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  "title": "Tisha B'Av",
  "summary": "The 9th of Av — the major fast day of the Jewish year, commemorating the destruction of both Temples and many other catastrophes.",
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    "article": {
      "slug": "holidays-fasts-tisha-bav",
      "title": "Tisha B'Av",
      "deck": "The 9th of Av — the major fast day of the Jewish year, commemorating the destruction of both Temples and many other catastrophes.",
      "summary": "Summary. Tisha B'Av (the 9th of Av) is the major fast day of the Jewish calendar after Yom Kippur. It commemorates the destruction of the First Temple (586 BCE) and the Second Temple (70 CE) — both, by tradition, on the same date — as well as a litany of other Jewish catastrophes (the breaking of the tablets, the expulsion of the spies, the fall of Beitar, the expulsion from England in 1290, the Alhambra Decree expelling the Jews from Spain in 1492, the start of the First World War in 1914, the deportations from Warsaw to Treblinka in 1942). The book of Eichah (Lamentations) is read; kinot (elegies) are chanted; the day is observed with the full range of fast-day prohibitions plus mourning-of-the-dead practices.",
      "level": "essential",
      "sectionSlug": "holidays",
      "tags": [
        "tisha bav",
        "fast",
        "destruction"
      ],
      "publishedAt": "2026-07-06T02:19:03.001Z",
      "wordCount": 710,
      "readMinutes": 3
    },
    "section": {
      "slug": "sacred-time",
      "title": "Sacred Time"
    },
    "image": null,
    "blocks": [
      {
        "type": "summary",
        "body": "Summary. Tisha B'[Av](/glossary.json#letter-A) (the 9th of Av) is the major fast day of the Jewish calendar after [Yom Kippur](/glossary.json#letter-Y). It commemorates the destruction of the First Temple (586 BCE) and the Second Temple (70 CE) — both, by tradition, on the same date — as well as a litany of other Jewish catastrophes (the decree that the generation of the spies would die in the wilderness, the fall of Beitar, the plowing over of Jerusalem, the expulsion from England in 1290, the Alhambra Decree expelling the Jews from Spain in 1492, the start of the First World War in 1914, the deportations from Warsaw to Treblinka in 1942). The book of [Eichah (Lamentations)](https://www.sefaria.org/Lamentations) is read; [kinot](/glossary.json#letter-K) (elegies) are chanted; the day is observed with the full range of fast-day prohibitions plus mourning-of-the-dead practices.",
        "text": "Summary. Tisha B'Av (the 9th of Av) is the major fast day of the Jewish calendar after Yom Kippur. It commemorates the destruction of the First Temple (586 BCE) and the Second Temple (70 CE) — both, by tradition, on the same date — as well as a litany of other Jewish catastrophes (the decree that the generation of the spies would die in the wilderness, the fall of Beitar, the plowing over of Jerusalem, the expulsion from England in 1290, the Alhambra Decree expelling the Jews from Spain in 1492, the start of the First World War in 1914, the deportations from Warsaw to Treblinka in 1942). The book of Eichah (Lamentations) is read; kinot (elegies) are chanted; the day is observed with the full range of fast-day prohibitions plus mourning-of-the-dead practices."
      },
      {
        "type": "heading",
        "body": "The Five Restrictions",
        "text": "The Five Restrictions"
      },
      {
        "type": "paragraph",
        "body": "[Tisha B'Av](/glossary.json#letter-T) includes the same five afflictions as Yom Kippur: no eating or drinking, no washing for pleasure, no anointing, no marital relations, no leather shoes. Additional mourning practices: no [Torah](/glossary.json#letter-T) study (except mourning-related passages), no greetings, sitting on the floor or on low stools until midday, no smiling. The mourning posture is that of a person sitting [shiva](/glossary.json#letter-S) (the seven-day mourning period for a close relative). The fast begins at sundown the evening before and ends at nightfall.",
        "text": "Tisha B'Av includes the same five afflictions as Yom Kippur: no eating or drinking, no washing for pleasure, no anointing, no marital relations, no leather shoes. Additional mourning practices: no Torah study (except mourning-related passages), no greetings, sitting on the floor or on low stools until midday, no smiling. The mourning posture is that of a person sitting shiva (the seven-day mourning period for a close relative). The fast begins at sundown the evening before and ends at nightfall."
      },
      {
        "type": "heading",
        "body": "Eichah and Kinot",
        "text": "Eichah and Kinot"
      },
      {
        "type": "paragraph",
        "body": "On Tisha B'Av evening, after [Ma'ariv](/glossary.json#letter-M), [Eichah](/glossary.json#letter-E) (Lamentations) is chanted aloud in the synagogue in its distinctive mournful [trope](/glossary.json#letter-T). The congregation sits on the floor or on low stools; the lights are dimmed. The morning service includes additional kinot — medieval elegies composed in response to specific catastrophes: the Crusades, the expulsions, the Chmielnicki massacres of 1648–49, the Holocaust. The kinot can take hours to recite; many communities go through them through midday. The Koren Kinot or ArtScroll Kinot is the standard liturgy.",
        "text": "On Tisha B'Av evening, after Ma'ariv, Eichah (Lamentations) is chanted aloud in the synagogue in its distinctive mournful trope. The congregation sits on the floor or on low stools; the lights are dimmed. The morning service includes additional kinot — medieval elegies composed in response to specific catastrophes: the Crusades, the expulsions, the Chmielnicki massacres of 1648–49, the Holocaust. The kinot can take hours to recite; many communities go through them through midday. The Koren Kinot or ArtScroll Kinot is the standard liturgy."
      },
      {
        "type": "heading",
        "body": "The Three Weeks and the Nine Days",
        "text": "The Three Weeks and the Nine Days"
      },
      {
        "type": "paragraph",
        "body": "The mourning period leading to Tisha B'Av is structured. The Three Weeks ([bein hametzarim](/glossary.json#letter-B), \"between the straits\") begin on the 17th of [Tammuz](/glossary.json#letter-T) and end on the 9th of Av. Weddings, haircuts, and live music are prohibited; in many communities the restrictions on shaving and entertainment intensify as the period progresses. From the 1st of Av (the start of the Nine Days), Ashkenazi practice is that no meat or wine is consumed (except on [Shabbat](/glossary.json#letter-S)), while most Sephardi and Mizrahi communities restrict meat and wine only during the week in which Tisha B'Av itself falls; no swimming for pleasure; no purchases of new clothing requiring [shehecheyanu](/glossary.json#letter-S); no construction or planting of joyful things. The Shabbat immediately before Tisha B'Av is [Shabbat Chazon](/glossary.json#letter-S), named for the [haftarah](/glossary.json#letter-H) from [Yeshayahu 1](https://www.sefaria.org/Isaiah.1) read on that day.",
        "text": "The mourning period leading to Tisha B'Av is structured. The Three Weeks (bein hametzarim, \"between the straits\") begin on the 17th of Tammuz and end on the 9th of Av. Weddings, haircuts, and live music are prohibited; in many communities the restrictions on shaving and entertainment intensify as the period progresses. From the 1st of Av (the start of the Nine Days), Ashkenazi practice is that no meat or wine is consumed (except on Shabbat), while most Sephardi and Mizrahi communities restrict meat and wine only during the week in which Tisha B'Av itself falls; no swimming for pleasure; no purchases of new clothing requiring shehecheyanu; no construction or planting of joyful things. The Shabbat immediately before Tisha B'Av is Shabbat Chazon, named for the haftarah from Yeshayahu 1 read on that day."
      },
      {
        "type": "heading",
        "body": "After Midday",
        "text": "After Midday"
      },
      {
        "type": "paragraph",
        "body": "The most stringent mourning practices ease somewhat after midday on Tisha B'Av itself — the tradition holds that the Temple began to burn at midday and consumed itself through the afternoon; the actual completion is treated as already the beginning of redemption. Some sit on chairs from midday. The [Mincha](/glossary.json#letter-M) service of Tisha B'Av includes the additional [Nachem](/glossary.json#letter-N) prayer, asking God to comfort the mourners of Zion and to rebuild Jerusalem. After the fast ends, the mood gradually shifts; some authorities counsel a meat meal that evening to mark the transition.",
        "text": "The most stringent mourning practices ease somewhat after midday on Tisha B'Av itself — the tradition holds that the Temple began to burn at midday and consumed itself through the afternoon; the actual completion is treated as already the beginning of redemption. Some sit on chairs from midday. The Mincha service of Tisha B'Av includes the additional Nachem prayer, asking God to comfort the mourners of Zion and to rebuild Jerusalem. After the fast ends, the mood gradually shifts; some authorities counsel a meat meal that evening to mark the transition."
      },
      {
        "type": "heading",
        "body": "Where Denominations Diverge",
        "text": "Where Denominations Diverge"
      },
      {
        "type": "paragraph",
        "body": "Observance is most universal in [Orthodox](/glossary.json#letter-O) communities. Conservative observance of Tisha B'Av is substantial; the Rabbinical Assembly has produced its own kinot collection. [Reform](/glossary.json#letter-R) observance is variable; many Reform congregations note the day with a brief evening service and Eichah reading. A theological tension exists in some non-Orthodox circles: after 1948 and the founding of the State of Israel, what is the meaning of mourning for the loss of Jerusalem when Jerusalem is again the capital of a Jewish state? Most denominations have maintained Tisha B'Av observance unchanged; some have added contemporary readings on the Holocaust and modern Jewish suffering.",
        "text": "Observance is most universal in Orthodox communities. Conservative observance of Tisha B'Av is substantial; the Rabbinical Assembly has produced its own kinot collection. Reform observance is variable; many Reform congregations note the day with a brief evening service and Eichah reading. A theological tension exists in some non-Orthodox circles: after 1948 and the founding of the State of Israel, what is the meaning of mourning for the loss of Jerusalem when Jerusalem is again the capital of a Jewish state? Most denominations have maintained Tisha B'Av observance unchanged; some have added contemporary readings on the Holocaust and modern Jewish suffering."
      },
      {
        "type": "heading",
        "body": "Sources",
        "text": "Sources"
      },
      {
        "type": "paragraph",
        "body": "[Mishnah, Ta'anit 4:6](https://www.sefaria.org/Mishnah_Ta'anit.4.6).",
        "text": "Mishnah, Ta'anit 4:6."
      },
      {
        "type": "paragraph",
        "body": "[Talmud Bavli, Ta'anit 26b–31a](https://www.sefaria.org/Taanit.26b); [Gittin 55b–58a](https://www.sefaria.org/Gittin.55b).",
        "text": "Talmud Bavli, Ta'anit 26b–31a; Gittin 55b–58a."
      },
      {
        "type": "paragraph",
        "body": "Eichah (Lamentations).",
        "text": "Eichah (Lamentations)."
      },
      {
        "type": "paragraph",
        "body": "[Rambam, Mishneh Torah, Hilchot Ta'aniyot 5](https://www.sefaria.org/Mishneh_Torah,_Fasts.5).",
        "text": "Rambam, Mishneh Torah, Hilchot Ta'aniyot 5."
      },
      {
        "type": "paragraph",
        "body": "[Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim 549–561](https://www.sefaria.org/Shulchan_Arukh,_Orach_Chayim.549).",
        "text": "Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim 549–561."
      },
      {
        "type": "paragraph",
        "body": "[What Is Tisha B'Av?](https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/144575/jewish/What-Is-Tisha-BAv.htm) — Chabad.org.",
        "text": "What Is Tisha B'Av? — Chabad.org."
      },
      {
        "type": "paragraph",
        "body": "[Tisha B'Av Order of the Day](https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/144576/jewish/Tisha-BAv-Order-of-the-Day.htm) — Chabad.org.",
        "text": "Tisha B'Av Order of the Day — Chabad.org."
      },
      {
        "type": "paragraph",
        "body": "[The Three Weeks](https://ph.yhb.org.il/en/05-08-01/) — Peninei Halakha.",
        "text": "The Three Weeks — Peninei Halakha."
      },
      {
        "type": "paragraph",
        "body": "[17th of Tammuz](https://aish.com/48943446/) — Aish.",
        "text": "17th of Tammuz — Aish."
      },
      {
        "type": "heading",
        "body": "Further Reading",
        "text": "Further Reading"
      },
      {
        "type": "paragraph",
        "body": "[Yitz Greenberg](/glossary.json#letter-R), The Jewish Way — Tisha B'Av chapter.",
        "text": "Yitz Greenberg, The Jewish Way — Tisha B'Av chapter."
      },
      {
        "type": "paragraph",
        "body": "Avivah Gottlieb Zornberg, Bewilderments — chapters on Eichah.",
        "text": "Avivah Gottlieb Zornberg, Bewilderments — chapters on Eichah."
      },
      {
        "type": "paragraph",
        "body": "Koren Kinot; ArtScroll Tisha B'Av Compendium.",
        "text": "Koren Kinot; ArtScroll Tisha B'Av Compendium."
      }
    ],
    "related": [
      {
        "slug": "holidays-yamim-noraim-rosh-hashanah",
        "title": "Rosh Hashanah",
        "href": "/articles/holidays-yamim-noraim-rosh-hashanah.json"
      },
      {
        "slug": "holidays-yamim-noraim-yom-kippur",
        "title": "Yom Kippur",
        "href": "/articles/holidays-yamim-noraim-yom-kippur.json"
      },
      {
        "slug": "holidays-shalosh-regalim-sukkot",
        "title": "Sukkot",
        "href": "/articles/holidays-shalosh-regalim-sukkot.json"
      },
      {
        "slug": "holidays-yom-tov-shemini-atzeret-and-simchat-torah",
        "title": "Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah",
        "href": "/articles/holidays-yom-tov-shemini-atzeret-and-simchat-torah.json"
      }
    ],
    "goDeeper": [
      {
        "slug": "calendar-daf-yomi-a-page-a-day",
        "title": "Daf Yomi: A Page a Day",
        "level": "deeper",
        "href": "/articles/calendar-daf-yomi-a-page-a-day.json"
      },
      {
        "slug": "holidays-fasts-the-four-minor-fasts",
        "title": "The Four Minor Fasts",
        "level": "deeper",
        "href": "/articles/holidays-fasts-the-four-minor-fasts.json"
      }
    ],
    "glossary": {
      "av": {
        "term": "Av",
        "hebrew": "אָב",
        "translit": null,
        "definition": "The summer month of the Jewish calendar in which Tisha B'Av, the major day of mourning for the destroyed Temples, falls.",
        "moreSlug": null
      },
      "eichah": {
        "term": "Eichah",
        "hebrew": "אֵיכָה",
        "translit": null,
        "definition": "The book of Lamentations — the Bible's poetry of grief over Jerusalem's destruction, chanted by candlelight on Tisha B'Av. Its name is its first word: 'How…'",
        "moreSlug": null
      },
      "maariv": {
        "term": "Ma'ariv",
        "hebrew": "מַעֲרִיב",
        "translit": null,
        "definition": "The evening prayer service — the third of the three daily services, built around the Shema and the Amidah.",
        "moreSlug": "going-deeper-deeper-prayers-the-three-daily-services"
      },
      "mincha": {
        "term": "Mincha",
        "hebrew": "מִנְחָה",
        "translit": null,
        "definition": "The afternoon prayer service, the shortest of the three daily services; its name recalls the afternoon grain offering brought in the Temple.",
        "moreSlug": "going-deeper-deeper-prayers-the-three-daily-services"
      },
      "nachem": {
        "term": "Nachem",
        "hebrew": "נַחֵם",
        "translit": null,
        "definition": "'Console' — the prayer for the comforting of Jerusalem's mourners added to the afternoon Amidah on Tisha B'Av.",
        "moreSlug": null
      },
      "orthodox-judaism": {
        "term": "Orthodox Judaism",
        "hebrew": null,
        "translit": null,
        "definition": "Orthodox Judaism holds Halacha as fully binding and the Shulchan Aruch as its canonical code; it spans Haredi and Hasidic communities as well as Modern Orthodoxy, and is the starting point from which this Field Guide is written, even as it engages seriously with other denominations.",
        "moreSlug": "how-to-use-this-field-guide"
      },
      "yitz-greenberg": {
        "term": "Rabbi Yitz Greenberg",
        "hebrew": null,
        "translit": null,
        "definition": "Rabbi Irving 'Yitz' Greenberg (b. 1933), a Modern Orthodox rabbi and Holocaust theologian known for the principle that no Jewish theological statement should be made that would not be credible in the presence of burning children; author of The Jewish Way.",
        "moreSlug": "holidays-modern-observances-yom-hashoah"
      },
      "reform-judaism": {
        "term": "Reform Judaism",
        "hebrew": null,
        "translit": null,
        "definition": "Reform Judaism treats Halacha as a source of values and meaning rather than binding law, emphasizing individual autonomy, ethical monotheism, and tikkun olam; it was the first movement to fully recognize patrilineal descent and ordain women as rabbis.",
        "moreSlug": "how-to-use-this-field-guide"
      },
      "shabbat": {
        "term": "Shabbat",
        "hebrew": "שַׁבָּת",
        "translit": null,
        "definition": "The seventh day — the weekly day of rest from Friday sunset to Saturday nightfall, marked by candle lighting, kiddush, festive meals, and rest from creative work.",
        "moreSlug": "where-to-start-your-first-shabbat"
      },
      "shabbat-chazon": {
        "term": "Shabbat Chazon",
        "hebrew": "שַׁבַּת חֲזוֹן",
        "translit": null,
        "definition": "The 'Shabbat of Vision' immediately before Tisha B'Av, named for its haftarah, the opening vision of Yeshayahu (Isaiah).",
        "moreSlug": null
      },
      "tammuz": {
        "term": "Tammuz",
        "hebrew": "תמוז",
        "translit": null,
        "definition": "The fourth month of the Jewish calendar, in midsummer; the fast of the 17th of Tammuz mourns the breach of Jerusalem's walls.",
        "moreSlug": null
      },
      "tisha-bav": {
        "term": "Tisha B'Av",
        "hebrew": "תשעה באב",
        "translit": null,
        "definition": "The 9th of Av — the year's major day of mourning, a full fast commemorating the destruction of both Temples and other catastrophes; Eichah (Lamentations) is read by candlelight.",
        "moreSlug": "holidays-fasts-tisha-bav"
      },
      "torah": {
        "term": "Torah",
        "hebrew": "תּוֹרָה",
        "translit": null,
        "definition": "The Five Books of Moses — the scroll at the center of Jewish life — and, more broadly, the whole of Jewish teaching. 'Learning Torah' can mean anything from Chumash to Talmud.",
        "moreSlug": null
      },
      "yom-kippur": {
        "term": "Yom Kippur",
        "hebrew": "יום כיפור",
        "translit": null,
        "definition": "The Day of Atonement — the holiest day of the Jewish year, a 25-hour fast devoted to prayer, confession, and repair of one's relationships with God and with other people.",
        "moreSlug": "holidays-yamim-noraim-yom-kippur"
      },
      "bein-hametzarim": {
        "term": "bein hametzarim",
        "hebrew": "בֵּין הַמְּצָרִים",
        "translit": null,
        "definition": "'Between the straits' — the three weeks of mourning from the fast of the 17th of Tammuz to Tisha B'Av, recalling the siege and destruction of Jerusalem.",
        "moreSlug": null
      },
      "haftarah": {
        "term": "haftarah",
        "hebrew": "הַפְטָרָה",
        "translit": null,
        "definition": "The selection from the Prophets chanted after the Torah reading on Shabbat and festivals, chosen for its thematic link to the day or the weekly portion.",
        "moreSlug": null
      },
      "kinot": {
        "term": "kinot",
        "hebrew": "קִינוֹת",
        "translit": null,
        "definition": "The elegies chanted on Tisha B'Av, lamenting the destruction of the Temples and the long catalog of Jewish catastrophes.",
        "moreSlug": null
      },
      "shehecheyanu": {
        "term": "shehecheyanu",
        "hebrew": "שֶׁהֶחֱיָנוּ",
        "translit": null,
        "definition": "The blessing 'who has kept us alive, sustained us, and brought us to this season,' said at festivals, first fruits of the season, and joyful new beginnings.",
        "moreSlug": null
      },
      "shiva": {
        "term": "shiva",
        "hebrew": "שבעה",
        "translit": null,
        "definition": "Literally 'seven' — the seven-day mourning period observed at home after the burial of a close relative, during which the community visits to comfort the mourners.",
        "moreSlug": null
      },
      "teamim": {
        "term": "te'amim",
        "hebrew": "טעמים",
        "translit": null,
        "definition": "The cantillation marks (called 'trope' in Yiddish-derived usage) printed with the text of the Tanakh, indicating both the melody for chanting each word and the verse's phrasing.",
        "moreSlug": "hebrew-cantillation-teamim-trope"
      }
    }
  },
  "links": [
    {
      "rel": "parent",
      "title": "Sacred Time",
      "href": "/sections/sacred-time.json"
    },
    {
      "rel": "related",
      "title": "Rosh Hashanah",
      "href": "/articles/holidays-yamim-noraim-rosh-hashanah.json"
    },
    {
      "rel": "related",
      "title": "Yom Kippur",
      "href": "/articles/holidays-yamim-noraim-yom-kippur.json"
    },
    {
      "rel": "related",
      "title": "Sukkot",
      "href": "/articles/holidays-shalosh-regalim-sukkot.json"
    },
    {
      "rel": "related",
      "title": "Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah",
      "href": "/articles/holidays-yom-tov-shemini-atzeret-and-simchat-torah.json"
    },
    {
      "rel": "related",
      "title": "Daf Yomi: A Page a Day",
      "href": "/articles/calendar-daf-yomi-a-page-a-day.json"
    },
    {
      "rel": "related",
      "title": "The Four Minor Fasts",
      "href": "/articles/holidays-fasts-the-four-minor-fasts.json"
    }
  ]
}