Tishah B'Av
Tishah B'Av – the 9th day of the month of Av – is a date associated with tragedy and disaster in Jewish history.
In 586 BC the armies of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, destroyed Solomon's Temple in Jerusalem, plundered the city, raped the women and took many people into captivity. Psalm 137, 'By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea we wept when we remembered Zion…', is a song of grief sung by the victims at being torn from their homeland and exiled to Babylon.
They did return, eventually, and rebuilt their Temple. But it was destroyed again in 70 AD, this time by the Roman legions that colonised the strategically important strip of land on the east side of the Mediterranean which is still being fought over today. Once again, the Jewish inhabitants were exiled and have continued to live all over the world ever since.
One of the biggest and most important communities of Jews settled in Spain, where they lived in peaceful and creative coexistence with both Christians and Muslims for many centuries. Then came the Inquisition, which brought torture and death to Muslims and Jews who refused to convert to Chritianity. Finally, in 1492, the Spanish monarchs, Ferdinand and Isabella, expelled the Jews from Spain. Some people believe their edict was also issued on the 9th day of the month of Av.
Jews commemorate the tragic events of Tisha B'Av – and think about other historical tragedies – by mourning and fasting for 25 hours; no parties or celebrations are held on this day.
