Tisha B’Av Early Mincha with Torah

An observance, not a holiday. The fast of Tisha B’Av commemorates the destruction of both the First and Second Temples in Jerusalem. It is also the date of the Jewish expulsion from Spain in 1492 and the approximate date of the start of World War I. The ritual is characterized by mourning at the outset, but turns to readings of comfort and hope in the afternoon.