According to the Midrash, the Jewish people are currently like a betrothed bride. The ultimate consummation of that cosmic marriage will not occur until the times of the Messiah.
Has the Mashiach already been born? Will he be born this year? Or in the future? The Jerusalem Talmud teaches the Messiah will be born on Tisha B'Av, the exact same day the Holy Temple was destroyed.
In 2026, Tisha B'Av begins at sundown on Wednesday, July 22, and concludes at nightfall on Thursday, July 23. It will be a day of sadness, notably because of the destruction of both the First and Second Temples in Jerusalem, and it is a day of possible great joy at the same time.
This paradox symbolizes a core concept in Jewish theology: ultimate redemption is born out of total destruction. When things seem darkest, the seeds for the ultimate salvation and rebuilding of Jerusalem are planted.
In Jewish mysticism, the Kabbalah, marriage serves as a metaphor for the ultimate union between God and the Jewish people. Even a child is explicitly viewed as the product of a three-way partnership between the mother, the father, and God, a concept that comes directly from the Tractate Kiddushin 30b, which states: "There are three partners in the creation of a person: the Holy One, Blessed be He, the father, and the mother."
