OBSERVING THE BLACK FAST: TISHAH B’AV
Candle lighting: None—Date of Commemoration: 9 Av, 5771
Commemoration Begins: Monday, August 8, 2011, at Sunset
Commemoration Ends: Tuesday, August 9, 2011, at Sunset
A bas relief of the spoils of the ancient Temple (the menorah clearly depicted) carried away by Jewish captives and the Romans after the sacking of Jerusalem in 70 CE. The Arch of Titus, in Rome, Italy
Jerusalem was destroyed, along with the temple, twice: in 586 BCE by the Babylonians and 70 CE by the Romans. The rabbis, brutally honest as they were, charged not our enemies but the Jewish people themselves for both tragedies. The first time Jerusalem was destroyed was due to rampant sin—murder, idol worship, and sexual immorality. The second destruction was not due to ritual sin. The people were actually very observant, but they showed little compassion for each other. Sinat hinam, internal petty hatred, is what brought Jerusalem down.
What is the point of Tishah b’Av today? Is not the State of Israel more than just compensation for a sorrow that is 2,000 years old and aging? We do thank God for the State of Israel, but Tishah b’Av remains a powerful observance in the heart of every serious Jew. It helps us redirect our hearts toward a life of ritual and moral rectitude, and an attitude of love for our fellow Jews and non-Jewish neighbors. Our history affords us critical lessons that we have to carry with us day by day.
The Tishah b’Av traditions include 25 hours of fasting, wearing non-leather shoes, refraining from bathing, and chanting from the biblical work Eikhah (Lamentations). Our Tishah B'Av schedule:
OUR MIDWAY JEWISH CENTER TISHAH B'AV CALENDAR
| Monday, August 8 |
8:00pm |
Minhah & Ma’ariv (afternoon & evening services) |
| |
8:03pm |
Sunset, The Fast Begins |
| |
8:25pm |
Reading of Eikhah |
| Tuesday, August 9 |
6:15am |
Shaharit (morning service) |
| |
7:00am |
Second Reading of Eikhah |
| |
7:45pm |
Minhah & Ma’ariv |
| |
8:44pm |
Conclusion of Tishah B’Av |
| 
Updated July 12, 2006 
