Questions on Tisha BiAv to think about and discuss:

Questions about crying:

1. Rashi (Koheles, 3:4) brings that the time of crying is Tisha BiAv. Why not simply daven to Hashem and ask for forgiveness and spend time doing teshuva?
2. The day of Tisha BiAv is for crying. What does crying do that it is appropriate for this day?
3. How do i know if my crying is really sincere?

Answers about crying:

1. The work and essence of the day of Tisha BiAv is crying and not davening. The Gemora (Brochos 32b) brings from R’ Elozar that from the time of the churban the gates of tefilla were closed (see Megillas Eicha 3:8). However, the gateway of tears remains open. Perhaps this explains why on Tisha BiAv, the time of the churban we do not use the pathway of davening but rather that of tears and crying.
2. Crying expresses the idea of feeling lost and not seeing a clear pathway ahead. It is one of despair not knowing how to go on further. Swelling of tears come to block the vision of the eyes expressing where a person is holding. On Tisha BiAv we are crying because without the Beis Hamikdosh where Hashem openly revealed Himself we cannot see how life can continue. Golus is so full of sorrow and pains when will it all stop?
3. There are two types of crying. Ever seen an actor crying? This is not sincere crying but is for show. How then do i know when it is sincere? The answer lies in how quickly a person comes on to crying and how many tears are produced. If the crying is instantaneous and free flowing then it is real. Actors can produce tears but it takes time, done by thinking about something sad in their lives, and does not come in buckets full.

Questions on comparing Tisha BiAv to other days:

1. There are four fasts that remember the churban. Why then is Tisha Biav treated with the greatest severity?
2. Tisha BiAv is one of the four fasts remembering the churban. On all the fast days we read a special reading in the morning and then again by mincha with a special hafotra. Tisha BiAv is the exception in that it has a special reading in the morning plus a special haftora. Why this difference?
3. There seems to be many parallels between the day of Tisha BiAv and Yom Kippur. What are there and how are they significant?
4. The Maharsha (to Gemora Bechoros 8) brings that the 22 bad days of the three weeks are paralleled by 22 good days from Rosh Hashana to Shemini Atzeres. Since the first day of Rosh Hashana parallels the 17th of Tammuz, the last day of Shemini Atzeres parallels Tisha BiAv. How are they connected?
5. The Mishna (Rosh Hashana 1:3) brings that Tisha BiAv is more severe than any of the other fasts. Tosfas (Rosh Hashana 18b) asks that five things happened on the 17th of Tammuz just like five things happened on Tisha BiAv. Why then is Tisha BiAv more severe?

Ideas for answers on comparing Tisha BiAv to other days:

1. Although the other three fasts remember the churban they are remembering the beginning stages (Asara BiTeves and the 17th of Tammuz) that did not mean for certain that the churban would happen or (like Tzom Gedalia) remember the last stages of hope were lost. However, the actual main churban in practice was the burning of the Beis Hamikdosh and therefore in actuality effected us the worst and needs constant remembering. Another difference, all other fasts are mainly to bring us onto doing teshuva. Tisha BiAv has this but additionally has the aspect of actually acting as aveilim, mourners.
2. Perhaps the idea here is that there are two parts to the fast of Tisha BiAv. The morning is unique for Tisha BiAv and this lasts the whole morning. Being a special fast in this capacity it has a special reading and haftora. However, in the afternoon of Tisha BiAv it is already a time of comfort and there is easing of the mourning and then it reverts back to like all the other fasts and therefore has the usual reading and haftora for fast days.
3. Some parallels between Tisha BiAv and Yom Kippur: both have the five restrictions of eating and drinking; washing; anointing; leather shoes and relations. Also, by other fast days the start is only from the start of the day. However, these start from the night before. …
4. Shemini Atzeres is the climax of Sukkos and simcha. Rashi (end of Parshas Pinchos) brings that it is a time of special closeness between only Hashem and the Jews. This is the total opposite of the pathway of mourning that is climaxed with the actual churban on Tisha BiAv. Tisha BiAv is called a Moyaid, that R’ Yerucham Levovitz zt”l says is a festival of distancing – being further away from Hashem.
5. Either because the Churban is worse than any of the other tragedies! Or because two of the catastrophes of Tisha BiAv were the same thing again – the destruction of the first and second Beis Hamikdosh.

Questions on the general idea of Tisha BiAv:

1. What five disasters happened on Tisha BiAv?
2. Tehilim 79 discusses the churban. However, it’s opening words of Mizmor imply that it is a happy time while we know the churban is a sad time. How do we reconcile these two opposite moods?
3. Why call this day Tisha BiAv, the 9th of Av, after the date in the month as opposed to calling it after the nature of the day, like “Yom Hachurban”?
4. When it comes to reading the curses in the Torah the reader lowers his voice. Yet when it comes to reading Megillas Eicha, the reader starts reading louder as he goes on reading?
5. Tisha BiAv is like the dead person is before us, in the sense of mourning the churban. Usually, the order is that the burial is followed by mourning. Why by Tisha BiAv is the order reversed – first comes the mourning of the 3 weeks, before the “death” on Tisha BiAv?
6. We don’t do kiddush levana, sanctify the new moon, before Tisha BiAv. Why?
7. Sometimes (like this year, 5775) Tisha BiAv falls on a Shabbos. What is different and does this reflect anything?
8. One of the five tragedies named on Tisha BiAv is that of the city being ploughed over. After the main catastrophe of the destruction of the Beis Hamikdosh what additional sorrow is there in the ploughing of the city?
9. The Gemora (Makos 23b) brings that the 613 mitzvos are split into 248 positive mitzvos and 365 negative mitzvos. Rashi explains that the 248 positive mitzvos each parallel one limb meaning that the body should be doing the whole time. The 365 negative commandments parallel the 365 sinews that parallel the 365 days of a solar year where each day says not to transgress any. According to this, the day of Tisha BiAv parallels one of the sinews. Which one?
10. Are there any other fast days for remembering the churban besides for the four public fasts (of Asara BiTeves, the 17th of Tammuz, Tisha BiAv and Tzom Gedalia)?
11. How can it be that on the worst day of the year, when the Jews are furthest away from Hashem, specifically then Moshiach is born?
12. What is the idea of the seuda hamafsekes, the last meal before Tisha BiAv, where the real prohibition of eating meat and wine applies? We are going to fast anyhow so why in addition have this sad meal?
13. What is the significance of saying 45 kinois on Tisha BiAv – 5 by night and 40 by day?
14. Tisha BiAv is a Moyaid. All festivals have something called Isru Chag, the day after it is still a festive day. Do we have this by Tisha BiAv?

Idea for answers on the general idea of Tisha BiAv:

1. The Mishna (Taanis 26b) brings the five catastrophes that happened on Tisha BiAv. They are: the decree of the generation of the spies to not enter Eretz Yisroel; the first and second Beis Hamikdosh were destroyed; the city of Beitar was conquered and the city was ploughed over.
2. Rashi and Tosfas (Kiddushin 31b) discuss this. The idea is that even in the saddest moments there is a positive side to it. Everything that Hashem does is for the good – the only thing is that we do not openly see it. When Hashem got angry with the Jews there were at least two possibilities. Either G-d Forbid to destroy the Jews, or to destroy the great closeness and shefa, outpouring of goodness, to the Jews. Choosing to destroy the Beis Hamikdosh meant that the Jewish nation could continue. This survival is the point of goodness that lies in Tisha BiAv and perhaps this is why it is even called a moyaid, a special time associated with happiness as expressed with no saying of tachanun. It is where we are sad at being distanced so much from Hashem but yet we still recognise that this is ultimately for our goodness to ensure our survival.
3. It is interesting to note that out of the the four fasts to remember the churban, three of them are called after the date in the month (besides for Tzom Gedalia). This seems to indicate that calling the fast after the time of the year is an intrinsic part into revealing the nature of these fasts. The Maharal (Netzach Yisroel, Chapter 8) explains that the year has ups and down for all nations. The good time for the Jews is when the time is equally balanced between day and night. This is why we have two of our festivals then – Pesach in Nissan and Sukkos in Tishrei. However, when the time has extremes – like in the months of Tammuz and Av, the day is much longer with the sun hottest, this is an auspicious time for the non-Jews seen as being the time of the churban. Perhaps this explains why these fasts are named after the date of year as opposed to what happened as this time cycle appears to us again each year. (Why is Tzom Gedalia called after the person instead of the date? Perhaps this is because there are opinions that he actually died on Rosh Hashana and this date is already named and associated with Rosh Hashana…)
4. Perhaps the idea is that when the curses are read during the year, they are read together with other good things and therefore the voice is lowered and raised depending on the content. However, on Tisha BiAv, we are fully focused on the bad nature of the day and therefore we are meant to internalise it and deal with the problem. Therefore, instead of saying things quietly we hear it even louder.
5. The three weeks is not comparable to sitting in mourning but rather is similar to preparing for true mourning that is to be done at the end of it on Tisha BiAv – the day of the actual churban. As to why not do we not sit seven days mourning after Tisha BiAv – the answer is that we do, only it is not restricted to seven days. In Shulchan Oruch, Orach Chaim, after the halachos of the day of Tisha BiAv (Siman 559) it is immediately followed by (Siman 560) the halachos of remembering the churban throughout the year. Perhaps this expresses that the mourning is done after Tisha BiAv only that it is not limited in time.
6. Kiddush Levana is meant to be said at a time of happiness. This is why the ideal time is to say it is on Motzoai Shabbos, when still in Shabbos clothes and in a state of happiness having gone through the special day of Shabbos. Since before and on Tisha BiAv is a time of mourning, therefore we are not in a state of happiness and therefore not fit to say kiddush levana.
7. Amongst the differences is that the usual mournful last meal, seuda hamafsekes, is eaten as a normal meal with no restrictions. Additionally, according to some poskim there is no stringency of the “week when Tisha BiAv falls in”. What this means is that the usual high level of mourning is less and perhaps this is a good sign.
9. The Shlah (Parshas Vayishlach) says something interesting that needs some thought. He says that the day of Tisha BiAv parallels the Gid Hanoshe – as seen in the episode when the Sar Shel Esav could only hit Yakov in that area of his body. This therefore represents a day of strength to the side of negativity and evil as seen in it also being the day of the churban. The Yaros Devash takes this a step further. The Zohar (I:170b) says that there are 365 sinews in a person paralleling the 365 days of the solar year. The Gid Hanoshe parallels the day of Tisha BiAv. There are four sinews included in the sinew of Gid Hanoshe. These parallel the four fasts commemorating the churban. Two of these in each thigh – the right and left leg. There is the sinew that is closest to the bone and is totally forbidden and punishable while the outer one is less severe being forbidden but not punishable. The two inner sinews represent the stricter of the four fasts, namely Tisha BiAv and The Fast of Gedalia. The outer two sinews represent the more lenient fasts of Asora BiTeves and the 17th of Tammuz. (‘יערות דבש ח”ב דרוש ז)
10. The Shulchan Oruch (O.C. 580:3) brings that some great people fast every monday and thursday to remember the churban. The Mishna Berura (16) brings that if it is too difficult to fast then they should abstain from meat and wine on these days. (Perhaps these reflect the two levels seen in the 9 days – the 9 days when the Ashkenasim abstain from meat and wine and then the actual day of Tisha BiAv when we fast and abstain from all food.)
14. The idea of Isru Chag is to take the connection of the Yom Tuv and bind it to ourselves. Perhaps by Tisha BiAv this is seen in some prohibitions continuing to the next day until Chatzos, half day. Alternatively, there is in place things throughout the year to remember the Churban (see Shulchan Oruch, O.C. 560).

Chakira on Tisha BiAv Nidche (like in 5775):

What does Nidche, when a fast is pushed to a different day, mean: does it mean that the actual day with everything it entails gets moved to another day. Or really the real day remains, only that we act out the fast on a different day? The navke mina, difference, being what level of severity does a nidche have.