Tisha B'Av 101

Tisha B’Av, the ninth day of the month of Av (which month coincides with July and/or August), is the major day of communal mourning in the Jewish calendar. Although a large number of disasters are said to have befallen the Jews on this day, the major commemoration is of the destruction of the First and Second Temples in Jerusalem in 586 B.C.E. and 70 C.E., respectively. Central to the observance of this day is fasting.

Tisha B’Av Ideas & Beliefs

Although the exact date of the destruction of each of the Temples — the ancient centers of Jewish life and practice — are unknown, tradition dates the...