Laws of Tisha B'Av - Rabbi Menachem Mendel Harel shlita

00:02 Speaker 1 You’re listening to “Lema’an Yishme’u,” a podcast of Machon Halacha Chabad.

00:09 Speaker 2 With Hashem’s help, we’ll talk about matters connected to Tisha B’Av. Our prayer is that, with Hashem’s help, it will be transformed into joy and gladness and a festive day, so that Erev Tisha B’Av, too, will become Erev Yom Tov. But in any case, as long as Moshiach Tzidkeinu has not been revealed and the Beis Hamikdash has not been rebuilt, then, as the Rebbe urges, we need to review, study, and go over the laws connected with these days so that we can observe them in accordance with Hashem’s word—that is halacha. Erev Tisha B’Av already carries some of the significance of Tisha B’Av. On the one hand, the laws of mourning begin only at night; we do not observe any laws of mourning on Erev Tisha B’Av. But there are things connected with the day of Tisha B’Av and its spirit that begin as the day approaches, and so some laws already apply during the daytime on Erev Tisha B’Av. One of these concerns the character of Erev Tisha B’Av as a whole. The Rema writes in the Shulchan Aruch: A person should not go out for a stroll on Erev Tisha B’Av. This is the only day of the year about which it says that one may not go strolling. There are a number of practices, some of them matters of actual law. In other words, they are not merely customs; they are binding laws. And there are things we customarily refrain from doing on Erev Tisha B’Av because the character of Tisha B’Av is already beginning. The first is that, by law, one may not eat meat on Erev Tisha B’Av. That is, according to the law stated in the Gemara, which says that on Erev Tisha B’Av one should not eat meat or drink wine. Therefore, even a person who is very weak and was permitted to eat meat earlier during the Nine Days may not eat meat at all on Erev Tisha B’Av. From midday on Erev Tisha B’Av, we do not study those parts of Torah that bring joy, but only subjects connected with Tisha B’Av, such as the discussion

02:43 Speaker 2 in the chapter Hanizakin dealing with the destruction, or the Midrashim connected with the destruction of the Beis Hamikdash, Eichah Rabbah, and the like. So someone who wants to prepare for Tisha B’Av with regard to the daily study sessions, and not enter Tisha B’Av owing any of the daily study—Chitas, Rambam—should complete them before midday on Erev Tisha B’Av. On Erev Tisha B’Av, the custom is to eat one meal before Mincha and the seudah hamafsekes, the final meal, after Mincha, close to sunset. At the meal before Mincha, one may eat several cooked dishes. It is customary to eat fish at that meal. Of course, we may not eat meat. One may also eat rice or another cooked dish. There is no limit on the number of cooked dishes. On the other hand, it says not to have an abundance of dishes or turn it into a Yom Tov meal, because the purpose of the meal on Erev Tisha B’Av is twofold. One reason is to give a person strength for the fast, so a person needs to eat enough to have strength. A second reason, brought in the poskim, is that during the time of the Second Beis Hamikdash, Tisha B’Av was a festive day. They would have a Yom Tov meal on it, because that was a time when the Beis Hamikdash stood, and the significance of Tisha B’Av was, seemingly, suspended then and the day was transformed into joy. They would have a full meal, so we, too, eat a meal on Erev Tisha B’Av in remembrance of that meal. But it also says, in this connection, not to make the meal excessive, so as not to be “a degenerate with the Torah’s permission.” In short, this is different from Erev Yom Kippur, when it is a mitzvah to eat and drink more than usual. On Erev Tisha B’Av, then, the reason to eat is only to prepare for the fast, and no more than that. The last meal a person eats before the Tisha B’Av fast begins is before sunset. Of course, the meal

05:10 Speaker 2 must be finished by sunset. This meal is called the seudah hamafsekes. As mentioned, the seudah hamafsekes should be eaten close to sunset, but it has a very particular stringency that does not apply on Erev Yom Kippur: at this meal, one may eat only one cooked dish. The Rema wrote, and it is also brought in all the later poskim, the Magen Avraham, the Mishnah Berurah, and so on, that the custom is to eat bread and a cold hard-boiled egg at this meal. Therefore, we do not eat any additional cooked dishes at the seudah hamafsekes, because the egg is the cooked dish, and one may not eat two cooked dishes at this meal. But fruit and vegetables that are raw, not cooked—such as a vegetable salad or grapes, or other things a person usually eats before a fast—may be eaten during the seudah hamafsekes. There is no prohibition against that at all. The prohibition is only against two cooked dishes. Dairy foods may also be eaten at the seudah hamafsekes; there is no restriction on them. What one does need to know is that if a person cooked hot milk for himself, the hot milk counts as a cooked food, so he cannot drink it at the seudah hamafsekes. Tea and coffee may be drunk at the seudah hamafsekes, but beer, vodka, arak, and similar drinks may not be drunk at this meal. Some of the poskim raise a question about a particular situation. Suppose a person did not manage to eat his meal with fish and so on—rice, a boiled potato, whatever—before Mincha on Erev Tisha B’Av. Now, at the seudah hamafsekes, he is very hungry and wants to eat. What should he do? First, one should know that we do not eat fish at the seudah hamafsekes. Second, as mentioned, one cannot eat two cooked dishes at the seudah hamafsekes. So these poskim suggested that he eat one cooked dish, for example rice, during the seudah hamafsekes, recite Birkas Hamazon, and after Birkas Hamazon recite Shehakol Nihyeh Bidvaro and eat the egg separately, not as part of

08:13 Speaker 2 the seudah hamafsekes. Some poskim, however, disagreed. They said that one cannot eat one cooked dish at the seudah hamafsekes, recite Birkas Hamazon, and then eat another cooked dish, because that would be a way of getting around and nullifying the enactment of the Sages that one should not eat two cooked dishes at this meal. So a wise person plans ahead accordingly. Plan ahead and eat the seudah hamafsekes in a way that avoids the question of what to do about two cooked dishes. For example, what can a person do? It is considered a meal only when a person actually sits down to a meal, washes his hands, and eats bread. We’ll soon discuss the procedure for the seudah hamafsekes itself. A person can therefore eat, say, at four or five o’clock—he can eat rice or a potato without washing his hands and without establishing it as a meal. Once he has finished eating, after an hour or more, when a substantial interval has passed between the first eating and the second, he can wash his hands, have the seudah hamafsekes, and eat it with the egg. Then he will not have the problem of two cooked dishes in the same meal. The Gemara relates that at this meal on Erev Tisha B’Av, Rabbi Yehudah bar Ilai would sit between the oven and the stove—that is, in a secluded place, as though he were hiding. They would bring him dry bread with salt, and he would drink a pitcher of water, looking like someone whose dead lay before him. In other words, this was the meal before Tisha B’Av. He did not eat it like the wealthy, at a table and with dignity, but in a private place, like a poor person who hides away and eats his meal somewhere out of sight, or like a mourner, G-d forbid, who does not eat his meal at a table. The poskim wrote, however, that eating the seudah hamafsekes in this way on Erev Tisha B’Av is not because of the laws of mourning, but because of poverty. In other words, at this time on Erev Tisha B’Av, before we enter

10:47 Speaker 2 For Tisha B’Av, still at the time of the destruction, a person conducts himself as though eating a poor person’s meal. So he does not sit at a table but sits on the ground. He does not eat in a group that would say zimun; he does not eat the meal with several people, but on his own. He does not eat until he is full from a variety of foods; rather, as mentioned earlier, he eats only bread and an egg. The custom, as we said, is to sit on the ground for this meal, because it is eaten in the manner of poor people, who do not sit at a table. According to the teachings of Kabbalah, though, one does not sit directly on the ground. There is a dispute among the halachic authorities about when Tisha B’Av begins. In practice, the Shulchan Aruch rules without qualification that it differs from Erev Yom Kippur. On Erev Yom Kippur, when a person accepts the fast upon himself by saying Birchas Hamazon, the added sanctity already takes effect. After Birchas Hamazon, he may therefore not eat or drink unless he made a condition beforehand. The Shulchan Aruch explains this and the details of the law in the laws of Erev Yom Kippur, section 608. But on Erev Tisha B’Av, there is no requirement to add time from the weekday to the holy day. There is no requirement to extend Tisha B’Av into the preceding day. So, according to the plain ruling of the Shulchan Aruch, there is no need to state aloud, “I accept upon myself that the fast will not begin until sunset, and I may eat and drink.” A person does not need to say that. But some halachic authorities hold that when a person eats the seudah hamafsekes—the concluding meal, so called because it separates the day’s eating from the start of the fast—he may have accepted the fast in his mind. Therefore, the halachic authorities wrote that it is good for him to say aloud, to stipulate that he is not accepting the fast until it begins, and then he will be permitted to eat and drink

13:03 Speaker 2 until sunset. At the seudah hamafsekes, one does not yet wear cloth shoes, but still wears ordinary clothes, because mourning does not begin before sunset. As we mentioned at the outset, the mourning begins only at sunset. So a person sits with his shoes on his feet, dressed in his regular clothes. Only when sunset arrives, as we will discuss later, does he change from leather shoes to cloth shoes, and so on. In Birchas Hamazon we say Shir Hamaalos, because we do not say Tachanun on Erev Tisha B’Av, as we will discuss shortly in connection with Minchah. If three people ate together, do they join for zimun or not? Ideally, as we said earlier, they should take care not to join together for zimun. Since each person eats separately on the ground, they do not join together for zimun. But if three people mistakenly sat and ate the seudah hamafsekes together, there is a dispute among the halachic authorities. In practice, the ruling is that they do not say zimun; each says Birchas Hamazon for himself. After saying Birchas Hamazon, it is best if he made that condition beforehand. But even if he did not, he may still eat and drink; he is not considered to have accepted the fast. We do not say Tachanun at Minchah on Erev Tisha B’Av, and we do not say Tachanun throughout Tisha B’Av either. Why? Because Scripture calls Tisha B’Av “He has called an appointed time against me”—it is called a moed in the verse. And we also know, with Hashem’s help, that the inner meaning of Tisha B’Av, as the Rambam writes and the Rebbe notes in many sichos, is that it will be transformed into joy, gladness, and joyous festivals. Therefore, on this day and on its eve, at Minchah on Erev Tisha B’Av, we do not say Tachanun. Five things are forbidden on Tisha B’Av, as on Yom Kippur: washing, applying oils or creams, wearing leather shoes, marital relations, and, of course, eating and drinking. On Tisha B’Av, the night is governed by the same laws as the day. This differs from the other fasts—Tzom Gedaliah, the Seventeenth of Tammuz,

16:03 Speaker 2 and the Tenth of Teves—when we fast only during the day. On Tisha B’Av, the restrictions begin at night, so all five things become forbidden at sunset at the start of Tisha B’Av. That is, from sunset on Erev Tisha B’Av until nightfall the following day. The halachic authorities have spoken out against those who become lenient after midday and start relaxing various laws concerning the five restrictions of Tisha B’Av. It is true that with practices established by custom—for example, the custom of sitting on the ground like mourners—people have customarily been lenient after midday. But with these five things, which are forbidden by law, one may not be lenient at any point during Tisha B’Av. Tisha B’Av is stricter than the other fasts in this respect: on the other fasts, leniencies were given to pregnant and nursing women, but on Tisha B’Av both pregnant and nursing women must fast, unless there is some risk to the pregnancy or to the woman herself. In that case, she is treated like someone who is ill, for whom there are leniencies regarding the fast, as we will discuss later, with Hashem’s help. There is also the question of whether children should be trained to fast on Tisha B’Av. Most halachic authorities wrote that, since this is a rabbinic fast, there is no need to train children to fast. But some wrote that on Tisha B’Av, since fasting for a few hours does no harm, children should be trained to do so, especially if they are close to the age of bar or bas mitzvah. In practice, it really depends on the child’s strength. Ideally, there is no need to train a child to fast even for a few hours. But if he is mature enough to understand, healthy, and already close to bar mitzvah, he can be trained to fast for a few hours on Tisha B’Av because of the greater stringency of this fast. As noted, though, this is not obligatory. Every person is obligated to refrain from eating and drinking on Tisha B’Av. This fast, the prohibition against eating and drinking, begins at

19:03 Speaker 2 sunset at the start of Tisha B’Av. A person may not even put a finger in water, nor put a drop of water in his mouth. So throughout the entire twenty-four-hour period of Tisha B’Av, there is no room to be lenient about eating and drinking for anyone who is healthy. If a person feels very weak, he should rest—go and lie down in bed. One may not go on outings on Tisha B’Av. If outings are forbidden on Erev Tisha B’Av, then Tisha B’Av itself is certainly not a time for them. Especially since these are very hot days, a person should rest at home. Nowadays there is air conditioning too; he can rest in bed and complete the fast. And a very important point should be mentioned here: concerning Tisha B’Av, there is a verse: “Rejoice with Jerusalem and be glad with her, all who love her; rejoice with her, all who mourn for her.” Our Sages, of blessed memory, said: Those who mourned for her will merit to rejoice in her joy. But someone who, G-d forbid, treated her mourning lightly and did not fast—and this, as noted, is the law for every healthy person aged thirteen and older. Of course, when speaking about the fast from eating and drinking on Tisha B’Av, a wise person plans ahead, before Tisha B’Av, and eats foods that nourish the body properly. Today they call these foods that break down slowly in the body, supplying the salts, sugars, and fluids the body needs, and releasing them gradually. Nowadays everyone knows this; every child knows it. There are grapes and grape juice, almonds and dates, honey, and of course plenty to drink. These help a person who consumes them before the fast so that he will not need to eat or drink during the fast. For the most part, this helps anyone in good health. A person also may, and should, take the preparations available today to help with the fast. There are products called “Kalei Tzom” and others like them. There is no prohibition against taking them, either on Erev Tisha B’Av or on Erev Yom Kippur. On the contrary, there is no reason

21:29 Speaker 2 that a person should refrain from taking them. The affliction is in the fact that a person does not eat or drink or wear leather shoes. There is no objection to taking foods or other things that strengthen the body before the fast; on the contrary, a person should take them and get through the fast in good health and strength. Now let’s discuss situations in which a person is exempt from fasting. We’ll begin with pregnant and nursing women. As mentioned, pregnant and nursing women who are in good health must complete the fast. But some women have what is called a high-risk pregnancy. If they fast, there could, G-d forbid, be a danger to the baby’s life, or, G-d forbid, a risk of premature birth or miscarriage. A woman with a high-risk pregnancy should therefore consult her doctor first, but in most cases the instruction will be not to fast. The same applies to a nursing mother whose baby is exclusively breastfed. The baby needs her milk, and we know that the Rebbe also encouraged breastfeeding. Today, doctors too acknowledge that breastfeeding is the healthiest and best thing for a baby. So if a baby is exclusively breastfed, and fasting without food or drink would cause the mother’s milk to dry up so that she could no longer nurse her baby, she may eat and drink to maintain her milk supply. This is for the baby’s sustenance, so that the baby can nurse. But it is different for a woman who nurses only part of the time. A woman who also gives her baby Materna or another infant formula must fast. That day, the baby can have only formula, or she can nurse the baby only part of the time. Why? Because in this case there is no danger to the baby. Baruch Hashem, the baby is eating and drinking formula, so there is no reason for the mother not to fast. A woman who has given birth within the past thirty days is exempt from the fast. A woman who is still weak because of

24:10 Speaker 2 the birth—for example, if she has very, very low iron levels as a result of giving birth, and there is concern that going without food and drink will cause them to drop extremely low—is considered ill. The rule is that someone who is ill but not in danger does not fast on Tisha B’Av. The definition of someone who is ill but not in danger is a person whose illness has confined them to bed. That said, not everyone who says, “Well, I’m lying in bed,” is considered ill but not in danger. Today, baruch Hashem, there are doctors, including G-d-fearing doctors, and there are also rabbis who understand medicine. A person should consult a doctor and say: “Doctor, you know me. This is my condition, and I feel unwell when I fast. May I fast, or must I not fast?” It is important that the doctor understand what the fast means, or at least not be someone opposed to religious observance. If the doctor says, “Look, I know what Tisha B’Av is and how serious its fast is, but you must not fast,” then the patient should call a rabbi, explain the situation, and the rabbi will tell him how to conduct himself on Tisha B’Av—how much to eat, how much to drink, and so on. It is not like Yom Kippur, when we are very strict about eating and drinking in measured amounts. On Tisha B’Av, that requirement is not as prominent. On the other hand, some Chabad rabbis hold, based on a letter from the Tzemach Tzedek cited in Sefer Haminhagim, that on Tisha B’Av too, one should initially eat and drink in measured amounts. It is therefore very, very important to consult a rabbi about this, even when the doctor says you need to eat and drink.

26:24 Speaker 2 And, as mentioned earlier, there is also the matter of mourning the destruction of Jerusalem. That is how serious the fast of Tisha B’Av is. In medicine today, it is known that some illnesses allow a person to walk around and appear healthy, even though that person must eat and drink. I can’t recall every example right now, and I’m not sure I could remember them all, but I’ll give a few common examples, from which you can understand many more cases. For example, some people, G-d forbid, have kidney problems or kidney failure. Some have heart failure or, G-d forbid, have had a heart attack. Some have low iron, high blood pressure, high blood sugar, or low blood sugar. Sadly, there are many problems, G-d forbid. And we haven’t even spoken about people with very serious illnesses who are undergoing difficult treatments. May Hakadosh Boruch Hu send each and every one the healing they need. Such a person must not decide on his own to fast. On Yom Kippur, when there is even a possibility of danger to life, we tell the patient to eat and drink, of course according to the rules of Yom Kippur. How much more so on Tisha B’Av. A person must therefore not make his own ruling and decide, “I’m going to be stringent and share in the mourning for the destruction of Jerusalem by not eating or drinking, despite my condition.” He should not do that even as an act of piety. Consult the rabbi; consult the doctor. After consulting both, he will know what he must do, and he should do it with complete kabbolas ol, knowing that this is what Hashem wants of him. How will he express his participation in mourning the destruction of Jerusalem? By eating only the foods he needs, not delicacies or anything beyond what his body needs for sustenance. A person who is permitted to eat on Tisha B’Av may wash his hands and eat bread,

28:43 Speaker 2 and on the contrary, it is better for him to eat healthy foods that will strengthen him. As mentioned, he should not eat things that provide no real nourishment and are only for pleasure. And of course, after eating bread he must recite Birchas Hamazon. In Birchas Hamazon, before saying “And rebuild Jerusalem, the holy city,” he should recite the text of the Nachem prayer and conclude, “Who comforts Zion and rebuilds Jerusalem.” That covers eating and drinking, both for those who fast and for those who have been permitted to eat on Tisha B’Av by a doctor and a rabbi qualified to issue a halachic ruling. Another prohibition on Tisha B’Av is washing. As we said, strictly speaking, one may not put even a finger in water throughout Tisha B’Av, but there are several kinds of washing that are permitted. First of all, when a person wakes up, he must wash his hands, but on Tisha B’Av this differs from the rest of the year. Throughout the year, when a person washes his hands upon waking, he washes up to the wrist. On Tisha B’Av, he may wash only up to his knuckles. Of course, someone who comes out of the bathroom must wash his hands before reciting Asher Yatzar; here too, he washes only up to his knuckles. Likewise, the Shulchan Aruch cites “I will wash my hands in innocence” in connection with washing one’s hands and then “circle Your altar, Hashem”—that is, proceeding to prayer. We also see that the Rebbe was very particular about washing hands before prayer. Even in the shul where the Rebbe would daven Mincha, deliver a sicha, and then daven Maariv, although the Rebbe had washed his hands before Mincha, he would wash them again before Maariv. So for this handwashing too, one washes up to the knuckles. If a woman is preparing food for the children, or preparing food for after the fast, and needs to wash the vegetables, there is no

31:27 Speaker 2 There is no restriction in that. She may wash vegetables and so on, and the utensils she normally uses. But any other washing is certainly forbidden: one may not shower or immerse in a mikveh on Tisha B’Av, or wash one’s face, hands, or feet for their own sake. All these laws apply from sunset on the eve of Tisha B’Av until the end of Tisha B’Av. Young children who have reached the age of chinuch should also be taught to observe the prohibitions of Tisha B’Av, including the prohibition against washing. Very young babies who get dirty and need to be washed, however, may be washed on Tisha B’Av. There is no problem if the mother gets wet in the process or uses soap. What is forbidden is anointing oneself for pleasure, as we will discuss shortly regarding soap and the like. But when she is washing fruits and vegetables or other things, or cleaning a baby, there is no problem; she may do so as usual. A sick person who has been permitted to eat bread on Tisha B’Av washes their hands for the meal as usual—that is, fully, up to the wrist. That covers the laws of washing. From there we come to the laws of anointing. Any anointing for pleasure is forbidden on Tisha B’Av, so a person may not wash with soap or wash their hands or face with soap. But if, for example, someone changes a baby’s diaper and an unpleasant odor remains on their hands, they may use a little soap to remove it. Washing off dirt is permitted—not washing the whole body, but only the area

34:08 Speaker 2 that is dirty. Similarly, a person may apply deodorant to prevent the smell of sweat. Since the purpose of deodorant is not to give a person a pleasant scent but to prevent an unpleasant one, it is permitted on Tisha B’Av. Perfume is different: its purpose is to give off a fragrance. So neither men nor women may wear perfume on Tisha B’Av. For the same reason, as an extension of the prohibition against anointing, a woman does not put on makeup on Tisha B’Av. There is one exception to these laws of washing and anointing: a bride within thirty days of her wedding may wash her face, wear perfume, and put on makeup, so that she will not appear unattractive to her husband and will find favor in his eyes. And since we have mentioned a husband and wife, and a bride, we should also mention that on the night of Tisha B’Av all the restrictions on physical closeness are observed. During the day of Tisha B’Av, one may be lenient except regarding touch, as on a day when a menstrual period is expected. As part of the affliction of Tisha B’Av, wearing leather shoes is also forbidden. This is called the prohibition of wearing shoes. The halachic authorities discuss whether it applies only to leather shoes or to every kind of footwear. The ruling is that although there are now many good shoes made of various synthetic materials, they may still be worn on Tisha B’Av. The prohibition applies specifically to leather shoes. Torah study is forbidden on Tisha B’Av, but not every area of Torah study. We have the mitzvah, “You shall meditate on it day and night”; a person should study Torah at all times. What may not be studied are the parts of Torah that bring joy. But subjects connected to Tisha B’Av—discussions of the destruction, Midrashim about the destruction, and, of course, the laws and rulings pertaining to Tisha B’Av itself,

37:15 Speaker 2 if one did not manage to study them beforehand—are all permitted on Tisha B’Av. These are the things we study that day. Some halachic authorities write that although one may and should study all these subjects connected to the destruction, one should not engage in intricate analysis of them, because that analysis itself brings joy. The reason Torah study is restricted on Tisha B’Av is to avoid increasing joy. So even the permitted subjects should be studied straightforwardly, without intricate analysis. In studying Chassidus, too, one should preferably focus on subjects related to Tisha B’Av. There is a maamar by the Rebbe about Tisha B’Av, and there are notes by the Tzemach Tzedek on Megillas Eichah. These are the subjects one should preferably study on Tisha B’Av. However, if a person has already finished all the Tisha B’Av material, or does not have those discourses and books available, they may study other subjects in Chassidus. As we discussed regarding the Nine Days, the Rebbe encourages making a siyum on a tractate every day of the Nine Days. Of this it is said, “When Av begins, we diminish joy”—and we diminish all undesirable things through joy. So the Rebbe says that a siyum should be made even on Tisha B’Av, but on tractates connected to the day that may be studied then, such as Moed Katan or one of the other tractates at the end of the Talmud, such as Semachos and the like. On Tisha B’Av, one may not greet another person. For on Tisha B’Av we are like people under Hashem’s displeasure, and therefore one should not greet another person. This applies to every form of greeting, such as “Hello,” “Good morning,” or “Good night.” These are things we do not say on Tisha B’Av. As we discussed earlier, the laws of Tisha B’Av

40:14 Speaker 2 begin at sunset, and when sunset arrives, a person must change their shoes. The synagogue attendant removes the curtain from the Aron Kodesh and the coverings from the tables. In both the synagogue and the home, fewer lights are turned on to express the mourning. Only the light needed to see, read, or study is turned on, not an abundance of light, because abundant light suggests abundant joy, and Tisha B’Av is not a time of joy. So only the lighting needed for reading and for seeing what is in the house, so that people do not bump into things, should be turned on. Many lights are not turned on for Tisha B’Av. From sunset at the start of Tisha B’Av until midday, we sit on a low chair, like mourners. A low chair is no more than three tefachim high, approximately twenty-four centimeters. That is the height one may sit on during Tisha B’Av. But an elderly or sick person, or a pregnant woman—people who have difficulty sitting low—are not required to sit on a low chair and may sit on a regular chair. Likewise, someone who needs to travel may sit in a car seat or a bus seat as usual; there is no need to sit on the floor. In particular, sitting in a seat while traveling is not merely a matter of comfort but of safety. If, G-d forbid, there is a sudden stop and a person is not properly buckled in, it could end badly. Therefore, while traveling, one should sit normally and put on a seat belt, because, as noted, this is sitting for safety, not comfort. During Tisha B’Av we refrain from work, so a person should also make arrangements not to work that day, unless failing to do the work would cause a substantial loss. For example, if

43:08 Speaker 2 If someone does not come to work on Tisha B’Av and is told, “Sir, you’ll lose your job,” he has no choice and must go to work on Tisha B’Av. But anyone else, even if the work is very necessary, should not do it before midday. Shops selling food are different: people need to feed their children and prepare food for after Tisha B’Av. So those shops may remain open throughout Tisha B’Av. On Tisha B’Av we do not wash the house or mop the floors, either before or after midday. Some communities in the Jewish people have a custom to wash the house on Tisha B’Av, but our custom is not to do so. The main purpose of Tisha B’Av—the five prohibitions we mentioned earlier, the restriction of Torah study to subjects permitted on Tisha B’Av, and the prohibition against work—is that a person should not take his mind off the mourning. So one cannot spend Tisha B’Av trying to pass the fast with all sorts of activities: watching a movie for a few hours, playing computer games for a few hours, or going on an outing for a few hours. These things are forbidden on Tisha B’Av, because when a person does them, he is spending his time on trivial things or things that bring joy, and he forgets the mourning of Tisha B’Av. Therefore, one should not engage in any of these activities on Tisha B’Av. What should a person do? As we said, he should read material about the destruction of the Beis Hamikdash. Today there are also books that tell the story of the destruction very, very well. Those are the things a person should occupy himself with on Tisha B’Av. Of course, after midday one can go out on mivtzoim, help people put on tefillin, and so on. With Hashem’s help, we will now discuss the customs of Tisha B’Av itself: the prayers and the reading of Megillas Eichah

45:45 Speaker 2 and the general schedule of Tisha B’Av. After sunset, we go to shul wearing shoes made of either cloth or rubber; the main thing is that they are not leather shoes. In the shul itself, the curtain of the Aron Kodesh is moved to the side, and the coverings are removed from the tables, the Torah-reading platform, and so on. In shul, too, we sit near the ground. As we said regarding the final meal before the fast, we do not sit directly on the ground, but with something separating us from it. One may sit on a low chair, as we said, no higher than three tefachim, or twenty-four centimeters. We daven Maariv as on any weekday, from “Vehu Rachum” through the Shemoneh Esrei. After Shemoneh Esrei, the chazzan says Kaddish Tiskabel, and then Megillas Eichah is read. Megillas Eichah is read from a book, not from a parchment scroll, and no blessings are recited over it. The shliach tzibbur or baal korei reads the Megillah in a low voice, raising his voice at certain points. Megillas Eichah has its own special cantillation, but if someone does not know it, that does not prevent him from reading; he should read from a printed text with the proper phrasing. There is no requirement to hear Megillas Eichah with a minyan. It is not like Megillas Esther, where there is a principle that “in a multitude of people is the King’s glory.” An individual may also read Megillas Eichah at home, on his own. At the end of the reading, the custom is to repeat the verse, “Bring us back to You, Hashem, and we will return.” The congregation says it, and then the shliach tzibbur says it and concludes. After Megillas Eichah, the custom is to say kinos. There is a book of kinos containing all the lamentations for Tisha B’Av: kinos for the night of Tisha B’Av and kinos for the day. It also indicates where to begin when Tisha B’Av falls on Motzaei Shabbos, with the kinah connected to that. These are said after Megillas

48:33 Speaker 2 Eichah. When the kinos are finished, we say “Ve’atah Kadosh” and a full Kaddish without Tiskabel. In effect, it is like the Mourner’s Kaddish, but it is not the Mourner’s Kaddish, because the shliach tzibbur says it. We daven Shacharis on Tisha B’Av in shul without a tallis and tefillin. Our custom is to leave the tallis and tefillin for Mincha, and not to put them on privately at home either. During davening, we do not hold the tzitzis. The tallis katan is worn, but we do not hold its tzitzis while saying Baruch She’amar or Shema. In the morning blessings, we do not say the blessing “Who has provided me with all my needs,” and we do not make up that blessing before the following day. As we said earlier, we daven Shacharis in shul in the usual order. That is, we say all the passages about the offerings, even though we do not study Torah. We say everything that is part of the order of davening, so we say the verses about the offerings and the Mishnah passages in Shacharis, whether “These are the things that have no set measure” or, later, the passage about the incense. We say it all. We daven Shacharis as usual through Shemoneh Esrei. Since Tisha B’Av is called a full-fledged festival, we do not say Tachanun on Tisha B’Av, including at Shacharis. After the chazzan’s repetition, we say Half Kaddish, take out a Torah scroll, and read in Parshas Va’eschanan, beginning “When you have children and grandchildren.” The third person called to the Torah reads the haftarah, “I will utterly gather them, declares Hashem.” After the Torah reading, the Torah scroll is returned to the Aron Kodesh. Once it has been returned, we begin saying the kinos. Unlike the night of Tisha B’Av, when we first read Megillas Eichah and then say the kinos, during the day we begin with the kinos. We say them until close to midday. There is a liturgical poem called “Eli Tzion Ve’areha.” The custom is

51:20 Speaker 2 to say it aloud together, close to midday. The custom is to stand for it. Someone who finishes the kinos before midday and still has time should read Megillas Eichah on his own. Someone who began saying kinos before midday and has not finished when midday arrives may continue saying them, but while saying the kinos he cannot sit on a high chair. So even though midday has arrived, if he wants to continue saying the kinos, he should continue while seated near the ground. After finishing the kinos close to midday, we say the psalm beginning “Fortunate are those who dwell in Your house,” “A praise by David,” and “A redeemer will come to Zion.” We skip the verse “As for Me, this is My covenant.” After that, we say a full Kaddish, but without Tiskabel. We do not say the Song of the Day; instead, we go straight to Aleinu. After Shacharis, anyone who has not yet said Eichah should say it. As noted, while saying Eichah we still sit near the ground. Once midday has arrived, the custom is to sit on regular chairs again. Someone who needs to prepare food for after the fast may begin doing so after midday on Tisha B’Av. Of course, as we said earlier, if there are children at home who need to be fed, one may certainly attend to that even before midday on Tisha B’Av. Some Jewish communities have a custom to go to the cemetery on Tisha B’Av, but according to the Arizal, it is not advisable to go to the cemetery on Tisha B’Av. The Rebbe also attests that he did not see the Frierdiker Rebbe do this, so in practice our custom is not to go to the cemetery on Tisha B’Av. We mentioned earlier the importance of helping Jews fulfill the mitzvah of tefillin, including on Tisha B’Av, so we should engage in this after midday. We should see to it that as many Jews as possible put on tefillin. The custom is for the Mincha prayer

53:44 Speaker 2 After midday, Mincha should be davened close to sunset. For Mincha, the paroches is returned to its place, the tablecloths are put back on the tables, the cloth is put back on the Torah-reading platform, and Rashi tefillin are put on. While wearing Rashi tefillin, we make up everything we did not say at Shacharis: Shir Shel Yom and Kaveh. Afterward, we say the Tehillim for the day. Before that, of course, we say all three paragraphs of Shema: Shema, Vehaya Im Shamoa, and Vayomer. We keep the tefillin on and say the entire order of Korbanos for Mincha. The custom is to give agra deta’anisa before Mincha—that is, to give special tzedakah for the redemption of the fast. Although a person fasts, he gives the cost of the meal to the poor. At Mincha, as on every public fast day, we read from the Torah. The Torah scroll is taken out, and the fast-day reading, “And Moshe entreated,” is read. Three people are called up to the Torah. The third also reads the haftarah, “Seek Hashem when He is to be found,” as on every public fast day. In the Amidah of Mincha, which, as mentioned, is davened while wearing tefillin, we add both Aneinu and Nachem, the latter in Boneh Yerushalayim. At Mincha we also say the text, “Our G-d and G-d of our fathers, bless us with the threefold blessing written in the Torah”—the text of Birchas Kohanim. Even someone who did not fast on Tisha B’Av because of a doctor’s instructions or the like says Nachem at Mincha on Tisha B’Av. After Mincha, we remove the tefillin and put on Rabbeinu Tam tefillin. We should try to arrange the davening so that the Rabbeinu Tam tefillin are put on before sunset. The gabbai should plan accordingly, so that everyone can put on tefillin at the proper time according to all opinions and avoid the question of putting on tefillin after sunset. After Mincha, between Mincha and Maariv,

56:15 Speaker 2 it was the Rebbe’s custom to say words of exhortation. Today too, boruch Hashem, we have the opportunity to watch the Rebbe’s words of exhortation, with translations into the language spoken in each place. So they can be shown or played in the shul. Alternatively, someone can read the Rebbe’s sicha aloud as words of exhortation for Tisha B’Av. And, of course, if someone can make a siyum on a tractate in the manner we discussed earlier, that is certainly good and proper. At the end of Tisha B’Av, close to nightfall, we get ready for Maariv and daven it promptly at the proper time. Maariv is an ordinary weekday davening in every respect. After Maariv, we wash our hands and rinse our mouths. There is a practice of rinsing the mouth and washing the hands before eating. After having something to eat or a light drink, we put on shoes, including leather shoes, and recite Kiddush Levanah. The Rebbe wrote that this should be the custom: to recite Kiddush Levanah immediately after Tisha B’Av and fulfill “And they shall seek Hashem their G-d and David their king.” On the night after Tisha B’Av, some things are still prohibited, primarily eating meat and drinking wine, until midday on the tenth of Av. We also do not get haircuts or do laundry until midday on the tenth of Av. But if Tisha B’Av falls on a Thursday, the day before Shabbos, laundry may be done already on the night after Tisha B’Av. So those are the laws of Tisha B’Av. May Hakadosh Boruch Hu help that Tisha B’Av be transformed into joy, gladness, and festive days, and that we learn from Moshiach Tzidkeinu how to observe Tisha B’Av as a Yom Tov—so that the day that was a fast day and a day of mourning becomes a day of joy and gladness. Sometimes Tisha B’Av falls on Shabbos, or it begins on Motzaei Shabbos. That is, we go straight from Shabbos into Tisha

58:45 Speaker 2 B’Av. There are some differences between the two cases, but let us begin with the general rule that applies to both. When Shabbos leads into Tisha B’Av, there are no restrictions on eating and drinking before the fast. On the contrary, the Shulchan Aruch writes that when Tisha B’Av begins on Motzaei Shabbos, at the third meal—which is, in effect, the final meal before the fast—one eats and drinks “like a feast of Shlomo in his time.” The restrictions we mentioned for Tisha B’Av that begins on an ordinary weekday do not apply. On the contrary, one must not appear to be observing mourning publicly on Shabbos, as that would dishonor the holy Shabbos. One may therefore eat, and should eat and drink fully and joyfully, as befits Shabbos. There is no mourning on Shabbos. On the other hand, some rules of the day before Tisha B’Av do apply even when it is Shabbos, concerning Torah study. From midday on Shabbos, even though it is Shabbos, one may study only subjects permitted on Tisha B’Av. A person should therefore make sure to finish the daily study portions before midday on Shabbos. After that, one should study only subjects, laws, and halachos connected with Tisha B’Av, as we discussed regarding the day before Tisha B’Av in any year. On Shabbos, however, there is a leniency: if someone did not manage to complete his regular studies, he may, after the fact, complete them even after midday. Likewise, where there is a regular Torah class at a particular time on Shabbos, it should not be canceled, since that would look like public mourning. They should hold the class and study together as they do every Shabbos. Since people need enough time to eat their meal unhurriedly before sunset, Mincha should be held earlier, so the congregation has enough time to return home and eat the third meal before Tisha B’Av at the proper time and without rushing. No

1:01:33 Speaker 2 sign of mourning should be shown on this Shabbos. On the contrary, as the Rebbe said several times when Tisha B’Av falls on Shabbos, only the character of Shabbos should be apparent. This applies to singing during davening and to clothing: we wear Shabbos clothes and sing during davening as we customarily do every Shabbos. If anything, we should take extra care that there be no concern that we are showing mourning on Shabbos. The third meal, which is the final meal before the fast, must be eaten so that it is finished before sunset. It is true that on an ordinary Shabbos, the third meal can continue into Motzaei Shabbos. But since Tisha B’Av begins on the Motzaei Shabbos we are discussing, from sunset it may already be Tisha B’Av, and eating and drinking are prohibited. Unlike the final meal before Tisha B’Av on a weekday, at the third Shabbos meal one may eat together with others, make a zimun, and drink wine. One must, of course, make sure the zimun is before sunset, so that the cup of wine can be drunk at the proper time. These general rules apply both when Tisha B’Av falls on Shabbos and is postponed until Sunday and when Tisha B’Av begins on Motzaei Shabbos. If Tisha B’Av itself falls on Shabbos and is postponed until Sunday, however, there are matters of mourning observed in private, mainly concerning relations between husband and wife, from which one refrains on the Shabbos that is itself Tisha B’Av. Each person should consult the relevant books or a rabbi about what applies to them. There are no restrictions at all on other matters. As stated above, no mourning is observed publicly on Shabbos, even when Tisha B’Av falls on Shabbos and is postponed until after Shabbos. When Tisha B’Av begins on Motzaei Shabbos, or is postponed to it, people come to shul after Shabbos ends. In other words, they stay home until Shabbos is over and only then go to shul. Once Shabbos has ended, one says at home, “Blessed is He who separates between the holy”

1:04:06 Speaker 2 He should change his Shabbos shoes for cloth shoes or any other kind, as long as they are not leather, and go to shul. We remain dressed in Shabbos clothes until after reciting Kinos. In other words, we go to shul in Shabbos clothes but wearing Tisha B’Av shoes. In shul, nothing is done before Shabbos ends. Everything connected with Tisha B’Av—turning over the chairs, moving the paroches—waits until after Shabbos. We daven Maariv as on any Motzaei Shabbos, saying Atah Chonantanu, and after Shemoneh Esrei we say Kaddish Tiskabel. Then we light a candle and recite the blessing Borei Me’orei Ha’esh, but we do not make Havdalah or say the blessing over spices, because the soul is grieved by Tisha B’Av. I’ll add a law I forgot to mention that applies on a regular Tisha B’Av too: a mourner in the first year who is saying Kaddish for his father or mother for eleven months does not study the Mishnayos from tractate Mikvaos that he studies throughout the year. Instead, he should say the Mishnayos from chapter 3 of tractate Moed Katan, which deals with matters of mourning. There is another difference between Tisha B’Av that falls on Shabbos and is postponed until Motzaei Shabbos, and Tisha B’Av that falls on Motzaei Shabbos in the first place. Tisha B’Av when observed on its proper date is very stringent. So if it falls on Motzaei Shabbos, all the laws of Tisha B’Av apply concerning who does not fast and the leniencies for those who need them regarding the fast. But when Tisha B’Av falls on Shabbos and is postponed until Motzaei Shabbos, we are more lenient, as with the other four fasts, regarding pregnant and nursing women and people who are ill or weak. On a postponed Tisha B’Av, the ruling for them is more lenient. The halachic authorities differ about a person who is permitted to eat on Tisha

1:06:45 Speaker 2 B’Av: must he make Havdalah? How should he make it? Should he use grape juice or not? So in practice, the person should consult the rabbi he usually consults—the one who permitted him to eat during the fast—about how to make Havdalah when Tisha B’Av falls on Motzaei Shabbos. Since Shabbos ended and we did not hear Havdalah, on the night after Tisha B’Av, which is Sunday night, we cannot eat or drink before making Havdalah. So immediately after Maariv, Havdalah should be made either in shul or at home, but usually in shul, since we also still have to say Kiddush Levanah. Only after Havdalah may we eat and drink. Anyone whose wife and children are waiting for him at home should certainly hurry home to make Havdalah for them, so they can eat and drink and not prolong their fast. As every year, after making Havdalah, eating and drinking something, and changing shoes, we say Kiddush Levanah and fulfill the prayer, “And they shall seek Hashem their G-d”—the prophecy and the prayer, “And they shall seek Hashem their G-d and David their king.” Amen and amen. The night after Tisha B’Av: there is a leniency when Tisha B’Av has been postponed. As we said, when Tisha B’Av falls on its proper date, even after the fast, until the tenth of Av, it is still forbidden to eat meat, drink wine, do laundry, or get a haircut. But when Tisha B’Av is postponed until after Shabbos, it is already the night after the tenth of Av, before the eleventh. One may therefore do laundry, get a haircut, and listen to musical instruments. To eat meat and drink wine, however, one must wait until the following day.