Tisha B'Av: the day of mourning תִּשְׁעָה בְּאָב
Tisha B’Av, the 9th of Av (July or August), is the national day of mourning for the destruction of the First and Second Temples in Jerusalem and other tragedies of Jewish history. It is a full fast from sunset to nightfall.
The Ninth of Av · Tisha Be’Av · תשעה באב · 9 Av (10 Av when the 9th is Shabbat)
What is Tisha B'Av?
The Mishna lists five calamities on this date, including the decree that the generation of the desert would not enter the land and the destruction of both Temples – by the Babylonians in 586 BCE and by the Romans in 70 CE. Later tragedies, such as the expulsion from Spain in 1492, became associated with the day.
Tisha B’Av ends a three-week period of mourning that begins with the Fast of 17 Tammuz. Its message is not only grief: the Talmud attributes the destruction of the Second Temple to baseless hatred, and tradition says that the redeemer is born on Tisha B’Av – the day carries the hope of repair.
How Tisha B'Av is observed
The fast and the mourning customs
- As on Yom Kippur, eating, drinking, washing, anointing, leather shoes and marital relations are forbidden, from sunset to nightfall. Torah study is limited to sad subjects (such as Job, Lamentations and the laws of mourning).
- In the synagogue people sit on the floor or low stools in dim light; the Book of Lamentations (Eichah) is chanted at night and kinot (elegies) are said in the morning.
- Tallit and tefillin are not worn at Shacharit but at Minchah. Greetings are not exchanged.
- From midday the restrictions on sitting low are relaxed. When the 9th of Av is Shabbat, the fast is postponed to Sunday.
- The sick, pregnant and nursing women with medical concerns must consult a rabbi; the rules for them are more lenient than on Yom Kippur.
Sephardi and Ashkenazi customs
- During the Nine Days (from 1 Av) Ashkenazim refrain from meat and wine except on Shabbat; most Sephardim do so only in the week in which Tisha B’Av falls.
- Ashkenazim do not cut hair or hold weddings during all Three Weeks; Sephardim generally from Rosh Chodesh Av or only the week of Tisha B’Av.
- Sephardi kinot include different elegies, and many Sephardim read the Book of Job.
Tisha B'Av dates 2025–2028
Dates follow the Diaspora schedule. Jewish days begin at sundown: a holiday starts in the evening before its first day and ends at nightfall.
| Year | Begins | Ends | Hebrew date | In Israel |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Sundown, Saturday, August 2, 2025 | Nightfall, Sunday, August 3, 2025 | 9 Av 5785 | Same |
| 2026 | Sundown, Wednesday, July 22, 2026 | Nightfall, Thursday, July 23, 2026 | 9 Av 5786 | Same |
| 2027 | Sundown, Wednesday, August 11, 2027 | Nightfall, Thursday, August 12, 2027 | 9 Av 5787 | Same |
| 2028 | Sundown, Monday, July 31, 2028 | Nightfall, Tuesday, August 1, 2028 | 9 Av 5788 | Same |
Israel and the Diaspora
Tisha B’Av falls on the same day in Israel and in the Diaspora.
Candle-lighting times
Candle-lighting and havdalah times for Shabbat and Yom Tov in 94 cities, computed for your location: Shabbat & holiday candle-lighting times
Related prayers
- Kaddish קדיש
Greetings
- An easy and meaningful fast – Greetings are not exchanged on Tisha B’Av itself; before the fast some wish Tzom Kal or a meaningful fast.
Frequently asked questions
- When is Tisha B'Av in 2027?
- In 2027, Tisha B'Av falls on Thursday, August 12, 2027 and begins at sundown the evening before (Wednesday, August 11, 2027).
- Why is there no greeting on Tisha B’Av?
- Mourners do not greet one another, and on Tisha B’Av the whole people is in mourning. If someone greets you, answer quietly.
- How long is the fast?
- About 25 hours: from sunset on the eve until nightfall the next day.
- What are the Three Weeks?
- The period from the 17th of Tammuz, when the walls of Jerusalem were breached, until the 9th of Av, when the Temple was destroyed. Weddings and celebrations are avoided.
- What is Tu B’Av?
- Six days after Tisha B’Av, the 15th of Av is a day of joy – mentioned in the Mishna as one of the happiest days of the year – and is now celebrated in Israel as a day of love.
Sources
- Lamentations 1:1
אֵיכָה יָשְׁבָה בָדָד הָעִיר רַבָּתִי עָם הָיְתָה כְּאַלְמָנָה רַּבָּתִי בַגּוֹיִם שָׂרָתִי בַּמְּדִינוֹת הָיְתָה לָמַס
“How lonely sits the city” – the opening of Eichah, read on the night of Tisha B’Av.
- Mishna Taanit 4:6
Five calamities on the 9th of Av, among them the destruction of both Temples.
- Talmud Bavli, Taanit 30a; Yoma 9b
The laws of the day; the Second Temple fell because of baseless hatred (sinat chinam).
- Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chayim 549–561
The Three Weeks, the Nine Days and the fast of Tisha B’Av.
Hebrew verses: Westminster Leningrad Codex (public domain) via the Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible. The explanations on this page are our own, not translations.
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For learning and general information only. Customs differ between communities; for halachic questions ask your rabbi.