תִּשְׁעָה בְּאָב
Tisha B'Av 2026

Tisha B'Av 2026 begins at sundown on Wednesday, July 22, and the fast continues through nightfall on Thursday, July 23. Eicha is read on the evening of July 22.

Tisha B'Av is associated with numerous Jewish tragedies. The most significant are the destruction of the First Temple by the Babylonians in 586 BCE and the Second Temple by the Romans in 70 CE. Other events traditionally linked to the date include the sin of the spies (when the Exodus generation was decreed to die in the desert), the fall of Betar in 135 CE (ending the Bar Kochba revolt), the plowing of Jerusalem by the Romans, the expulsion from England in 1290, and the expulsion from Spain in 1492.

Tisha B'Av requires a full 25-hour fast, abstaining from all food and water. In addition to fasting, five afflictions are observed (the same as Yom Kippur): no bathing, no anointing with oils or lotions, no wearing leather shoes, and no marital relations. Torah study is restricted to mournful texts only. Pregnant women, nursing mothers, the ill, and the elderly should consult a rabbi regarding leniencies.

Eicha (Lamentations) is one of the five scrolls of the Hebrew Bible, traditionally authored by the prophet Jeremiah. It is a series of five poetic laments mourning the destruction of Jerusalem and the First Temple. Eicha is chanted to a mournful melody on the evening of Tisha B'Av, often by candlelight in a dimly lit synagogue, with congregants sitting on the floor or on low chairs.

Tisha B'Av shares the same five afflictions as Yom Kippur (fasting, no bathing, no anointing, no leather shoes, no marital relations) and is also a 25-hour fast. However, Yom Kippur is a day of atonement focused on repentance and spiritual cleansing, while Tisha B'Av is a day of national mourning focused on historical tragedy. Yom Kippur is the holiest day of the year; Tisha B'Av is the saddest.

Tisha B'Av is not a full Yom Tov, so technically work is permitted. However, many rabbinical authorities discourage work, especially in the morning when mourning practices are most intense. Some communities treat the morning as a time of complete mourning and only permit work in the afternoon. Activities that bring joy or pleasure are avoided throughout the day.

The 21 days leading up to Tisha B'Av, known as the Three Weeks (Bein HaMetzarim), are a period of gradually intensifying mourning. They begin at dawn on the 17th of Tammuz with a minor fast commemorating the breach of Jerusalem's walls. Throughout the Three Weeks, weddings, live music, haircuts, and new clothes are restricted. The final stretch, called the Nine Days (from Rosh Chodesh Av through Tisha B'Av), adds further restrictions including the avoidance of meat and wine (except on Shabbat), laundering clothes, and swimming for pleasure.

The Nine Days are the final and most intense part of the Three Weeks mourning period, running from Rosh Chodesh Av through Tisha B'Av (approximately the last nine days). Most communities avoid meat and wine during this period except on Shabbat, in commemoration of the cessation of meat sacrifices and wine libations after the Temple was destroyed. Laundering, swimming for pleasure, and bathing for pleasure are also restricted. Kosher dairy restaurants, sushi spots, and fish restaurants see their busiest week of the summer as observant communities shift their dining patterns.

The seudah hamafseket is the final meal eaten before the Tisha B'Av fast begins. By long-standing tradition the meal is deliberately austere: a hard-boiled egg (sometimes dipped in ashes), a piece of bread, and water, eaten alone while sitting on the floor or on a low chair. Lentil soup is another traditional food of mourning sometimes included. The meal must be completed before sunset, since the fast begins at that time. Many communities serve it as a small, somber meal at home rather than a synagogue gathering.