Tisha B'Av is the saddest day in the Jewish calendar, marking a national day of mourning for the destruction of both the First Temple by the Babylonians (586 BCE) and the Second Temple by the Romans (70 CE). Over centuries, it has also become the day to remember other major tragedies in Jewish history, including the expulsions from England and Spain, and the Holocaust.
This year, Tisha B'Av (the Ninth of Av) begins at nightfall on Wednesday, July 22 and concludes at nightfall on Thursday, July 23. Unlike most Jewish holidays, which feature festive meals, Tisha B'Av is a day of intense deprivation and mourning. It is observed with a strict 25-hour fast and intense reflection. Throughout the observance, communities sit on low stools or the floor symbolizing mourning and read the Book of Lamentations (Eicha) alongside somber dirges known as kinnot.
According to historical legend, Napoleon Bonaparte was walking through the streets of Paris on Tisha B'Av when he heard bitter wailing coming from a synagogue. Upon learning that the congregation was weeping over the destruction of their Temple, which had occurred nearly two millennia earlier, the Emperor was profoundly moved. He reportedly remarked: "A nation that cries and fasts for over 2,000 years for their land and Temple will surely be rewarded with both."
The Emperor Bonaparte recognized this as a rare testament to a culture’s unmatched resilience and historical memory.
