עברית
Halachot and Customs
What is permitted to study on Tisha B'Av?
Question
Are there specific topics that may be learned on this day?
Answer
Shalom u'Baruch,
It is forbidden to study Torah on Tisha B'Av, as learning leads to joy.
It is permitted to study sad topics such as:
- the Book of Job.
- Stories of destruction mentioned in the Gemara, in Tractate Gittin from page 55b to page 58a.
- Laws of mourning found in the Gemara, in Moed Katan from page 19a and onward, in the Shulchan Aruch on mourning laws, and in other books that discuss the laws of mourning.
- Ethical works that do not contain moralistic interpretations of verses.
- Verses of rebuke from the Book of Jeremiah, while skipping the verses of comfort that appear within them.
- The Book of Lamentations and its Midrash, while skipping the stories about the wisdom of the inhabitants of Jerusalem mentioned there.
Best regards,
Menashe Ben Porat
It is forbidden to study Torah on Tisha B'Av, as learning leads to joy.
It is permitted to study sad topics such as:
- the Book of Job.
- Stories of destruction mentioned in the Gemara, in Tractate Gittin from page 55b to page 58a.
- Laws of mourning found in the Gemara, in Moed Katan from page 19a and onward, in the Shulchan Aruch on mourning laws, and in other books that discuss the laws of mourning.
- Ethical works that do not contain moralistic interpretations of verses.
- Verses of rebuke from the Book of Jeremiah, while skipping the verses of comfort that appear within them.
- The Book of Lamentations and its Midrash, while skipping the stories about the wisdom of the inhabitants of Jerusalem mentioned there.
Best regards,
Menashe Ben Porat
