Though better known as the holiday when Jewish people fast to atone for their sins, Yom Kippur does not hold a candle for melancholy to Tisha B’Av, which is considered the saddest day in the Jewish calendar.
Tisha B’Av begins at sundown on Aug. 4 and ends after sunset on the following day, this year.
A holiday that also includes fasting, Tisha B’Av commemorates the destruction of the First and Second temples of Jerusalem, in 586 BCE and 70 CE, respectively. But it has also come to include several other calamities that have befallen the Jewish people such as the expulsion from England in 1290, from Spain in 1492 as well as the mass deportation from the Warsaw Ghetto during World War II.
It is the only holiday when bars and restaurants in Israel are closed by the police and the only eateries open are ones in hotels or the Arab quarters of the Mideast nation. Tish B’Av is preceded by three weeks of mourning, including nine days of intense mourning just prior to the holiday.
Rabbi Nochem Tenenboim, leader of the Chabad of Hewlett, explained that in Judaism that tragedy, disaster and a “sorrow that makes no sense” is a Tisha B’Av. “A current example is the news from Israel,” Rabbi Tenenboim said, referring to the recent fighting between Israeli forces and the terrorist group Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
“Tisha B’Av is a day of mourning, when we take time to reflect on all of the suffering the Jewish nation withstood in exile: pogroms, crusades, inquisitions and holocausts,” he added. “When God is hiding himself, when things are not the way they should be, we mourn on Tisha B’Av.”
Rabbi Jay Rosenbaum, spiritual leader of Temple Israel of Lawrence, also tied the holiday to the latest wave of violence in the Gaza Strip. “In light of the terrible tragedy reigned down on Israel brought about by Hamas, its added significance is in Judaism we are commanded to not only celebrate joyous holidays but commemorate the saddest and remember those who have perished.”
Though a bitter day in Jewish history, Tisha B’Av does offer a glimmer of hope. Jews realize that despite all of the conflict and hatred in the world, God is with them every step of their lives, providing protection and helping them to succeed.
As the holiday ends, the National Council of Synagogue Youth’s Kollel Israeli summer program has an annual tradition of visiting the Western Wall, also known as the Wailing Wall, the remaining piece of the Second Temple. Singing in unison, Jews from diverse background mourn the destruction and pray for its rebuilding and the coming of the messiah. “It’s an amazing experience, a feeling of unity and powerful emotions at the eclipse of a difficult day pondering and dwelling on our nation’s long journey through history,” said Shlomo Rayman, a junior Kollel advisor.