Tisha B’Av, which literally means the ninth day of the Hebrew month of Av, commemorates the destruction of the two Temples in Jerusalem. The day also memorializes other major tragedies that befell the Jewish people throughout its history, including the massacres of Jewish Rhineland communities during the First Crusade and the expulsion of the Jews from Spain.
Tisha B’Av is the culmination of a three-week period of mourning beginning the 17th of Tammuz, which marks when Jerusalem’s walls were first breached before the First Temple was destroyed.
During these three weeks, weddings and other celebrations are prohibited, and many do not cut their hair. From the first to the ninth of Av, it is customary to abstain from eating meat or drinking wine, except on Shabbat, and from swimming and wearing new clothes.
Many restrictions on Tisha B’Av are similar to those on Yom Kippur, which include fasting, refraining from washing, bathing, shaving or wearing cosmetics, wearing leather shoes and having sexual relations. Work is permitted but discouraged.
People who are ill need not fast. The Torah is not studied other than verses relevant to the day. Many of the traditional mourning practices are observed such as refraining from greeting people, smiling, laughing and sending gifts.
In the synagogue, the curtain is removed from the ark and the lights are dimmed. Lamentations is read and Torah reading is from Deuteronomy, which warns of the destruction of the nation if it strays from the commandments. Old prayer books and Torah scrolls are often buried on this day.
According to Rabbi Moses Isserles, it is customary to sit on low stools or on the floor, as during shivah (mourning period), from the pre-fast meal until midday. According to a Midrash, the messiah will be born on Tisha B’Av, and so this day of mourning will become a day of rejoicing.
