Rabbi Andrea’s Sermon 26th July 2025 / 1st Av 5785

 What We Do on Tisha b’Av and How and Why

On Tisha b’Av, we commemorate the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem by the Romans in 70 CE. That was, until the Holocaust, the most tragic event of Jewish history.

Other tragedies are commemorated on the same day: the destruction of the First Temple, in 586 BCE by the Babylonians, the fall of Jerusalem, the beginning of the Diaspora, the loss of political freedom in 136 CE, and the expulsion of Jews from Spain in 1492 etc. The Rabbis have lumped together all these tragedies and there are plenty of them, somehow stretching the calendar. For example, a few years ago we commemorated the outbreak of the WWI on Tisha b’Av because the defeat of Germany led to the sanctions, which broke the German economy, which in the end caused the electoral victory of that failed painter.

Or, for example, the bombing of the Jewish Hospital in Buenos Aires by pro-Palestinian terrorists, which actually happened on the 10th of Av, the day after Tisha b’Av. But again, this tragedy, the central tragedy in South American Jewish history, is commemorated on Tisha b’Av.

Lumping together tragic events is a wise choice for at least two reasons. First of all, psychologically we need space for mourning as well as for joy. It is unhealthy to carry the burden of persecutions and tragedies all the days of the year. The human mind needs to mourn and then move on. Dedicating one specific day to commemorate all the tragedies allows us to dedicate other days of the year, if not for joy, at least for our efforts to move on.

Yom ha Shoah is an exception, because the Holocaust is such a horrible and devastating tragedy, of which we are still carrying the consequences. So, the Holocaust is not lumped together with other tragedies. It is unique.

But you may ask why are the tragedies of Jewish history commemorated, of all days, precisely on Tisha b’Av? In other words, why has a fast been instituted on such a day, which is in the Summer, and we all know how difficult it is to face an entire summer’s day without food or drink?

Answer: On Tisha b’Av, we commemorate the destruction of the Temple, and the loss of political freedom (that is, the Diaspora). In other words, the beginning of all the tragedies.

Not having a Country, not having a State, not having a place where we could find a shelter, nor an Army that could intervene to protect us, is the main reason of Jewish weakness. After the destruction of the Temple we have been a defenceless minority, we could survive, (that was the Jewish condition before 1948), only if the ruling power found us useful. Yes, Jews have somehow prospered in Italy and Germany during the Renaissance: that was because the ruling power needed moneylenders to calm the social tensions, etc, and moneylending was a dirty job, usually forbidden for Christians and that was a Christian society.

We Jews can survive, or even thrive, when we prove that we are helpful. Poland in the morning and Russia in the afternoon and Romania in lean years. For centuries Jews had been tolerated as moneylenders or innkeepers, because the nobility was too lazy and the peasants were kept in horrible conditions, illiterate and worse.

That has been the life of us Jews for centuries, and that was the consequence of being without a State, without a Country: always guests, always temporary residents, never full citizens. This situation of being weak and dispersed around the world made us Jews the scapegoats and the target of persecution and abuse.

So, you can appreciate the logic. The tragedies of Jewish history are a consequence of the loss of freedom, which we commemorate on Tisha b’Av. And so, let me explain what we will do on Tisha b’Av this year.

I invite you to join the ceremonies even if you decide not to fast, (that is the beauty of being a Reform Jew, isn't it?). The fast begins in the evening of Saturday, the 2^nd of August, at 9pm. Weather permitting we will hold, like last year, a ceremony in Palmeira

Square.

We will read Megillat Eicha, also known as Lamentations, the traditional reading for Tisha b’Av, and some stories from October 7th. We must be aware of the continuity: the tragedy that our brothers and sisters are enduring in Israel now is not new; it is actually the continuation of the evil effort started in the time of the Romans, to deny us Jews freedom and self-determination in our Land.

We will have the morning service on Sunday morning, the 3^rd of August, at 10:30am. It is a mournful and sad service. We sit on shiva chairs (if possible). The service includes the regular prayers: Shemah, Amidah, Torah reading, Haftara, Alenu, etc, but it also includes mournful poems called kinot "lamentations".

Because we are in mourning, wearing the tallis or laying tefillin is not customary, as mourners don't do it during the shiva. And of course it's a fast, so no Kiddush!

The pain intensity decreases in the afternoon, and we begin to see some hope. So, tallis and tefillin can be worn; it is actually the only day of the year when tallis and tefillin can be worn in the afternoon, to show that now we accept consolation.

There will be a service in the afternoon for those who want to do this mitzvah.

Here's an essential point. Tisha b’Av is not a holiday, so there are no restrictions regarding working, using mobile phones, etc. People avoid music for obvious reasons, because you are in mourning. But there's nothing wrong with screening movies, documentaries or whatever during Tisha b’Av. In the afternoon at 3pm, in the AJEX Hall, we will screen a documentary about the crypto-Jews, the Marranos.

On Tisha b’Av, as I have said before, we commemorate the expulsion of our people from Spain and Portugal, (1492 and 1496, respectively), and the victims of that persecution, when the practice of Judaism was outlawed. The Inquisition, an ancestor of the KGB, persecuted Jews all around the world. So, there is an obvious link with the stories of the Marranos, those Jews who continue to practice our faith in secret, risking literally their lives.

As Leonard Cohen says “There is a crack in everything, that's how the light gets in.”

The resilience and determination of the Marranos is that ray of light that gets through the crack. Their story inspires us and gives us hope and courage in these difficult times.

Trust me, it is an unforgettable documentary. So that's the programme of Tisha b’Av this year. You don't have to come to everything, that is the beauty of being a Reform Jew, you can pick and choose! Nonetheless, I hope to see you on that day.

Sabbat Shalom.

Rabbi Dr. Andrea Zanardo, PhD