A Day of Mourning

The reasons for the destruction of the first and second Temples are a popular topic for Tisha B'av. Learning from past mistakes and improving ourselves is a central part of Judaism. But, I would like to suggest that on Tisha B'av, this is not the main goal. It should be a pure day of mourning. In a shiva house, you do not attempt to discuss the reasons for the person's death; rather, you simply sit on the floor in mourning for the loss of the person. You do not try to move on; you simply reflect on the loss. In the long run, this will help the process of moving on and rebuilding. Similarly, on Tisha B'av, it is appropriate to engage in pure mourning for all the tragedies that have befallen us in the past. There is no need to try to explain why we suffered destructions, exiles, pogroms, and the Holocaust. We can take this one day to cry out, and reflect on this sad state of affairs.

However, we are rarely comfortable with endless mourning. Customs have developed that divide Tisha B'av into two parts. The first part, from the evening until chatzot (noon), is dedicated to pure mourning. We read Eicha, recite kinot, and focus on all the tragedies that have befallen us. We cry out to God, and ask, "Why have You forsaken us?" We sit on the floor, as is the custom of mourners. In shul, we dim the lights and remove the decorative cover over the aron.

After chatzot, we sit on chairs, and return the shul to its normal look. Men put on tefilin, which they did not do in the morning. We read the Torah reading and haftorah of a regular fast day, which reassure us that God will not forsake us. This is an appropriate time to start thinking about how we will rebuild, and what practical actions we can take to bring a speedy end to our long exile.

"Kol hamitabel al Yerushalayim, zocheh v'ro'eh b'simchatah" - all those who mourn the loss of Jerusalem will merit to see it in its joyful times. By spending tonight and tomorrow morning focusing solely on mourning the destructions and the losses we have suffered, we will be strengthened in our ability to rebuild.