliation to accompany our renewed sovereignty over the Land, nor have we been able to
achieve unity--regardless of UJA (United Jewish Appeal) slogans ("One People")--which the
Temple, as a national symbol and gathering place, promoted.
These deficits provide national goals to ponder during our day of withdrawal and introspection,
and they have local communal implications. For instance: The senseless hatred that brought
down the Temple is said to have been caused by "the root of all evil." Even the position of
spiritual leadership, Kohen Gadol [high priest], went to the highest bidder. In our communities
and institutions today, is the situation much different than it was at the end of the Second
Temple? Who gets the greatest honors in the synagogue? The top positions on organization
boards? Should you be trying to influence organizations in your community to add requirements
for scholarship and character so that along with the necessary financial leadership you have the
intellectual, spiritual, and moral leadership models and direction critical for long-term success?
Traditional Weakness Associated With Tisha B'Av
Another example: The rabbis also blamed the destruction on lashon harah (evil talk): gossip,
rumor, innuendo, even saying nice things that could prompt someone to respond with a negative
comment. Trying to eliminate it is undoubtedly even a much more difficult task than trying to
change our communal culture. Let's be realistic. How many of us can resist listening to or
passing along a juicy tidbit?
The problem, which the rabbis considered one of the most serious offenses because of the
destructive power of words, goes deeper. Even if a comment is not made initially with malicious
intent, it can wind up causing serious irreparable damage. The remarks of individuals can have
national repercussions. For instance, consider how you or the people around you express
discontent with Israel. Is it done in constructive ways and without providing ammunition to our
enemies? Does the criticism come out of sincere concern for the future of the country and its
people, or because as a Jew you feel embarrassed by Israel's actions?
Words--whose power we should think about on Tisha B'Av--can be tools as well as weapons,
can build up as well as tear down. Think of ways you can be constructive. Soothe ruffled
feathers. Take advantage of opportunities to counsel cooperation and mutual respect in
communal settings, stressing common ground and common goals rather than differences. (And
on the personal level, encourage your children so that they develop confidence in themselves, the
ability to "conquer the land"--their own challenges--which the Israelites facing Canaan for the
first time lacked.)
Rabbi Levi Yitzhkak of Berditchev, the Hasidic master, said that we cannot expect to achieve the
"rebuilt Jerusalem" of our collective dream until we eliminate from among ourselves the
destructive forces that devastated Jerusalem. All of them (idolatry, adultery, murder, hatred)
represented turnings away from the Jewish way of life, as does ignorance, one of the most
destructive forces we face in today's Jewish communal crisis.
The Chinese character for crisis consists of two symbols: one for danger, the other for
opportunity. That combination sums up the history and meaning of Tisha B'Av. In past
generations, emphasis was on the former, because the Jews continued to live in the wake of loss
and the threat of persecution. So on Tisha B'Av they grieved over the destruction and passively
hoped for the redemption.
Never before in history, because of the political and cultural environments in which they lived,
could the Jews act on the opportunity; in response to the different threats we face, we can. While
we still grieve for the loss of wasted possibilities and recognize the danger of not taking bold,
positive steps, we do have the chance to bring redemption closer. It's an opportunity you don't
want to miss.
Lesli Koppelman Ross is a writer and artist whose works have appeared nationally. She has
devoted much of her time to the causes of Ethiopian Jewry and Jewish education. Her latest book
is The Lifetime Guide to the Jewish Holidays: Abundant Ways to Bring the Joy, Meaning and
Relevance of Celebration into Your Home and Heart Year After Year. (Jewish Legacy Press).