Tisha B

Tisha B'Av: THE Jewish Day of Mourning
Over the Destruction of Both Temples

And it has been taught: Moses sent out spies on the twenty-ninth of Sivan... And it is further written, And all the congregation lifted up their voice, and cried; and the people wept that night. Rabbah said in the name of R. Johanan: That night was the night of the ninth of Av. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to them: You have wept without cause, therefore I will set [this day] aside for a weeping throughout the generations to come. (Ta'anis 29a)

For I have eaten ashes like bread, and mingled my drink with weeping... (Psalm 102:10)

But if ye will not hear it, my soul shall weep in secret places for your pride; and mine eye shall weep sore, and run down with tears, because the LORD'S flock is carried away captive. (Jeremiah 13:17)

My soul shall weep in secret for the pride. R. Samuel b. Inia said in the name of Rab: The Holy One, blessed be He, has a place and its name is ‘Secret’. What is the meaning of [the expression] ‘for the pride’?-R. Samuel b. Isaac said: For the glory that has been taken from them and given to the nations of the world. R. Samuel b. Nahmani said: For the glory of the Kingdom of Heaven. But is there any weeping in the presence of the Holy One, blessed be He? For behold R. Papa said: There is no grief in the Presence of the Holy One blessed be He; for it is said: Honour and majesty are before Him; strength and beauty are it His sanctuary! — There is no contradiction; the one case [refers to] the inner chambers, the other case [refers to] the outer chambers. (Chagigah 5b)

Checklist of Halachos of Tisha B'Av:

**When Tisha B'Av is Motzei Shabbos (there are three possibilities -- 1. Tisha B'Av falls on a weekday other than Sunday; 2. Tisha B'Av falls on a Shabbos and is "pushed off" until Sunday; 3. Tisha B'Av falls on a Sunday -- all three scenarios will be examined):
--one may eat meat and drink wine, even at Shalosh Seudos. However, the meal must be completed BEFORE sunset. And, unlike all other years, there is no Seudah Mafsekes (Meal of Mourning). Motzei Shabbos, immediately after Borchu, everyone should take off their leather shoes and put on their Tisha B'Av (non-leather) shoes. The Tefillah of Ata Chonantanu is inserted in the Shemoneh Esrei. Women should do no work until they recite Baruch Ha Mavdil. The Bracha "Borai Ha Aish" is said before the reading of Eichah (Lamentations). Havdallah is not recited until Sunday night, however, Havdallah consists of only the Brachos "Borai Peri Hagofen" and "Ha Mavdil" -- spices and candles are not used (Beer, instead of wine, should be used during the recitation of Havdallah).

PROHIBITIONS ON TISHA B'AV:
--Eating
--Drinking
--Washing one's body
--Anointing one's self
--Wearing leather shoes
--Familial relations
--Learning Torah (with a few noted exceptions)
--Rinsing one's mouth with either water or mouthwash
--One may not wash or immerse any part of the body, with the exception of when one rises in the morning, just before Davening, or after using the restroom -- one should only wash his hands (in the usual manner) up to the knuckles. One may, however, wash in a normal fashion in order to remove dirt, ink, etc. from the body.
--One who MUST eat on Tisha B'Av may wash his hands in the normal manner, but should not wash Mayim Acharonim
--Until mid-day one is prohibited from sitting in a chair that is 12 inches tall or higher
--One may sit in a car in the normal manner
--When sleeping, one should not sleep as one normally does, but rather should sleep in a less comfortable way (such as without a pillow)
--One may learn parts of Torah that deal with the suffering of the Jewish people:
a) The Book of Iyov (Job)
b) The Megillah of Eichah (Lamentations)
c) The part of Yirmiyahu (Jeremiah) that deal with tragedy and destruction
d) The third chapter of Moed Katan, which deals with mourning
e) The Gemorah in Gittin (56b through 58a) that deals with the story of Kamtza and Bar Kamtza
f) Talmud Yerushalmi at the end of Ta'anis
g) The Halachos of mourning
h) The Halachos of Tisha B'Av
--Writing or housework should not be done until mid-day
--One should not offer greetings on Tisha B'Av
--One should not wish a person "good night" or "good morning"
--One who is greeted with "Shalom Aleichem" or any other form of greeting, may respond in a muted manner, but should indicate that greeting another person is prohibited
--Work or business should not be conducted until mid-day, UNLESS foregoing the work or business activity would result in an extensive and/or irretrievable loss. If one works, involvement in such activities should ne be so great as to cause one to forget the significance of Tisha B'Av
--Tallis and Tefillin are not worn at Shacharis, but instead are worn at Mincha
--Haircuts, shaving, washing clothing, and bathing, eating meat, and drinking wine are prohibited until mid-day on the 10th of Av (as the Bais Hamikdash burned through then).

Thursday, July 18th: Tisha B'av

Halachos/Check List for Tisha B'Av:

Early Mincha, Erev Tisha B'Av: 6:00pm

Seudah HaMafsekes/Last Meal Before the Fast

(This meal is eaten on the floor, and consists of: bread, an egg, and water. There should be a declaration that, "Thjs is the Tisha B'Av meal."

The egg is dipped in ashes to augment the sense of mourning that needs to felt during the meal...

* * * * * * *