Tisha B'Av - צום תשעה באב

TishaBav

TISHA B’AV – A DAY OF MOURNING

This Day of Mourning the destruction of the two Temples and the exile of Israel falls on 9 Av. In order to let go distractions from mourning, we do not eat or drink, wash, wear leather footwear, or have marital relations from sundown on the night before to nightfall onTisha B’Av. On this day, it is customary to sit on the floor or on a low seat until after midday. Torah study is restricted to laws of mourning. Only passages describing the destruction of the Temple may be studied, as the study of Torah brings people joy and this would distract from the mourning.

There are five things forbidden on Tisha B’Av.: eating and drinking, washing oneself, anointing oneself with oil, wearing leather shoes, and cohabitation. We should not even smell perfumes or spices on that day. In addition, we should not wear fine clothes, even if the clothes are not new.

We should not greet friends and ask how they are on Tisha B’Av, and we should not even say "good morning." lf we are greeted by a friend, however, we should respond so as not to cause bad feelings, but in a lowered tone of voice. It is also forbidden to send gifts on Tisha B’Av.

On Tisha B’Av we do not do any work which takes up much time, as this would distract us from feeling a sense of mourning. We should observe this from this from sundown the night before to until midday on Tisha B’Av. After midday, such work is not customarily forbidden but nevertheless it is best to avoid such work until the fast is over.
Tisha B’Av calls us to remember be conscious that we are remembering pain. It is a time to learn, through pain and grief, that we are capable of experiencing and sharing greater joy, compassion and caring. This is an idea time to remember the things that have hurt us in our lives, to feel and explore the pain of those memories in order to move forward and heal.

As such, it is fitting that Tu B’Av, a joyous celebration (see separateTu B’Av section), falls on 15 Av, just a few days later.
References:

Falcon PhD, Rabbi T. and Blatner, D. (2001) Judaism for Dummies, Hungry Minds, New York.