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QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS FOR Tish’ah B’Av
Why do Jews fast on
Tish’ah B’Av?
Tish’ah B’Av, the ninth day
of the Hebrew month of Av, is a day of mourning for the destruction of
the First Temple in the year 586 B.C.E. by the Babylonians and of the
Second Temple in the year 70 C.E. by the Romans. (According to
tradition, both Temples were destroyed on the same date). Next to Yom
Kippur (a Biblical holiday), Tish’ah B’Av (a post-Biblical holiday) is
the most important day on the Jewish calendar. It marks the final day of
a three week period of intense national mourning for the events that led
to the loss of Jewish independence with the destruction of the holy
shrines of Jewish life. Aside from these two major historical events,
other happenings in Jewish history have been said to have occurred on
the ninth of Av. These include the fall of Betar (the last Jewish
stronghold during the Bar Kochbar rebellion against Rome) in 35 C.E. and
the beginning of the expulsion of the Jews from Spain in 1492. The
importance of Tish’ah B’Av as a fast day was emphasized in the Talmud (Ta’anit
30b), where the comment is made, “He who eats or drinks on the ninth day
of Av must be considered as guilty as one who has eaten on Yom Kippur.”
The fast of Tish’ah B’Av, like Yom Kippur, begins at sunset and ends the
next evening with the appearance of the first three stars.
Why are the first nine days
of Av considered a period of intense mourning?
Although the three weeks
prior to Tish’ah B’Av are days of mourning, the nine days prior to the
ninth of Av are observed with more intense mourning. The Mishna notes (Ta’anit
4:7) that in commemoration of the destruction of the Temple, during
these nine days, one should not cut one’s hair or wash one’s clothes
(except on Thursdays to honor the coming Shabbath). During these days of
mourning, weddings and other festivities are not to be held.
Why do Jews sit in the
synagogue barefooted on low benches on Tish’ah B’Av?
As stated above, Tish’ah
B’Av is a day of mourning for the destruction of the Temples. Sitting on
low benches and removing one’s shoes are signs of mourning, actions
performed by mourners during the week of Shiv’ah.
Why are minor fasts not
observed on the Sabbath?
Only the fast of Yom Kippur
(on the tenth of Tishrei) is fixed by date in the Bible, and it must be
observed on the date mentioned. According to most authorities, when
other fast days fall on the Sabbath, they are postponed until Sunday, so
as not to intrude on the joy of the Sabbath day. The sole exception is
Ta’anit Esther, the Fast of Esther, which, if it falls on a Saturday, is
moved back to Thursday. This is in accordance with the view of
Maimonides, who said, “fasting must precede the celebration [Purim] (Yad
Ta’anit 5:5)”To observe the fast on Friday would interfere with
preparing for the Sabbath.
Why are three weeks each
summer observed as a period of mourning?
On Tish’ah B’Av (the ninth
day of Av), in the year 587 B.C.E., the First Temple in Jerusalem was
destroyed. This was preceded by the breaching of the walls of Jerusalem
three weeks earlier, on the seventeenth day of Tammuz (Shiva’ah Asar
B’Tammuz). This |