Tisha B’Av is considered the saddest day on the Jewish calendar. On this day, the Jewish community comes together to mourn the destruction of the temples in Jerusalem and the subsequent tragedies that their people experienced throughout history. Tisha B’Av occurs on the ninth day of the Jewish month of Av, which falls sometime in July or August.
Most people would associate a holiday with times of joy and celebration; however, grief and loss are the sentiments that characterize Tisha B’Av. There is a special emphasis on the book of Lamentations, which many Christians are familiar with. Written by the Prophet Jeremiah, this book chronicles the suffering and humiliation that the Israelites experienced after the Baylonians demolished the First Temple. By understanding this holiday, Christians can empathize with their Jewish friends in the midst of their grief and ultimately point them to the hope of the gospel.
The first of the tragedies date back to 1313 B.C. when the Israelites questioned God on the prospect of entering the Promised Land. Consequently, God ordered them to wander the wilderness for 40 years. Next, the First Temple was destroyed by the Babylonians in 423 B.C., and the Second Temple fell to the Romans in 70 A.D. The Bar Kochba Revolt in 135 A.D. led to the slaughter of 100,000 Jews at the hands of the Romans. One year later, the Temple Mount was plowed. Throughout history, the day of Tisha B’Av marked numerous calamities for the Jewish people, including the Jewish expulsion from Spain in 1492 and the beginning of World War I in 1914.
In order to commemorate these events, Jews fast from food and drink and abstain from simple pleasurable activities, such as bathing, wearing fine clothing, or sending/receiving gifts. People are instead encouraged to give to charity on this day, especially in memory of a lost loved one.
To break the fast, the people eat a simple meal consisting of a hard-boiled egg and bread dipped in ashes. This meal is eaten while sitting on a low stool, symbolizing a posture of mourning. At the evening prayer service, the lights in the synagogue are dimmed and the book of Lamentations is read aloud by the priests. Many people weep as the poignant words of Jeremiah touch their hearts.
Tisha B’Av offers a unique opportunity to share the good news of Jesus with Jewish friends. Though Lamentations is full of despair, the end of the book provides a ray of hope, pointing to Jesus, the one who will suffer on our behalf.
In Lamentations 5:21, the people of Israel are crying out to God saying, “Restore us to yourself, Lord, that we may return … .” There is an evident desire for restoration in the midst of such brokenness. Throughout Lamentations, God promises to redeem His people from their troubles (Lamentations 3:25, 58). As believers, we know that ultimate redemption is found in Christ alone. He heals what is broken through the shedding of His perfect blood. Take this opportunity to explain the centrality of Christ’s sacrifice in our salvation, referencing passages such as Isaiah 53, which foreshadows Christ’s coming and subsequent death on the cross. It is important that your Jewish friends understand how Jesus is the one who reconciles us to God and bears our sorrows.
On this Tisha B’Av, pray that the Jewish people may know the everlasting joy and peace that comes from a personal relationship with the Savior, Jesus Christ.