Tisha B’Av FAST starts on Wednesday, July 29, 2020 (8:17 pm Philadelphia time) – ends Thursday, July 30 (8:47 Philadelphia Time)
For exact times of the Fast please visit:
http://www.chabad.org/calendar/zmanim_cdo/aid/143790/jewish/Halachic-Times-Zmanim.htm
In Biblical times, it was on this day that the 12 spies returned with a bad report about the Land of Israel, causing a decree of 40 years of wandering in the desert. About 500 years later, the Holy Temple in Jerusalem was destroyed on Tisha B’Av. And about 500 years later – on the same calendar day – the Second Temple was destroyed as well. Only one wall, known to us as the Wailing Wall remains at its place.
The harshness of Tisha B’Av has continued throughout the generations.
Tisha B’Av, 1492, one of history’s most infamous deadlines arrived. It was on that day that the Jews of Spain had to convert or leave the country.
To contemporary people, the tragedy of our century is the Holocaust. As history has shown, WWII was a consequence of many political events that happened due to WWI.
World War One began on Tisha B’Av.
On July 23, 1942 Tish B’Av of that year, Heinrich Himmler received formal Nazi approval to implement the Final Solution.
On Tisha B’Av we abstain from:
- Eating and drinking. Anyone over bar/bat mitzvah fasts, including pregnant and nursing women. Feeling ill? Consult a rabbi.
- Bathing or washing. Exceptions: soiled hands, upon exiting the restroom, and the morning ritual handwashing (only the fingers).
- Applying lotions or creams.
- Wearing shoes that contain leather.
- Marital relations.
- Learning or reading anything other than subjects concerning the Temples’ destruction or other sad events of Jewish history.
To read the Book of Lamentations (5 Chapters of Eichah) on Wednesday night follow this link.
https://www.chabad.org/library/bible_cdo/aid/16457/jewish/Chapter-1.htm
In the 1800’s, the Emperor Napoleon passed by a Synagogue in the Jewish Quarter in France. The day happened to be TishaB’Av. He heard the sounds of weeping and wailing coming from within.
He summoned over one of the Jews and asked, “What is everyone crying about?” “We are lamenting the destruction of our Holy Temple (Bais Hamikdash) in Jerusalem.” “When did this happen,” asked Napoleon, aghast, “I didn’t hear anything of this and my ministers report to me twice daily of all the current news and events around the world.” “Sire, our Temple was destroyed in 70 C.E. by the Romans.” Said Napoleon, “A people – that passionately mourns a national tragedy that took place over 17 centuries ago – is ETERNAL.”
In 1967, Jews from all over the world flocked to Israel to see the Kotel (Wailing Wall), which had been off limits to Jews for many years. The Israeli army set up guards near the wall. During one particular shift there were two soldiers standing guard, watching the steady stream of people of all Jewish backgrounds pouring their hearts out at the holy wall. One of the soldiers started crying. The other soldier asked, “Why are you crying? I can understand all of these people being emotional over the Kotel for they are religious Jews; but, you and I were brought up on a nonreligious kibbutz. Religion has no meaning or significance to us. So why are you crying?” The first soldier answered, “I am crying over the fact that I am not crying. As I see these people, I realize that there must be something very special – something very deep and profound about the Destruction. I know that there is something very beautiful that I am missing. It is for this that I cry.”
For my Russian speaking friends, please watch my 15 minute video on this subject:
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