The ninth day of the Hebrew month of Av is known as Tisha Be Av. It begins at dusk on the 8th of Av and ends at dusk on the 9th. It has come to be known as the saddest day on the Hebrew calendar.
Throughout Jewish history, the ninth of Av has been recognized as a day of tragedy. Many gruesome events occurred or began on this day in history, including the destruction of the First (586 BC) and Second Temples (516 BC), the demolition of Jerusalem by the Romans (70 AD). ), the beginning of the Spanish Inquisition (1492). and the beginning of the First World War (1914), which heralded events that led to the Holocaust. During the First Crusade, 10,000 Jews were killed at Tisha Be Av (1095). In 1290, the Jews were expelled from England at Tisha Be Av. It is also said to have been the day that Moses returned from Mount Sinai with the Ten Commandments and discovered his people worshiping idols. During the Holocaust, deportations from the Warsaw ghetto to the Nazi death camp in Treblinka began in Tisha B’Av (1942). More recently, the deadly bombing of the Jewish community center in Buenos Aires occurred in Tisha B’Av (1994).
In addition to fasting during Tisha Be Av, observant Jews refrain from washing, working, drinking, using electricity, shopping, and having sex. Jews mark the day as they would during a shiva, the Jewish period of mourning. Torah study is forbidden and Jews often bury old and damaged prayer books on this day. Many Jews sit on low stools or sleep on the floor. They refrain from greeting visitors and read the scroll of Eicha (Lamentations). During the three weeks leading up to this holiday, Jews are forbidden to marry. This period of mourning begins with another fast day, Tammuz 17, when the walls of the Second Temple in Jerusalem were broken down in 70 CE.
Orthodox Jews believe that Tisha Be Av will continue to be a day of mourning until the messiah arrives and the temple is rebuilt. At that time, it will become a day of celebration forever. Although Reformed Judaism has never attached this kind of importance to the destruction of the temple, Tisha Be Av is still observed as a day to remember Jewish tragedies.
While Jews observe Tisha Be Av by looking back on the calendar, the holiday can have significant contemporary significance. By fasting, Jews can understand the pain and suffering of destitute people around the world. This understanding can be turned into compassion and charity. Having been victims of genocide many times in the past, Jews can use this holiday as a time to help contemporary victims of ethnic, religious, racial and gender persecution. Jews can also realize how lucky they are compared to their ancestors. Although anti-Semitism is on the rise today, Jews are not persecuted to the same extent that they have been throughout history.
Coming to terms with disaster is never easy. No race or religion has had more historical experience with disasters than the Hebrew people. Repeatedly, Jews have been conquered, enslaved, massacred, tortured, and expelled. Somehow, despite all the efforts to destroy this little religion, the Jews found a way to survive and even prosper. The Jewish people found a way to turn disaster into survival and survival in a new nation, rebuilt on the collapsed rocks of the ancient Jewish kingdoms of David and Saul.
Over 2000 years have passed since the destruction of the temples in ancient Israel. During that time, millions of Jews have been massacred by Greeks, Romans, the Crusades, the Spanish Inquisition, and the Holocaust. Despite the indignity of the historical perspective, the Jews continue to exist. They worship the same God, recite the same prayers, observe the same festivals, and perform the same rites and rituals that their brave ancestors did. This amazing chronicle of survival may be one of the greatest legends in human history.
Although Tisha Be Av is the saddest day on the Jewish calendar, it can also be considered, through careful reflection, a day to give thanks for the survival of the Jewish people. Despite persistent attempts by civilization to destroy the Jews, this tiny and persistent religion has found a way to survive, prosper, and contribute to the cultures of countless societies. In this sense, Tisha Be Av can also be seen as a day to thank the resistant resistance of the “chosen people”. Always hunted, never destroyed; the Jewish people advance through history, relentlessly, undeterred, and always grateful for the influence of their ancestors.