Tisha B'Av

Today is Tisha b'Av (The Ninth of Av), a day of fasting and mourning on the traditional Jewish calendar.  Tisha b'Av commemorates the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem by the Romans in 70 C.E., as well as many other national disasters in Jewish history.

In addition to fasting, traditional rituals for Tisha b'Av include refraining from wearing leather, washing, or wearing perfume.  Torah study is also prohibited, since that is a joyful activity.

On Tisha b'Av, the biblical book of Lamentations (Eichah) is chanted.  This devasting set of poems is traditionally ascribed to the Prophet Jeremiah, who took refuge in a cave in the Jerusalem hills to lament the destruction of Jerusalem and the First Temple by the Babylonians in 586 B.C.E. (see picture).  Lamentations is chanted with its own mournful melody, not used for any other book of the Bible. (Except for parts of Esther and one haftarah, but that's another story.)

As I wrote in an earlier post, Reform Jews have a difficult time with the observance of Tisha b'Av, since our ideology demands the deemphasis of the Jerusalem Temple. 

One interesting idea for reclaiming this observance is promoted by Rabbi Arthur Waskow, a leader in the Jewish renewal and environmental movements.  Rabbi Waskow proposes that Jews observe Tisha b'Av as a day of mourning for the earth, with particular regard to the environmental disaster in the Gulf.  He has even created a ceremony with several moving modern lamentations.

I may not agree entirely with his politics, but I am deeply impressed by his creativity.  Reading Waskow's work, Tisha b'Av felt more relevant to me than it has in years.

Image: Rembrandt, Jeremiah Lamenting the Destruction of Jerusalem (1630)