West End Synagogue: Tisha B'Av

Our Online Library: Holidays

Tisha B'Av
by Susan Schorr

Tisha B'Av, the 9th day of the Jewish month of Av, is the Jewish day of national mourning. Connected primarily to the destruction of the First (586 b.c.e.) and Second (70 c.e.) Temples, the date has been linked to many other Jewish tragedies through the centuries. (See Tisha B'Av in Jewish Legend and History at the end of this article.)

For liberal Jews, observing this Holy Day can be fraught with tension and contradictions. We mourn the terrible destruction and loss of life, but we have no desire to recreate the Temples that were destroyed. We chant moving verses from Eicha describing the horrific suffering experienced during the destruction, but we bridle at some of the theology that places the blame on innocent victims. Engaging these issues means engaging our spiritual heritage as a people and making it continue to live for us today. But first let's examine the traditional observances of this day.

Customs and Practices of Tisha B'Av

As a day of national mourning, traditional Tisha B'Av practices follow many of the practices for individual aveilut (mourning), including a long list of forbidden activities such as wearing leather shoes, Torah study and marital relations. Tisha B'Av is also a full fast day, the only one besides Yom Kippur.

Central to the services for Tisha B'Av is the chanting of the book of Eicha-Lamentations is the English name-to its own special very beautiful trope (melody) system which is set in a mournful minor key. The synagogue is darkened, the Torah scrolls are draped in black, and memorial candles are lit. The custom is for congregants to wear clothing appropriate for mourning and for no greetings to be exchanged, neither on arrival nor on departing.

Through the centuries, kinnot-special elegies-have been written for the destruction of the Temples and for the other events that have occurred on the 9th of Av. These dirges have been authored by many of the greatest Jewish poets, most notably Eleazar Kallir, Judah haLevi, and Solomon ibn Gabirol.

Preparation for Tisha B'Av begins three weeks earlier. Special haftarot (passages from the Bible's books of the prophets) are chanted for the three Shabbatot prior to Tisha B'Av. Known as the Haftarot of Rebuke, the special readings are from the books of Isaiah and Jeremiah; they criticize the people for not following the path laid out for Jews (see Theology, below). In the last week prior to Tisha B'Av, traditional Jews observe additional restrictions including eating no meat and drinking no wine. Following Tisha B'Av, the rabbis chose Haftarot of Consolation to be read for the next seven weeks, beginning with the Shabbat just after Tisha B'Av. Indeed, the first Shabbat after Tisha B'Av is known as Shabbat Nachamu because the Haftarah begins with the words, "Nachamu, Nachamu ami," "Comfort you, comfort you, my people."

Can We Still Mourn on Tisha B'Av for the Temples?

As long as Jews had the Temple, the sacrificial cult was maintained. It is only after the destruction of the Second Temple that the rabbis institute "the service of the heart" (prayer) to replace the service of the Temple as the primary way of coming near to God. The religion that we today know as Judaism would not be recognized by the Jews of either Temple era. And many of us do not dream of a rebuilt Temple that would allow us to reinstitute sacrifices as religious practice.

It has been suggested that Tisha B'Av should be a day of celebration, that we express our gratitude for the events which catapulted Judaism forward so that we could move beyond sacrifice as a way of serving God. But losing the Temples, and bearing the brunt of the other destruction that went with those losses, was a traumatic experience for us as a people, even if some of the change that eventually came in its wake was positive. And having a national day of mourning is appropriate: through the centuries, Jews have suffered, and so Tisha B'Av serves as our national day of Yahrzeit, our day to remember the Jews who have died only because they were Jews. Perhaps the best approach is to mourn the trauma that Tisha B'Av recalls, but-with respect to the Temples-to acknowledge the positive change that grew out of it.

Troubling Theology

To liberal audiences, the theology that the classical rabbis present in the liturgy and structure of Tisha B'Av is extremely troubling. The traditional view is that the terrible events that befall the Jews are punishment for their sins. God allows these other nations to triumph over God?s people because the people have rejected God. Although Torah study is not permitted on Tisha B'Av, reading the book of Job is, perhaps because it repeats this theology. When Job is afflicted, one of his friends says to him, "Think now, what innocent man ever perished? Where have the upright been destroyed? As I have seen, those who plow evil and sow mischief reap them" (Job 4:7-8).

This is not a theology that we can accept. We know that the destruction of the Second Temple, the siege of Jerusalem, and the countless lives that were lost had more to do with the Romans than with sins against God. We know that the innocent can suffer. We know that the wicked sometimes succeed and do great evil. How can we then attend Tisha B'Av services and repeat the ancient words that deny this, that reinforce a system of blaming the victim, that is, of self-blame?

The answer may be to receive the narratives, theology, and prayers that we have inherited, to seek to understand them in their context and discover what wisdom and meaning they may contain, but to then change them as necessary for us to be able to pray them with sincerity and to pass them on to the next generation with integrity. One way may be to participate and repeat the words as a way of acknowledging tradition, while stimulating thought and reflection about the theology and why it no longer works for us. Another path is to create and use new liturgy that better expresses our concerns on this day. These are constructive approaches, approaches that we invite you to share with us at West End Synagogue.

Tisha B'Av in Jewish Legend and History

* Scouts return from Canaan and the majority report is accepted, condemning the generation of the Exodus to die in the desert (Numbers 13-14)
* First Temple destroyed by Babylonia, under the leadership of Nebuchadnezzar (586 b.c.e.)
* Second Temple destroyed by Rome, led by Titus (70 c.e.)
* Fall of Betar, ending the Bar Kokhba revolt against Rome (135 c.e.)
* First Crusade proclaimed by Pope Urban II, thousands of Jews will die (1095 c.e.)
* Mass suicide of the Jews of York during anti-Jewish riots (1190 c.e.)
* Expulsion of Jews from England (1290 c.e.)
* Expulsion of Jews from Spain (1492 c.e.)
* Final deportation begins of Jews from the Warsaw Ghetto (1942 c.e.)

By Susan R. Schorr, 2002