OBSERVING THE BLACK FAST: TISHAH B’AV
Candle lighting: None—Date of Commemoration: 9 Av, 5766
Commemoration Begins: Wednesday, July 29, 2009, at Sunset
Commemoration Ends: Thursday, July 30, 2009, at Sunset
Jerusalem was destroyed, along with the temple, twice: in 586 BCE by the Babylonians and 70 CE by the Romans. We will never forget the terrible events of those days. Virtually every official gathering of Jews includes a recollection of Jerusalem's destruction. The most common reference is the prayer in the Amidah (the “Silent Prayer”), recited three times a day, in which we ask God to “Return us to Your city Jerusalem…rebuild her soon, in our day, permanently.”
That is a uniquely Jewish sentiment. Jewish prayer not only strengthens the human soul, but reminds us of who we are and why we are here. We are Jews who once lived in Israel and Jerusalem. We are here because our enemies saw fit to displace us and send us into exile. If we forget that, our Judaism becomes meaningless. That is why we cherish these ancient prayers, and that is why we devote a day of fasting to recall Jerusalem and the temple's destruction.
We recapture the sadness, which infused the hearts of our ancestors, by fasting from sundown to sundown, wearing non-leather shoes, and by chanting from the biblical work Eikhah (Lamentations). We remember the destruction and commit ourselves to oppose the hatred, racism, avarice, and godlessness, which continue to destroy temples even today. The following is our Tishah B'Av schedule:
OUR MIDWAY JEWISH CENTER TISHAH B'AV CALENDAR
| Wednesday |
July 29 |
8:00 PM |
Minhah & Ma'ariv (afternoon & evening services) |
| |
|
8:14 PM |
Sunset, The Fast Begins |
| |
|
8:20 PM |
Reading of Eikhah |
| |
|
|
|
| Thursday |
July 30 |
6:15 AM |
Shaharit (morning service) |
| |
|
7:00 AM |
Reading of Eikhah, again.
Study of Rabbinic Sources Regarding the
Destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple |
| |
|
7:45 PM |
Minhah & Ma'ariv |
| |
|
8:13 PM |
Conclusion of Tishah B'av |
| 
Updated July 12, 2006 
