Ancient mourning practices versus spiritual atonement create Judaism’s most profound ritual paradox.
Assaf Golan
(Israel Hayom via JNS)
On Saturday night and Sunday, the Jewish people will observe the fast of Tisha B’Av. Since this represents a significant day of mourning for the destruction of the Jewish state and both Holy Temples, the level of afflictions practiced includes comprehensive restrictions on eating and drinking, bathing, anointing with aromatic oils, cosmetics and perfumes, wearing leather shoes, and engaging in marital relations.
These five prohibitions correspond to the five restrictions observed on Yom Kippur, creating a remarkable similarity between these two days, yet a fundamental difference distinguishes them.
On Yom Kippur, these prohibitions serve to enhance the individual engaged in prayer and the spiritual work of the day. Rather than expressing mourning, they facilitate an atonement process that elevates practitioners to profound spiritual levels. Conversely, on Tisha B’Av, these same five afflictions symbolize deep mourning and grief over destruction.
An even more significant difference concerns the origins of these two special observances. Yom Kippur appears explicitly in the Torah itself, constituting one of the established landmarks in the Jewish calendar cycle.
Tisha B’Av, however, was instituted following the destructions, and when the Jewish people’s exile concludes, this fast will be abolished.
We therefore examined the sources from which rabbinical authorities derived the rationale for establishing Tisha B’Av’s five distinctive prohibitions. Understanding these afflictions’ origins reveals that scholars derived at least some from mourning laws, particularly from mourning individuals. This applies especially to bathing and anointing prohibitions, which mourners observe throughout mourning periods.
Eating and drinking—prophetic allusions
While Yom Kippur’s fast receives explicit Torah mention, Tisha B’Av’s fast appears through allusion in Prophet Zechariah’s words, referencing the “fast of the fifth month,” which rabbinical authorities indicate will become a day of joy for Israel’s house in the future. Scholars understood this “fast of the fifth month” refers to Tisha B’Av’s fast, since Av represents the fifth month when counting from Nisan, considered the Jewish New Year according to Torah tradition.
Sandal wearing—expressing mourning and spiritual humility
In ancient times, leather sandals symbolized wealth and honor, while walking barefoot represented sorrow, poverty or mental humility. Yom Kippur’s sandal prohibition stems from expressing humility and spiritual lowliness. On Tisha B’Av, this prohibition primarily expresses mourning and sorrow. Despite different motivations, the affliction remains parallel, since ideological connections exist between spiritual humility and mourning feelings.
Marital relations prohibition—withdrawing from ordinary life
Marital life represents routines of joy, intimacy and tranquility. Just as mourning individuals abstain from marital life throughout shivah‘s seven days, public fasts such as Tisha B’Av require similar abstention. This prohibition expresses sorrow and loss that disrupt normal feelings. During public mourning periods, the prohibition intensifies, since marital relations sharply contrast with the general atmosphere and appear to deny the majority sentiment.
Bathing and anointing—derived from mourning laws
As mentioned, Tisha B’Av prohibits bathing and anointing, similar to mourning practices. This involves more than avoiding physical pleasure—it expresses sorrow and physical discomfort as mourning components. Jewish law forbids not only pleasurable bathing but sometimes cleansing as well, according to established mourning regulations.
Originally published by Israel Hayom.
Image: Tisha B’Av at the Western Wall in Jerusalem. Photo by Oren Ben Hakoon.
