
This year, we need Tisha B’Av more than ever. We need to recognise and sit with everything that is broken. Everything that needs to be repaired. Everything we have lost. We need to make space to understand it all. Only then can we rise for another 364 days of actively making our world a better place.
Tisha B'Av is a 25-hour experience which, this year, begins at sunset on Shabbos and finishes at stars out on Sunday.
The Tisha B'Av experience has two dimensions to it. One is the aspect of mourning. In this, we are guided by the laws of sitting shiva, because that, in a sense, is what we are doing. We are mourning a broken world; a world filled with suffering, an unredeemed world, a world in which Hashem's presence is obscured and many feel distant from Him. In particular, we are sitting shiva for the tragedies of Jewish history – the destruction of the First and Second Temple, the pogroms, the Holocaust – which are an expression of the brokenness of this world.
The laws of Tisha B'Av put us in the right space to mourn. Like the laws of sitting shiva, they include: no washing, no applying oils or perfumes, no wearing of leather shoes, no marital relations and we sit on a low chair (within 30 centimetres of the ground). Just as we do not greet mourners, we do not greet each other on Tisha B'Av. Just as mourners cannot learn Torah, as it brings joy to our lives, we, too, refrain from learning Torah on Tisha B’Av – except for that which relates to Tisha B'Av and to the ideas of confronting human suffering in this world.
The second element of Tisha B'Av is the fast. We don't eat and drink from sunset until stars out (which includes even the last bit of Shabbos this year). The fast has nothing to do with mourning (mourners are allowed to eat). Fasting is about repentance. It is a form of spiritual purification and a means to spiritual upliftment. (It is for this reason that we fast on Yom Kippur, a Yom Tov.)
Remember to always consult with your doctor and your rabbi if you have any medical concerns regarding fasting.
Fasting is a catalyst for self-improvement and self-reflection, and for refocusing our priorities. On Tisha B’Av, we focus on how to deepen our faith in Hashem and our connection to Him. We give thought on how to improve our interpersonal relationships, on rectifying what our sages describe as “senseless hatred”, which, they teach us, led to the destruction of the Second Temple. In particular, we reflect on how we can improve the way we speak to and about others, treat others with respect and dignity, and refrain from speaking lashon hora – speaking negatively about them.
This year, Tisha B'Av begins on Saturday night and runs throughout Sunday, so some of the laws of Tisha B'Av come into effect on Shabbos.
Even so, we do not observe the laws of mourning until the stars are out and Shabbos is over. Our mourning begins at stars out, after Shabbos.
Our process of mourning takes effect on Saturday night, and is observed until nightfall on Sunday, though the intensity of the mourning lifts somewhat at midday (Johannesburg (12:14), Cape Town (12:52), Durban (12:02) East London (12:14) and Port Elizabeth (12:24)). At this point, we are permitted to sit on a normal chair, and men put on their tallis and tefillin for mincha. These are not worn earlier in the day as a sign of the more intense mourning. Tefillin, in particular, is referred to in the Torah as our “glory”, and on Tisha B’Av, at least until midday, that glory is absent.
These two dimensions of Tisha B'Av – mourning and repentance – combine to make it an immersive and potentially transformative experience. It is so important to maximise this opportunity for personal growth, and we should plan the day accordingly – filling the time with meaningful things to read and to watch, and taking time out to think and reflect. In this way we can, paradoxically, draw strength and comfort from the day, and position ourselves for real positive change in the build-up to Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.
In terms of the basic davening of the day – on the night of Tisha B'Av, and again the next morning, we read Eicha, authored by the Prophet Jeremiah at the time of the destruction of the First Temple. It expresses the horrific suffering that generation experienced, but also the pain of the exile that followed, and which engulfs us to this day.
Fascinatingly, we omit the solemn supplicatory prayer of Tachanun on Tisha B’Av, just as we do on festivals. Our sages explain that although Tisha B'Av is a day of mourning, it also has a festive element to it, because it has within it the seeds of redemption – indeed, we have a tradition that Tisha B'Av will be instrumental in the coming of Mashiach and the Final Redemption.
That is the extraordinary dichotomy of the day. On Tisha B’Av, we mourn the broken state of the world – and then we assert our power to fix it by fixing ourselves. We fast to show that we are not passive victims in a turbulent world, but active players in transforming ourselves, and through that, fixing the world.
Important Times
17 & 18 July 2021
8 & 9 Av 5781
This year, Tisha B'Av begins on Saturday night and runs throughout Sunday, so some of the laws of Tisha B'Av come into effect on Shabbos.
The fast begins at sunset on Shabbos.
Even so, we do not observe the laws of mourning until the stars are out and Shabbos is over.
Our mourning begins at stars out, after Shabbos.
The intensity of the mourning lifts somewhat at midday on Sunday.
CITY | FAST STARTS | MOURNING STARTS | MIDDAY TIMES | FAST ENDS |
---|---|---|---|---|
JOHANNESBURG | 17:31 | 18:08 | 12:14 | 17:59 |
CAPE TOWN | 17:54 | 18:33 | 12:52 | 18:24 |
DURBAN | 17:12 | 17:50 | 12:02 | 17:41 |
EAST LONDON | 17:18 | 17:57 | 12:14 | 17:48 |
PORT ELIZABETH | 17:25 | 18:04 | 12:24 | 17:55 |
Events Listing
17 & 18 July 2021
8 & 9 Av 5781
SATURDAY 17 JULY
Here is a list of some online programming and activities. See here for more information.
Organisation | Event Title | Presenter | Link | Meeting ID | Password | Notes | Time |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ohr Somayach | Ma'ariv | - | Event Link | 432 170 6650 | 1234 | - | 18:15 |
Great Park Synagogue | Maariv Zoom Session | - | Event Link | 694 106 3670 | 613 | - | 18:15 |
Great Park Synagogue | Maariv | - | Event Link | 694 106 3670 | 613 | - | 18:15 |
Yeshiva Mizrachi | Welcome & Maariv | Rabbi Friedman | Event Link | 999 613 1818 | 1818 | - | 18:15 |
Ohr Somayach | Ma'ariv | - | Event Link | 432 170 6650 | 1234 | - | 18:15 |
Great Park Synagogue | Reading of Eicha - Lamentations, Kinot | - | Event Link | 694 106 3670 | 613 | - | 18:25 |
Great Park Synagogue | Reading of Eicha - Lamentations, Kinot | - | Event Link | 694 106 3670 | 613 | - | 18:25 |
Ohr Somayach | Eicha | Rav Auerbach shlita | Event Link | 4321706650 | 1234 | - | 18:30 |
Yeshiva Mizrachi | Introduction to Eicha | Rabbi Altman | Event Link | 999 613 1818 | 1818 | - | 18:30 |
Ohr Somayach | Eicha | Rav Auerbach shlita | Event Link | 4321706650 | 1234 | - | 18:30 |
The Base | An introduction to Tisha B’Av | Rabbi Aharon Zulberg | Event Link | - | - | - | 18:30 |
Yeshiva Mizrachi | Recitation of Eicha followed by Evening Kinot | Rabbis & Community Members | Event Link | 999 613 1818 | 1818 | - | 18:40 |
Ohr Savoy | Eichah & Kinnos | - | Event Link | 830 101 0748 | OhrSavoy | - | 18:40 |
Beit Midrash Morasha | Ma'ariv & Havdalah | - | Event Link | - | - | - | 18:45 |
Beit Midrash Morasha | Ma'ariv & Havdalah | - | Event Link | - | - | - | 18:45 |
Edenvale Jewish Community | Eicha | Rabbi Gruzd | Event Link | 648 769 2388 | Edenvale | - | 18:45 |
The Base | Eicha | Rabbi Daniel Sobel | Event Link | - | - | - | 18:50 |
SAUJS - Linkshul | Overcoming Adversity | Carin Marcus | Event Link | - | - | - | 19:00 |
SAUJS - Linkshul | Overcoming Adversity | Rabbi Avtzon | Event Link | - | - | - | 19:00 |
SAUJS - Linkshul | Overcoming Adversity | Lori Chipkin | Event Link | - | - | - | 19:00 |
Ohr Somayach | Ma'ariv eicha reading & Kinnos | Rabbi Ramon Widmonte | Event Link | 952 301 5761 | Rejewvin8 | - | 19:00 |
SAUJS - Linkshul | Overcoming Adversity | Brad Milwidsky | Event Link | - | - | - | 19:00 |
Great Park Synagogue | Faith in time of anxiety | Rabbi YY Jacobson | Event Link | 694 106 3670 | 613 | - | 19:00 |
SAUJS - Linkshul | Overcoming Adversity | Calli Rosin | Event Link | - | - | - | 19:00 |
Great Park Synagogue | Faith in time of anxiety | Rabbi YY Jacobson | Event Link | 694 106 3670 | 613 | - | 19:00 |
Ohr Somayach | Ma'ariv eicha reading & Kinnos | Rabbi Ramon Widmonte | Event Link | 952 301 5761 | Rejewvin8 | - | 19:00 |
Pine Street Shul | The Book of Eicha | Ian Bogatie | Event Link | 922 139 3270 | 754292 | - | 19:00 |
SAUJS - Linkshul | Overcoming Adversity | Carin Marcus | Event Link | - | - | - | 19:00 |
SAUJS - Linkshul | Overcoming Adversity | Calli Rosin | Event Link | - | - | - | 19:00 |
SAUJS - Linkshul | Overcoming Adversity | Rabbi Avtzon | Event Link | - | - | - | 19:00 |
SAUJS - Linkshul | Overcoming Adversity | Lori Chipkin | Event Link | - | - | - | 19:00 |
SAUJS - Linkshul | Overcoming Adversity | Brad Milwidsky | Event Link | - | - | - | 19:00 |
Aish South Africa | Reading of Eicha | Avi Niselow | Event Link | - | - | - | 19:00 |
Beit Midrash Morasha | Eicha and Talks and multimedia presentation | Community Members | Event Link | - | - | - | 19:15 |
Beit Midrash Morasha | Eicha and Talks and multimedia presentation | Community Members | Event Link | - | - | - | 19:15 |
Ohr Somayach | Is the Churban the Source of all of Our Troubles? | Rabbi Glatstein | Event Link | 432 170 6650 | 1234 | - | 19:30 |
Ohr Somayach | Is the Churban the Source of all of Our Troubles? | Rabbi Glatstein | Event Link | 432 170 6650 | 1234 | - | 19:30 |
The Base | The 9th of Av, The Back Story | Rabbi Ken Spiro | Event Link | - | - | - | 19:30 |
Chabad of Sandton | The Story of Jerusalem's Holy Temple | Rabbi Alex Carlebach & Rabbi Yossie Hecht | Event Link | - | - | - | 19:30 |
Constantia Hebrew Congregation | The Reading of Eicha (Lamentations) | Rabbi Kalman Green | Event Link | 773 1384 9873 | ZUT8GF | In conjunction with the Benoni Hebrew Congregation | 19:30 |
Yeshiva Mizrachi | Tisha B'Av Programme | - | Event Link | - | - | - | 19:45 |
The Base | Holocaust Survivor - in conversation with Rob Katz and Tali Nates | Zigi Shipper | Event Link | - | - | - | 20:30 |
Ohr Somayach | Shiur on Kamtza Bar Kamtza | Rav Auerbach shlita | Event Link | 4321706650 | 1234 | - | 20:45 |
Ohr Somayach | Shiur on Kamtza Bar Kamtza | Rav Auerbach shlita | Event Link | 4321706650 | 1234 | - | 20:45 |
SUNDAY 18 JULY
Here is a list of some online programming and activities. See here for more information.
Organisation | Event Title | Presenter | Link | Meeting ID | Password | Notes | Time |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pine Street Shul | Kinnot | Rabbi Steven Weil | Event Link | - | - | - | |
Pine Street Shul | Kinnot | Rabbi Yitzchak Breitowitz | Event Link | - | - | - | |
Pine Street Shul | Kinnot | Rabbi Steven Weil | Event Link | - | - | - | |
Ohr Somayach | Shacharit | - | Event Link | 432 170 6650 | 1234 | - | 07:45 |
Ohr Somayach | Shacharit | - | Event Link | 432 170 6650 | 1234 | - | 07:45 |
Beit Midrash Morasha | Shacharit | - | Event Link | - | - | - | 08:00 |
Great Park Synagogue | Shacharit Zoom Session | - | Event Link | 694 106 3670 | 613 | No Tallis and Tefillin | 08:00 |
Great Park Synagogue | Shacharit Zoom Session | - | Event Link | 694 106 3670 | 613 | No Tallis and Tefillin | 08:00 |
Beit Midrash Morasha | Shacharit | - | Event Link | - | - | - | 08:00 |
Ohr Somayach | Kinos | Rav Auerbach shlita | Event Link | 4321706650 | 1234 | - | 08:30 |
Great Park Synagogue | Kinot | - | Event Link | 694 106 3670 | 613 | - | 08:30 |
Ohr Savoy | Kinnos | - | Event Link | 830 101 0748 | OhrSavoy | - | 08:30 |
Great Park Synagogue | Kinot | - | Event Link | 694 106 3670 | 613 | - | 08:30 |
Ohr Somayach | Kinos | Rav Auerbach shlita | Event Link | 4321706650 | 1234 | - | 08:30 |
Beit Midrash Morasha | Cape Town Jewish Community Kinnot | - | Event Link | 952 301 5761 | Rejewvin8 | - | 09:00 |
Cape Town Unity | Rebuilding the temple with baseless love | Chief Rabbi & The Cape Town Rabbis | Event Link | 952 301 5761 | Rejewvin8 | - | 09:00 |
Beit Midrash Morasha | Cape Town jewish community kinnot | - | Event Link | 952 301 5761 | Rejewvin8 | - | 09:00 |
The Base | Kinnot | Rabbi Aharon Zulberg | Event Link | - | - | - | 09:00 |
Cape Town Unity | Rebuilding the temple with baseless love | Chief Rabbi Goldstein & the Cape Town Rabbis | Event Link | 952 301 5761 | Rejewvin8 | - | 09:00 |
Yeshiva Mizrachi | Kinot | Event Link | 999 613 1818 | 1818 | - | 09:15 | |
Ohr Somayach | Tisha B'Av Unity Event. Maggid Shiur, Yeshivas Mir | Rabbi Yosef Elefant | Event Link | 432 170 6650 | 1234 | - | 10:00 |
SA Rabbinical Association | Tisha B'Av Unity Event | Rabbi Yosef Elefant | Event Link | - | - | - | 10:00 |
SA Rabbinical Association | Tisha B'Av Unity Event | Rabbi Yosef Elefant | Event Link | - | - | - | 10:00 |
The Base | Tisha B'av - An Authentic Expression | Rabbi Menachem Mendel Blachman | Event Link | - | - | - | 10:00 |
Ohr Somayach | Tisha B'Av Unity Event. Maggid Shiur, Yeshivas Mir | Rabbi Yosef Elefant | Event Link | 432 170 6650 | 1234 | - | 10:00 |
Ohr Savoy | Webinar | Rabbi Elephant | Event Link | - | - | - | 10:00 |
Beit Midrash Morasha | Processing grief and loss | Sarit Swisa | Event Link | - | - | - | 10:30 |
Beit Midrash Morasha | Processing grief and loss | Sarit Swisa | Event Link | - | - | - | 10:30 |
The Base | Understanding the afflictions of Tisha B'Av | Rabbi Ze'ev Leff | Event Link | - | - | - | 10:45 |
Clarewyn Shul (CWEST) | 21 Lessons for Tisha B'Av in the 21st century | Rav Ramon Widmonte | Event Link | 834 9640 3187 | cwhc | - | 11:00 |
Ohr Somayach | We Don't Know What We're Missing - finding hope in the hopelessness. | Rabbi Daniel Fine | Event Link | 432 170 6650 | 1234 | - | 11:00 |
The Base | Why Mourning In The Afternoon Is Lighter | Rabbi Dr Akiva Tatz | Event Link | - | - | - | 11:00 |
Aish South Africa | Keep Calm and Carry On | Rabbi Kauffman | Event Link | - | - | - | 11:00 |
Yeshiva Mizrachi | Shiur | Rabbi Milston | Event Link | 999 613 1818 | 1818 | - | 11:00 |
Ohr Somayach | We Don't Know What We're Missing - finding hope in the hopelessness | Rabbi Daniel Fine | Event Link | 432 170 6650 | 1234 | Seed Educator and author of The Interactive Family Parshah Book | 11:00 |
Yeshiva Mizrachi | Shiur | Rabbi Milston | Event Link | 999 613 1818 | 1818 | - | 11:00 |
The Base | Why Are We In Exile For Over 2500 Years | Rabbi Shmuel Moffson | Event Link | - | - | - | 11:15 |
Beit Midrash Morasha | Multimedia and shiurim | - | Event Link | - | - | - | 11:30 |
Beit Midrash Morasha | Multimedia and shiurim | - | Event Link | - | - | - | 11:30 |
The Base | The Journey Of Tisha B'Av | Rabbi Aharon Zulberg | Event Link | - | - | - | 11:50 |
Ohr Somayach | Surviving Terror | Embracing Hope | Mrs Rochelle Cowan | Event Link | 432 170 6650 | 1234 | Women Only | 12:00 |
Yeshiva Mizrachi | Horim Veyeladim | Rabbi Friedman | Event Link | 999 613 1818 | 1818 | Parents and Children Learning (ages 3-11) | 12:00 |
Yeshiva Mizrachi | Veshinantam | Rabbi Altman | Event Link | 999 613 1818 | 1818 | Parents and Children Learning (ages 12-18) | 12:00 |
Ohr Somayach | Surviving Terror Embracing Hope | Mrs Rochelle Cowan | Event Link | 432 170 6650 | 1234 | Survivor Of 2003 Café Hillel Terror Attack [Women Only] | 12:00 |
Aish South Africa | Project Inspire Film: Iron Faith | - | Event Link | - | - | - | 12:15 |
The Base | How do we move forward when we never seem get it right? | Rabbi Rael Blumenthal | Event Link | - | - | - | 12:30 |
Ohr Somayach | Almonds & Eggs, The Shape of Nechomo. JLE London | Rabbi Dov Cowan | Event Link | 432 170 6650 | 1234 | - | 13:00 |
Ohr Somayach | Almonds & Eggs, The Shape of Nechomo | Rabbi Dov Cowan | Event Link | 432 170 6650 | 1234 | JLE London | 13:00 |
The Base | The Worst Enemy of the Jews | Rabbi Yaakov Trump | Event Link | - | - | - | 13:15 |
Ohr Somayach | Rebuilding Jerusalem - Kids interactive program | Drama Llama Jess | Event Link | 952 301 5761 | Rejewvin8 | - | 14:00 |
Ohr Somayach | Rebuilding Jerusalem - Kids interactive program | Drama Llama Jess | Event Link | 952 301 5761 | Rejewvin8 | - | 14:00 |
Pine Street Shul | The Story of Tisha Be’av and the destruction of Jerusalem in the Gemorrah | Rabbi David Shaw | Event Link | - | Join in with Sandton Shul | 14:00 | |
Yeshiva Mizrachi | Live Tour of The Old City | Jonty Blackman | Event Link | 999 613 1818 | 1818 | - | 14:30 |
The Base | The Unique Power of Tisha B'Av | Rabbi Avigdor Blumenau | Event Link | - | - | - | 14:45 |
Ohr Savoy | Chofetz Chaim Heritage | - | Event Link | - | - | - | 15:00 |
The Base | The Temple - What Are We Missing | Rabbi Allan Zulberg | Event Link | - | - | - | 15:20 |
Ohr Somayach | Building a ruin | Rabbi Avigdor Brazil | Event Link | 4321706650 | 1234 | - | 16:00 |
Umhlanga Jewish Centre | Tisha B'Av | Chief Rabbi Goldstein, Rabbi Zekry, Susan Abro | Event Link | - | - | - | 16:00 |
Ohr Somayach | Building a ruin | Rabbi Avigdor Brazil | Event Link | 4321706650 | 1234 | - | 16:00 |
Pine Street Shul | Is Judaism meaningful only in terms of a vanished heyday? | Rabbi Ramon Widmonte | Event Link | - | - | 16:00 | |
The Base | A Day of Tragedy | Rabbi Ken Spiro | Event Link | - | - | - | 16:20 |
Yeshiva Mizrachi | Mincha | - | Event Link | 999 613 1818 | 1818 | Tallit and Tephillin | 17:00 |
Great Park Synagogue | Mincha Zoom Session | - | Event Link | 694 106 3670 | 613 | With Tallis and Tefillin | 17:15 |
Great Park Synagogue | Mincha Zoom Session | - | Event Link | 694 106 3670 | 613 | With Tallis and Tefillin | 17:15 |
Yeshiva Mizrachi | Concluding Sicha | Rosh Yeshiva Rabbi Taylor | Event Link | 999 613 1818 | 1818 | - | 17:15 |
The Base | Mincha | Daven Together With Communal Tehillim | Event Link | - | - | Men - Tefillin And Tallis | 17:20 |
Beit Midrash Morasha | Mincha followed by Ma'ariv | - | Event Link | - | - | - | 17:30 |
Beit Midrash Morasha | Mincha followed by Ma'ariv | - | Event Link | - | - | - | 17:30 |
The Base | Rabbi Shmuel Moffson | - | Event Link | - | - | - | 17:35 |
Great Park Synagogue | Maariv Zoom Session | - | Event Link | 694 106 3670 | 613 | - | 17:45 |
Great Park Synagogue | Maariv | - | Event Link | 694 106 3670 | 613 | - | 17:45 |
The Base | Rabbi Aharon Zulberg | - | Event Link | - | - | - | 17:45 |
Yeshiva Mizrachi | Maariv | - | Event Link | 999 613 1818 | 1818 | - | 18:00 |
Resources

For collating this comprehensive list, we would like to thank Rabbi Yossi Chaikin
Chairman, SA Rabbinical Association