What Are the Special Laws of Tisha B'av?

Will The Temple Be Built This Year?

Every year at this time, we mourn the destruction of the Temple and pray for its rebuilding. Does this mean that the Temple will actually be built this year?

Unleash the Torah's Shackles!

...It is interesting that one particular deficiency humbly hid itself for many generations among the other things we lacked, finding its expression chiefly in allusions of the Sages of the Kabbalah. However, in our times, it appears to be peeking out and budding forth, gradually becoming a bitter, silent, but great cry...

9. Sexual Relations

Chapter 10: The Laws of Tisha Be-Av

The fifth way in which we afflict ourselves on Tisha Be-Av is by abstaining from sexual relations.

8. Wearing Shoes

Chapter 10: The Laws of Tisha Be-Av

One may not wear high-quality shoes on Tisha Be-Av. There is a dispute among the poskim about the status of non-leather shoes.

7. Anointing Oneself, Fragrances, and Smoking

Chapter 10: The Laws of Tisha Be-Av

One may not apply oil or ointment on Tisha Be-Av even to a small area of the body. One may not smell perfumes or other fragrances on Tisha Be-Av.

6. Washing for the Sake of a Mitzva

Chapter 10: The Laws of Tisha Be-Av

One may wash one’s hands for the sake of a mitzva because such washing is not for the purpose of gaining pleasure.

4. Pregnant and Nursing Women

Chapter 10: The Laws of Tisha Be-Av

sick people are exempt from fasting on Tisha Be-Av, while pregnant and nursing women – despite the aches and pains that they experience – are not considered sick.

5. Washing

Chapter 10: The Laws of Tisha Be-Av

Any form of pleasurable washing is prohibited on Tisha Be-Av, whether the water is hot or cold. One may not even wash a small part of his body.

3. The Prohibition of Eating and the Status of Sick People and Postpartum Women

Chapter 10: The Laws of Tisha Be-Av

Sick people are exempt from fasting on Tisha Be-Av. A woman within thirty days of childbirth is considered sick.Those who are exempt from fasting should take care to eat only simple foods that they need for their health.

2. General Rules of the Fasts

Chapter 10: The Laws of Tisha Be-Av

There are few halakhic differences between Tisha Be-Av and the minor fasts. In general, the fast of Tisha Be-Av is equivalent to the fast of Yom Kippur.

1. Instituting the Fast of Tisha Be-Av

Chapter 10: The Laws of Tisha Be-Av

), The prophets instituted four fasts after the destruction of the First Temple, the gravest of which is Tisha Be-Av, the ninth day of the Hebrew month of Av, the day that the Temple was destroyed

4. Tisha Be-Av

Chapter 6: The Four Fasts Commemorating the Destruction of the Temple

The Sages state in the Mishna: Five tragic events befell our forefathers on the ninth of Av

The loss of the world as we knew it

When the Holy Temple was destroyed, the loss was of a whole way of life.

Tisha B'Av Today

A survey recently published reveals that a third of American Jewry has completely disconnected from the Jewish people. Another weighty survey reveals that a quarter of American Jews have become addicted to the anti-Semitic belief that Israel commits genocide against Palestinians, just as the Germans did to the Jewish people during the Holocaust.

What do we mourn during this time of Redemption?

When half of the People of Israel reside in the Land of Israel, Jerusalem is continually being built, the birth-rate increases, our enemies destroy themselves, the Land gives of her fruit luxuriously, and anti-Semitism becomes less frequent, it is incumbent on us to define for ourselves what we mourn on the 9th of Av, and what we lament during the weeks of "between the straits".

Why is Tisha B'Av Called a Festival?

Just before the somewhat sorrowful Tachanun prayer in our prayerbooks appears a small notation saying that we are not to say it on Tisha B'Av – because this day is a mo'ed, a festive day. How can it be that a day commemorating such a grave national calamity as the destruction of the Holy Temples and the exile of the nation could actually be considered, in any way, a festival?

All You Need Is Love?

Many people focus on the physical loss we suffered, as the magnificent Bet HaMikdash went up in flames. But long after the fires died down, we were left with the burning question: “Where did we go wrong?”

What Is the Procedure for Tisha B'av This Motzei Shabbat-sunday?

The Transition From Shabbat Into Tisha B’Av

Could you please explain how to handle the transition from Shabbat into Tisha B’Av (when it falls on Motzaei Shabbat) regarding se’uda shlishit, Havdala, and changing clothes?