Tisha B’Av is an annual Jewish fasting and mourning day to commemorate the tragedies and disasters that occurred throughout Jewish history. It usually falls in July and August in the Gregorian Calendar and is the culmination of the three-week mourning period. 

See the fact file below for more information on Tisha B’Av, or you can download our 26-page Tisha B’Av worksheet pack to utilize within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

A THREE-WEEK MOURNING PERIOD

• Tisha B’Av, “The Ninth of Av”, is preceded by a three-week mourning period that starts on the seventeenth day of the 4th Hebrew month of Tammuz. It is also called the Shiva Asar B’Tammuz, commemorating the breach of Jerusalem‘s walls before the Second Temple’s destruction. 
• The three weeks are considered a time of danger. Historically, many tragedies and disasters occurred during this period. Consequently, Jews refrain from going to dangerous places, undergoing major operations, taking airplanes, and engaging in court cases.

“THE NINTH OF AV”

• According to Mishnah, five calamities that occurred during this period warrant fasting. 
• Moses sent for the twelve tribe representatives, called The Twelve Spies, to scout out the land of Canaan for 40 days to be the Israelites’ promised land. However, ten out of the twelve spies reported negative things about the land. They panicked, cried, and complained that they could never conquer Canaan. These emotions influenced their people. The Israelites also became unwilling to take the promised land. They thought God had set them up for defeat. Because of this, God decreed that the Israelites would wander in the wilderness for 40 years. 
• The destruction of the First Temple or Solomon’s Temple happened on the ninth of Av and continued until the tenth, according to the Hebrew Calendar. King Solomon built the first temple in the 10th century BCE and it was destroyed by the second Babylonian King, Nebuchadnezzar, in 587 or 586 BCE
• The Romans destroyed the Second Temple, or Herod’s Temple, on the ninth day of Av in 70 CE, four years after the Jewish population rebelled against the Roman Empire. The event resulted in the destruction of Jerusalem and the exile of the Jews from the Holy Land. 
• On August 4, 135 CE, the Romans defeated the Bar Kokhba army and wiped out the city of Betar, killing about 500,000 Jewish civilians. 
• This was followed by the plowing of the site of the Temple in Jerusalem and the surrounding area by the Roman commander Quintus Tineius Rufus.  
• Aside from these five events, other tragedies occurred near the 9th of Av.
• The First Crusade happened on August 15, 1096 and destroyed Jewish Communities in France and Rhineland, killing 10,000 Jews. 
• The expulsion of Jews from England occurred on July 18, 1290, from France on July 22, 1306, and from Spain on July 31, 1492. 
• Germany entered World War I on August 1-2, 1914, and historians believe the long drawn-out conclusion was the Holocaust. 
• The Final Solution, the euphemism used by the Nazis to refer to the annihilation of Jewish people, was approved on August 2, 1941. 90% of the Polish Jews and two-thirds of the Jewish population perished. 
• On July 23, 1942, the Nazis began the mass deportation of Jews from Warsaw Ghetto to the extermination camp in the village of Treblinka. They murdered 700,000 to 900,000 Jews in the gas chambers. 
• On July 18, 1994, the AMIA bombing occurred in the Jewish community center in Buenos Aires, killing 85 Jews and injuring 300. 

OBSERVANCES AND PRACTICES

• Intense mourning begins nine days before Tisha B’Av. Traditional Jews refrain from eating meat, cutting their hair, or washing their clothes as these actions are considered signs of joy and luxury. Reform, Reconstructionist, and Conservative Jews practice these to varying degrees.
• Tisha B’Av falls in July and August. However, commemoration is delayed or known as nidche if it falls on Shabbat or Saturday, and the observation takes place from sunset of Shabbat to Sunday nightfall. Thus, drinking and eating end just before Saturday evening. 
• Everyone is expected to sit on low stools and refrain from smiling, laughing, or chatting idly because Tisha B’Av is a day of mourning. It is also customary to avoid greeting people to recognize the day’s solemnity. Visiting cemeteries on this day is encouraged to heighten the sadness. 
• Traditionally, Jews are expected to fast for 24 or 25 hours. They must eat pre-fast, known as seudah ha-mafaseket, meaning “meal of separation” or “concluding meal”, consisting of bread, water, and a hard-boiled egg dipped in ashes. It symbolizes the destruction they are mourning. Some Jews avoid eating red meat or chicken and drinking wine on the nine days leading up to Tisha B’Av. 
• When Tisha B’Av begins, some Jews avoid wearing leather, jewelry, belt buckles, and other metal objects as it is reminiscent of the wars and considered extravagant. 

PRAYERS AND CUSTOMS

• Jews chant the Megillat Eicha or the Scroll of Lamentations, which tells of and laments the first temple’s destruction during the Hebrew evening service or the Maariv. It is read in synagogues, and the ark or cabinet where they keep the Torah is draped in black. Studying the Torah is also not allowed on this day. 
• The Kinot, written in the 11th and 14th centuries, tells of the sufferings of Hebrews throughout the years. It usually begins being recited in the evening services after the Lamentations and continues in the morning. It contains hundreds of pages, all to be recited in a few hours in synagogues. The reading of the Kinot makes the morning the saddest part of the day. 
• The later Kinot were composed by various poets who either suffered firsthand from the events they mourned or related received reports. After the Holocaust, Kinot were composed by the German-born Rabbi Shimon Schwab in 1959 at the request of Rabbi Joseph Breuer and by Rabbi Solomon Halberstam, leader of the Bobov Hasidim. 
• The Jews also read sections of the books of Jeremiah and Job and passages from the Bible. A section in Talmud, which tells of the Temples’ destruction in 586 BCE and 70 CE, is also recited.
• After the morning prayers, the restrictions begin to relax. Food preparations for the post-fast meal begin in the afternoon. Many Jews also scrub the floor and clean the house for the Redemption. Men wear their tallit and tefillin before the afternoon prayers, and Jews can sit on regular chairs and benches.
• The Torah is read before the Amidah (the centerpiece of the three daily weekday prayers), particularly Exodus 32:11-14, which tells the aftermath of the Golden Calf incident where the Israelites attained forgiveness of their sins through Moses’ intervention. 
• A section of Nachem is added to the Adimah and sections of Aneinu. However, the latter is only recited by those who are fasting. 
• Before breaking the fast, Jews perform netilat yadayim, but this time, they cover their entire hand with water without reciting the blessing.  

Tisha B’Av Worksheets

This is a fantastic bundle that includes everything you need to know about Tisha B’Av across 26 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use worksheets that are perfect for teaching kids about Tisha B’Av, which is an annual Jewish fasting and mourning day to commemorate the tragedies and disasters that occurred throughout Jewish history.

Complete List of Included Worksheets

Below is a list of all the worksheets included in this document.

1. Tisha B’Av Facts
2. Saddest Day 
3. Reasons for the Fast
4. Practices to Remember
5. Solemn Observance
6. Tragedies in Tisha B’Av
7. Words in Hebrew  
8. Two Annual Practices
9. Dates to Remember 
10. Other Tragedies   
11. Greatest Jewish Tragedy 

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the significance of Tisha B’Av?

Tisha B’av is both a day of fasting and mourning. It acknowledges the various calamities that have happened to the Jewish people throughout their existence, with a special focus on the destruction of both temples in 586 BCE and 70 CE.

What is not allowed on Tisha B’Av?

There are 5 activities that are not allowed on Tisha B’Av. They are eating or drinking, washing your body, putting on lotion or perfume, wearing leather shoes, and being intimate with your spouse.

Who is exempt from fasting on Tisha B’Av?

For older people, fasting on Tisha B’Av can be dangerous. According to Jewish Law, those who need to take the medication with food or water, or whose physical or mental health would suffer from not eating are not supposed to fast.

Link/cite this page

If you reference any of the content on this page on your own website, please use the code below to cite this page as the original source.

<a href="https://kidskonnect.com/religion/tisha-bav/">Tisha B’Av Facts & Worksheets: https://kidskonnect.com</a> - KidsKonnect, June 27, 2023

Link will appear as Tisha B’Av Facts & Worksheets: https://kidskonnect.com - KidsKonnect, June 27, 2023