THE 3 WEEKS & 9 DAYS
Grappling with Loss
The 3 Weeks - 9 Days before Tisha B'Av are a time of mourning and sadness. Why does God let us suffer? This question may be impossible to answer, but, on Tisha B’Av, it’s just as impossible to ignore.
When Do The Three Weeks & Nine Days Start?
Upcoming dates: Evening of July 23rd to August 12th
How Am I Supposed To Appreciate The Loss Of The Beit HaMikdash?
Video series • Part 1 of 7 • 9 min
Kamtza And Bar Kamtza: What Is Baseless Hatred, Anyway?
Video series • Part 1 of 5 • 3 min
How Israel Split And The Road To Tisha B’Av
Video series • Part 1 of 8 • 7 min
How The Sin Of The Spies Led To Tisha B’Av
Video series • Part 1 of 6 • 10 min
Mourning: What Death Teaches Us About What It Means to Live
Video • 1 hour, 53 min
Megillat Eicha And Its Secrets
Video series • Part 1 of 2 • 57 min
The Mysterious Connection Between Mashiach And Tisha B’Av
Video series • Part 1 of 7 • 12 min
Yochanan Ben Zakkai And Yavneh: The Secret Of Jewish Survival
Video series • Part 1 of 5 • 10 min
What Jacob And Joseph Teach Us About Returning Home
Video series • Part 1 of 6 • 8 min
Acher: He Who Must Not Be Named
Video series • Part 1 of 5 • 25 min
Of Soldiers And Slaves: Divine Justice In The Face Of Great Human Evil
Video • 2 hours, 58 min
Kinot Live With Rabbi Fohrman
Video series • Part 1 of 4 • 3 hours, 42 min
The 3 Weeks & 9 Days Halacha & Dvar Torah
What Is Tisha B’Av? 101 Guide
101 Guide
. The Tisha B’Av fast is the most mournful day on the Jewish calendar, commemorating the destruction of the Holy Temple and other tragedies throughout Jewish history.
Tisha B'Av for Kids
101 Guide
. Tisha B’Av is hard enough – but when you’re fasting yourself AND trying to make this day meaningful for your kids, it’s even harder. That’s why we put together this page with plenty of resources to make Tisha B’Av meaningful for kids of all ages. Including a BRAND NEW Teacher/Parent Guide for you to use along with our “Sinat Chinam: Baseless Hatred” series, so you can discuss the concepts of Tisha B’Av together with your kids at their level.
Is Tisha B'Av a Yom Tov?
101 Guide
. Tisha B’Av is the most solemn day on the Jewish calendar. We spend it fasting and mourning. But the Book of Lamentations (Eicha) refers to Tisha B’av as a moed – a holiday! With its lack of festive meals, Tisha B’Av certainly doesn’t feel like a holiday. How exactly do we categorize Tisha B’Av? Is Tisha B’Av a Yom Tov? And what can this classification teach us about the meaning of the day?
Tisha B'Av & the Spies
101 Guide
. On Tisha B’Av we mourn the destruction of the First and Second Temples. But the Talmudic Sages trace our mourning even further back in history, to another catastrophe that they say happened on the 9th of Av: the sin of the spies. What in the world does the sin of the spies have to do with the destruction of the Temples, and how can understanding this connection help us unlock the transformative power of Tisha B’Av?
Book of Iyov
101 Guide
. The book of Job is one of the most complex and bewildering books of Tanach. Why do we read this book on Tisha B’Av and what lessons can we learn from Job’s struggles with God?
Understanding Kinot
101 Guide
. How can we unlock the meaning of kinot and access the emotions they’re meant to engender? Read more about Rabbi Fohrman’s approach to kinot and discover how to connect to these complex but haunting poems.
Tisha B’Av Torah & Haftarah Readings
101 Guide
. To set the tone of loss and lamentation for Tisha B'Av morning, we read Deuteronomy Chapter 4:25-40 as the Torah reading and Jeremiah Chapter 8:13-23 as the accompanying haftarah. Why are these the readings for this day and what can they add to our Tisha B’Av today? Keep reading to go deeper.
The Book of Lamentations (Megillat Eicha)
101 Guide
. The Book of Lamentations, written by Jeremiah the prophet, includes scenes that are vividly graphic, and themes that are distressingly clear. But in contrast to the direct - yet tragic - message, the writing is incredibly complex and confusing. What are we to make of this book traditionally read on Tisha B’Av?
What Are The Three Weeks & Nine Days?
The fast of Tammuz begins the three-week period of mourning known as Bein HaMetzarim (“between the straits”), a phrase taken from the book of Eicha, or simply “the three weeks.” The Three Weeks start on 17th of Tammuz (or 18th of Tammuz if the 17th is on Shabbat), also known as the fast day Shiva Asar B’Tammuz. This period begins and ends with fasting, and throughout the three weeks, Jewish practice serves to reduce the joy and comfort experienced during this time.
After the first of Av, on Rosh Chodesh, the nine days before Tisha B’Av are observed with particularly strict mourning and sadness. These days of intense mourning are often referred to as “The Nine Days”. The Mishnah says that “When the month of Av begins, we reduce our joy”, and therefore several additional restrictions and mourning practices are adopted during this time.
The three weeks and the nine days commemorate the loss of the First and Second Temples, and atone for the sins – like sinat chinam, baseless hatred – that led to the collapse of Jewish sovereignty in the land of Israel. Exile and diaspora followed the destruction of the Holy Temples, and began the exile ("galut") that will one day be brought to an end in the days of Moshiach. Rabbi Fohrman inspects several interesting connections in the Torah that hint at a messianic era that almost happened.
In 2024 (5784), the Three Weeks will start at dawn on Tuesday, July 23, and end at sundown on Tuesday, August 12. The Nine Days will start on Sunday, August 4, at sundown.
Laws Of The Three Weeks & Nine Days
During the Three Weeks, many Jews adopt practices of mourning. These can include refraining from holding public celebrations, haircuts and shaving, and buying new clothes, similar to mourning practices observed during the Omer period.
The Three Weeks are considered a time of tragedy on the Jewish calendar. Therefore, many Jews refrain from potentially dangerous activities like swimming or adventure sports during this time.
Listening to music and attending performances such as theater or concerts is prohibited during Jewish times of mourning. Some Jews do listen to music that is performed a cappella, without instruments or percussion.
During the Three Weeks and Nine Days, it is traditional to recite “Al Naharot Bavel” (“By the Waters of Babylon”), a mournful song about the loss of the Temple and Jerusalem, before saying grace after meals.
It should be noted that many of these customs are held primarily by Jews of Ashkenazic descent. Sephardic Jews often observe these practices only during the week of Tisha B’Av itself.
There aren’t halachot during the three weeks like there are during the nine days or Tisha Ba’v itself.
Halachot of the Nine Days
The laws of the Nine Days, which begin on Rosh Chodesh Av, intensify the prohibitions of mourning.
During the Nine Days, many Jews do not eat meat or meat products (except on Shabbat) to deprive themselves of that pleasure. Laundry is not washed except in extreme need, and many Jews take short, cold showers to avoid the comfort of bathing.