The Real Purpose of Tisha B'Av Is Not What Most People Think

As Tisha B'Av approaches, many people focus on the difficulty of the fast itself: the hunger, the thirst, the discomfort, and the challenge of making it through the day. But is physical suffering really the main goal of the fast? Rabbi Moshe Tzadka, rosh yeshiva of Porat Yosef, recently addressed this question and offered a powerful reminder about what Tisha B'Av is truly meant to accomplish.

Rabbi Moshe Tzadka, rosh yeshiva of Porat Yosef, posed the following question in a recent class:

"On Tisha B'Av, one person sits alone in a closed room. The room is hot, there is no air conditioning, and he is struggling with intense thirst and discomfort. The fast feels extremely difficult.

"Meanwhile, another person sits in the beit midrash beneath a powerful air conditioner, enjoying a cool breeze while studying Shaarei Teshuvah with enthusiasm. He barely feels the fast at all.

"Which of these two people is in the preferable situation?"

Many people would instinctively answer that the first person has reached a higher spiritual level. After all, he is suffering greatly. The thirst is intense, the heat is overwhelming, and every moment of the fast feels difficult.

By contrast, the second person is sitting comfortably and learning Torah. If he barely feels the fast, what value could there be in that?

Rabbi Tzadka explained that this way of thinking misses the entire purpose of the day.

"Anyone who studies the Rambam or the Mishnah Berurah at the beginning of the laws of fast days discovers that the essence is not suffering," he said. "The main purpose of the fast is not affliction. The main purpose is teshuvah."

The Fast Is a Tool, Not the Goal

The Mishnah Berurah writes:

"On all these days, all of Israel fasts because of the tragedies that occurred on them, in order to awaken the hearts to reflect on the ways of teshuvah... Therefore every person is obligated to take these days to heart, to examine his deeds and repent of them. For the main thing is not the fast... and the fast is only a preparation for teshuvah."

The Mishnah Berurah goes on to warn that people who spend the day occupied with distractions and idle pursuits have focused on the secondary aspect of the day while neglecting its primary purpose.

In other words, the goal of Tisha B'Av is not simply to endure hunger and thirst. The fasting itself is important and obligatory, but it serves a greater purpose: helping us open our hearts, examine our actions, and return to Hashem.

Remembering Why We Fast

The destruction of the Beit HaMikdash was not a random historical event. Our sages teach that it resulted from spiritual failings, and the fact that the Temple has not yet been rebuilt reminds us that there is still work to be done.

The fast is meant to help us remember that we are still living in a world of exile, still lacking the full revelation of the Divine Presence, and still longing for redemption.

That realization should inspire us to reflect honestly on our lives, strengthen our relationship with Hashem, improve our relationships with other people, and commit ourselves to meaningful spiritual growth.

The Message of Shabbat Chazon

This same message appears in the haftarah of Shabbat Chazon, where the prophet Isaiah calls upon the Jewish people to abandon wrongdoing and return to Hashem:

"Wash yourselves, purify yourselves; remove the evil of your deeds from before My eyes; cease doing evil... Then I will restore your judges as at first and your counselors as in the beginning. Afterward you shall be called the City of Righteousness, the Faithful City. Zion shall be redeemed through justice, and those who return to her through righteousness."

The path to redemption begins with personal change.

When we work to improve ourselves, strengthen our character, and deepen our connection to Hashem, we help bring the redemption closer.

That, Rabbi Tzadka emphasized, is the true purpose of Tisha B'Av. Not suffering for its own sake, but using the fast as a catalyst for reflection, growth, and genuine teshuvah.