Remembering past calamities on Tisha B’Av

Jewish people across the globe will change from dress shoes to non-leather footwear and move from chairs to the floor to hear the recitation of Megillat Eicha (Lamentations) as the holiday of Tisha B’Av begins at sundown on the second to last day of a three-week mourning period, and will be commemorated this year from the eve of July 25 through nightfall on July 26.
The saddest day of the Jewish calendar, Tisha B’Av commemorates the destruction of the two Holy Temples and the subsequent exile of the Jewish people from the land of Israel. Throughout Jewish history, the day has been associated with calamity and mourning. The expulsion of Jews from England, France and Spain all occurred on Tisha B’Av more than 500 years ago. The tragic day also marks the start of the First Crusade, and the approval of the “Final Solution” of the Holocaust to exterminate European Jewry, in addition to many more calamities in Jewish history.
Tisha B’Av is preceded by three weeks of mourning to commemorate the breaching of the walls of Jerusalem prior to the destruction of the temples. Listening to music, shaving and taking a haircut are prohibited during these three weeks.
The nine days prior to Tisha B’Av come with a period of more intense mourning, with prohibitions on swimming, eating meat and doing laundry. Eating, drinking, marital relations, bathing and wearing leather shoes are also not permitted. Torah study is also prohibited, as is sitting on a chair until midday. Eicha (The Book of Lamentations) is read at night to mourn the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple, and Kinot (dirges) are recited during the day to mourn the tragedies and hope for a brighter future with the coming of the Messiah and the building of the third Holy Temple.
According to the Talmud, the second and most recent temple was destroyed due to baseless hatred of others. The people of the time were not united and cast aspersion and disdain upon one another instead of promoting mutual tolerance, which ultimately led to the destruction and exile that lasts to this very day.