Fast of Tisha B’Av 288 articles

Jewish Holidays

Tisha B’Av is the saddest day on the Jewish calendar, not just because it is the day on with both temples were destroyed but also because many other tragedies have occurred on that day as well. We focus on these historical events as part of the kinot we say on Tisha B’Av night and during the day.

More Inyanei Tisha B’Av
More Inyanei Tisha B’Av
Gadol Gibor v’Nora – Great, Mighty, and Awesome Why are the Anshei Knesses Ha’Gedolah, asks the Gemara in Yoma (69b), called by that name? Because they reinstated the practice of referring...
Jan 16, 2018
By Rav Mosheh Twersky HY"D
The Four Fasts, Then & Now
The Four Fasts, Then & Now
The Gemara in Maseches Rosh HaShana (18b) says that there are three categories regarding the four fasts (of Asarah b’Teves, Shiva Asar b’Tamuz, Tisha b’Av, and Tzom Gedaliah) : 1) when there is gezeiras malchus (persecution) all four fasts are obligatory...
Nov 30, 2017
By Rav Mosheh Twersky HY"D
The Four Fast Days and Sefer Zechariah
Why do we fast on Tisha B’av?  The primary answer, of course, is to remember the destruction of the Bet HaMikdash and Yerushalayim. Yet, according to the Navi Zechariah, not only...
Oct 3, 2017
By Rabbi Menachem Leibtag
The Ultimate Jewish Optimism: From Chazon to Nachamu
The Ultimate Jewish Optimism: From Chazon to Nachamu
Why do we change the mood halfway through Tisha B’Av to a more optimistic one? What can’t we even have 1 day on our calendar that focuses entirely on sadness? Recorded...
Sep 19, 2017
By Rabbi Shai Finkelstein
Reflections on the Month of Menachem Av
Reflections on the Month of Menachem Av
The word moed means a meeting, a time when we meet Hashem. How then is Tisha B’Av a moed? How is Tu B’Av a holiday on par with Yom Kippur? The...
Aug 30, 2017
By Rabbi Yosef Grossman
The Glaring Omission of the Spanish Inquisition from Kinot
The Glaring Omission of the Spanish Inquisition from Kinot
Unlike the crusades, one of the most tragic events in Jewish History, the Spanish inquisition and the subsequent expulsion is absent from Kinot. Why? Shiur provided courtesy of Torah Anytime
Aug 29, 2017
By Rabbi Daniel Glatstein
Tisha B’av Kinot 5777 – Rabbi Steven Weil
Tisha B’av Kinot 5777 – Rabbi Steven Weil
There are many possibilities as to what is the basis of our theology, our world outlook. According to Rabbeinu Bachya the basis is hakarat hatov. A lack of this trait is the...
Aug 8, 2017
By Rabbi Steven Weil
Tisha B’av Kinot 5777 – Rabbi Dr. Tzvi Hersh Weinreb
Tisha B’av Kinot 5777 – Rabbi Dr. Tzvi Hersh...
The path out of galut, out of darkness into light. Why are we still in a state of “mipnei chataeinu galinu me’artzeinu” (because of our sins we in exile)? Tisha B’Av...
Aug 8, 2017
By Rabbi Dr. Tzvi Hersh Weinreb
Golus: Living the Nightmare
Golus: Living the Nightmare
The existence of the Beit HaMikdash is considered the natural order, nature in balance. What caused it and how do we restore the natural order?
Jul 31, 2017
By Rabbi Yochanan Bechhofer
Tisha B’Av – The Day We Lost Our Home
Tisha B’Av – The Day We Lost Our Home
The Gemara says that any generation in which the Beit HaMikdash isn’t rebuilt, it’s as if it was destroyed in that generation teaches that it’s natural to have a beit hamikdash...
Jul 28, 2017
By Rabbi Yochanan Bechhofer

Discover More

email logo

Subscribe To The OU’s Shabbat Shalom Weekly Newsletter

Weekly email newsletter filled with articles, Divrei Torah, upcoming events and more! Sign up today.