Fasting has always been a Jewish way of showing contrition and mourning. Both the sages and the prophets sought to limit fasting, but there are five public fast days in the Jewish year. The most important fast day is Yom Kippur. The second most important is the saddest day in the Jewish year, Tisha B'Av, the Ninth of Av.
According to tradition, on Tisha B'Av in 586 B.C.E., Nebuchadnezzer and the Babylonians destroyed Solomon's Temple.
On that date in 70 C.E. Titus and the Romans destroyed the Second Temple.
According to tradition, on that day Beitar fell, ending the Bar Kochba Revolt in 135 C.E.
On that date in 1290 England banished all Jews.
On that date in 1492 Spain expelled all Jews.
The Ninth of Av symbolizes all of the horrors we have suffered as a people over the past three thousand years. According to our sages, the precedent for the Ninth of Av being our day of misery was an incident in the desert. It was on the Ninth of Av that the people heard the negative report of the ten scouts and rebelled against Moses, refusing to go forward into the Land of Canaan. Historically, there is no evidence that any of our moments of horror actually occurred on the Ninth of Av.
Tisha B'Av is commemorated by reading the Book of Lamentations, found in the Ketuvim, the Writings section of the TaNaCh. According to our tradition, Lamentations was written by the prophet Jeremiah when he viewed the destruction of the first Temple. It is paean of grief and loss.
It is customary not to wear leather on Tisha B'Av because leather was viewed as a luxury. The fast on Tisha B'av lasts from sundown to sundown.
WE WILL BE HAVING A SPECIAL TISHA B'AV SERVICE ON WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 6 AT 7:00 P.M.
