Tisha B'Av

About Tisha B'Av

Tisha B'Av, the ninth of Av, is a day of fasting and mourning in Judaism. It remembers the destruction of the First Temple by the Babylonians and the Second by the Romans, both said to have fallen on this date, and other tragedies of Jewish history. For about twenty-five hours, observant Jews fast, and do not wash, wear leather shoes or greet one another. In the synagogue, the lights are low, the curtain of the ark is removed, and the worshippers sit on low stools or on the floor and read the Book of Lamentations and kinnot, poems of mourning. Three weeks of mourning lead up to it, and the following day the mood begins to turn towards consolation. When the date falls on Shabbat, the fast is moved to Sunday.

Tisha B'Av dates: 2026, 2027, 2028

This date follows the moon or a local calendar and can move by a day, so check with a local source nearer the time.

What is eaten

• pre-fast meal of bread and egg

More marked on Tisha B'Av

🇮🇱 IsraelTallitטלית A four-cornered Jewish prayer shawl with ritual fringes worn during worshipSpiritual 🇮🇱 Jerusalem, Israel and 5 moreTisha B'Avתשעה באב A solemn fast day in July or August to mourn the destruction of the Jerusalem Temples and other Jewish tragedies.Spiritual · Fasting and breaking the fast