Dear Jan,

     I just wanted to tell you that I really appreciate your posts.  They are very encouraging to me, and I am sure that I am not alone.  As for your request concerning the 9^th of Av, I have cut and pasted some information from the same site that I obtained the information about the 17^th of Tammuz.

     I also have a book by Michael Strassfeld called The Jewish Holidays: A Guide & Commentary.  It presents the Biblical holy days and celebrations from a purely Jewish point of view.  According to his book on pages 85-86: "There are four fasts in the Jewish calendar that mark the destruction of the temple, Jerusalem, and the independent Jewish state in ancient times. They are referred to by the prophet Zechariah (8:19) as ‘the fast of the fourth month, and the fast of the fifth, and the fast of the seventh, and the fast of the tenth.’ Counting the months beginning with the first month, Nisan, Zechariah refers respectively to the fast of the seventeenth of Tammuz (fourth month); the ninth of Av (fifth month); Tzom Gedaliah – the Fast of Gedaliah – on Tishri 3 (seventh month); and the tenth of Tevet (tenth month)."  The entire verse reads as follows: "This is what the Lord Almighty says: 'The fasts of the fourth, fifth, seventh and tenth months will become joyful and glad occasions and happy festivals for Judah.  Therefore love truth and peace.'"   I recommend reading all of Zechariah Chapter 8.  It is wonderful.  It talks about the final restoration of Jerusalem and the Jewish people. 

     The author Strassfeld mentions an interesting tradition on page 89 of his book: "There is a tradition that the Messiah will be born on Tisha be-Av – an image akin to the phoenix rising from its ashes.  Thus out of destruction is born the ultimate redemption. This change of mood from despair to hope is reflected in a number of customs. One old custom is to sweep your house out in the afternoon as a preparation for the Messiah if he or she should come.  For the same reason, in some communities women adorn themselves in the afternoon."   Wouldn’t it be wonderful if our Lord should come for us on this 9^th of Av? 

     Maranatha!

                 – Lisa Taylor

 

 

Tisha B'Av - The "ninth day" in the Jewish month of Av, which starts at sundown on the eighth day and concludes at sundown on the ninth day of Av. This is the day when the intensity of the entire three week mourning period reaches its peak .

HISTORY:

According to our sages, many tragic events occurred to our ancestors on this day:

1. The sin of the spies caused Hashem to decree that the Children of Israel who left Egypt would not be permitted to enter the land of Israel;

2. The first Temple was destroyed;

3. The second Temple was destroyed;

4. Betar, the last fortress to hold out against the Romans during the Bar Kochba revolt in the year 135, fell, sealing the fate of the Jewish people.

5. One year after the fall of Betar, the Temple area was plowed.

6. In 1492, King Ferdinand of Spain issued the expulsion decree, setting Tisha B'Av as the final date by which not a single Jew would be allowed to walk on Spanish soil.

7. World War I – which began the downward slide to the Holocaust – began on Tisha B’av.

Prohibitions:

The prohibitions on Tisha B'Av itself are similar to those of Yom Kippur. In addition to not eating or drinking, we are not allowed to wash, anoint oneself or wear leather shoes. In a prohibition more stringent than on Yom Kippur, we are only allowed to study certain portions of the Torah and Talmud on Tisha B'Av.

OBSERVANCES:

The observance of Tisha B'Av begins with the Seudah HaMafseket, the last meal before the fast commences.

NOTE: During years when the fast starts on Saturday night we do not have a seuda HaMafseket.

Unlike the elaborate feast we have before Yom Kippur, this meal is typically one course, usually consisting of a hard-boiled egg and some bread. Also, this meal is generally not eaten with others to avoid having a Zimmun (quorum for public blessing) at Birchat HaMazon. Zimmun indicates permanence, habit and durability. We avoid the Zimmun because we’d prefer not to make this mournful meal a recurring experience. It is customary to eat this meal seated on the floor or a low stool.

Until Mincha on Tisha B'Av one should try to avoid sitting on a chair or bench. Instead, the custom is to stand or sit on the floor, just like a mourner during the Shiva (traditional seven days of mourning a loved one).

Beginning at Mincha sitting on chairs is permitted, and we reduce the intensity of the grief that has pervaded us so far. Also, men put on Tefillin and recite those Tefillot that were omitted at Shacharit.

It is forbidden to greet friends or acquaintances on Tisha B'Av. However, if greeted first, one should answer, but in a low tone in order not to arouse resentment.

At the evening Ma'ariv service, the entire congregation sits on the floor and recites the Book of Eicha (Lamentations) where the prophet Jeremiah weeps the destruction, and we weep with him.

The morning of Tisha B'Av is the saddest part of the day. We recite Kinot, and the men do not don Tefillin at Shacharit, because Tefillin are called "Pe-ar," "Glory," and this is definitely not a day of glory for the Jewish People.

Our sages teach that whoever mourns over Jerusalem will merit the future vision of her joy. As it is written in Isaiah (Chapter 66, verse 10), "rejoice greatly with her, all who mourn her."