The Importance of Mourning on Tisha B'Av

Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald, Director of Jewish Treats' parent organization, the National Jewish Outreach Program, speaks about the Fast Day of Tisha B'Av, the saddest day on the Jewish calendar. By relating a story about the great French leader Napoleon Bonaparte, Rabbi Buchwald shares why he believes that mourning on this day is of the utmost importance.



Napoleon was marching through Europe when he came across a Jewish town and stopped in front of a synagogue. He heard the people inside crying. Napoleon entered the synagogue and saw the people sitting on the floor with candles weeping. He asked one of the congregants "Why do you cry?" He was told that the Temple had been destroyed. Assuming that this had recently happened, Napoleon asked "When was it destroyed?" The Jewish man answered, "We're talking about the great Temples in Jerusalem that were destroyed first by the Babylonians and then by the Romans 2000 years ago." Napoleon was taken aback. He said "Anyone who can mourn the destruction of a Temple for 2000 years will surely see that Temple rebuilt." Tonight we begin the Fast of Tisha B'Av, which is the saddest day on the Jewish calendar, marking the destruction of First Temple by the Babylonians and the Second Temple by the Romans. Its amazing that Jews still mourn over the Temple. Rabbi Buchwald believes that this is an authentic and genuine Jewish mourning. In fact, he believes so strongly in the mourning of Tisha B'Av that he believes that it is only those people who mourn on Tisha B'Av will ever remember that there was a Holocaust. As recognized as the Holocaust is today, and with all the institutions and memorials that have been established, he still believes that it will only be those who mourn on Tisha B'Av that will truly remember the Holocaust, because this national day of mourning represents all the mourning for all the tragedies that occurred to the Jewish people.

May you have a meaningful fast and may the words of Napoleon come true in our day and age!

Learn more about the Fast Day of Tisha B'Av with this post from the Jewish Treats archives (http://www.jewishtreats.org)

Tisha B'Av
Tonight, at sunset, the saddest day on the Jewish calendar begins. Known as the Fast of the 9th of Av (Tisha B'Av), the observances of the day are very similar to Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar. In addition to fasting (no food or drink) for a 25 hour period from sundown Monday to nightfall on Tuesday, additional restrictions include refraining from washing, using lotions, wearing leather shoes and marital relations.

Aside from the synagogue service, there are two major distinctions between the two days: 1. Work (creative labor) is permitted on Tisha B'Av, and 2. Tisha B'Av's customs are mourning oriented, while Yom Kippur's observances have a more joyous tone as we celebrate our anticipated absolution from sin via the suppression of our physical needs. After all, we are compared on Yom Kippur to angels (which is also why we wear white).

Like the 17th of Tammuz, there are five events commemorated on Tisha B'Av (Mishnah Ta'anit 4:6).

1. God's decree that the Israelites would wander in the wilderness for 40 years.

2. The destruction of the First Temple.

3. The destruction of the Second Temple.

4. The end of the Bar Kochba revolt, when the Romans destroyed the city of Betar.

5. The city of Jerusalem was plowed over by Turnus Rufus, a Roman general.