Tisha B’Av



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.



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.

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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:

• 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).

'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 anti-Semitic 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).

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