The Nine Days
Encyclopedia
The Nine Days is a religious observance in Judaism
that takes place during the first nine days of the Jewish month
of Av (corresponding to July/August). The Nine Days begin on Rosh Chodesh
Av ("First of Av") and culminates on the public fast day
of Tisha B'Av
("Ninth of Av").
The Nine Days are part of a larger period of time known as The Three Weeks
, which begin with the public fast day of the Seventeenth of Tammuz
— commemorated in Judaism for the time when the forces of Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia
finally broke through the defensive walls surrounding Jerusalem, generally accepted as happening in 586 BC — and end with the public fast day of Tisha B'Av — when the Babylonians finally destroyed
the First Temple
in 597 BC and when the Second Temple was destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD. During the entire Three Weeks, certain activities are forbidden to Jews by Jewish law
in order to decrease joy and inspire mourning over the destruction of Temple.
The Talmud says, "When the month of Av begins, we [i.e. Jews] reduce our joy." The Nine Days inaugurates an even greater level of communal and personal mourning in recognition of the many tragedies and calamities that befell the Jewish people at this time. These tragedies include the destruction of both Temples, the expulsion of the Jews from Spain
on Tisha B'Av 1492, and the outbreak of World War I on Tisha B'Av 1914, which overturned many Jewish communities. The Nine Days are considered an inauspicious time, fraught with danger even in our day and age.
Rather than view the Three Weeks and the Nine Days as times of punishment and self-mortification, religious Jews see them as opportunities for introspection, repentance, and forging a closer relationship with God. The Talmud states that all who mourn the destruction of Jerusalem will merit to rejoice in its rebuilding. The Sages also teach that the Jewish Messiah will be born on Tisha B'Av. It is that promise of redemption which makes this period one of hope and anticipation.
During the entire Three Weeks, Ashkenazi Jews
refrain from making weddings, playing or listening to music, and shaving or taking haircuts. Sephardi Jews
begin these mourning observances on Rosh Chodesh Av, although Sephardi Jews generally do not hold weddings at all during the Three Weeks because they are an inauspicious time. Engagements are permitted. The custom is also to avoid saying the blessing over a new fruit on a weekday (one may do so on Shabbat), and making a major purchase such as a new home or car.
During the Nine Days, these additional activities are forbidden by Jewish law because they bring one to joy:
On Tisha B'Av itself, these additional prohibitions are in force:
For some restrictions, Jewish law makes a distinction between the beginning of the Nine Days and the week in which Tisha B'Av falls. (The new week begins on Saturday night). For example, the Ashkenazic custom is to permit nail trimming up until the week in which Tisha B'Av falls.
(daily animal sacrifice) and the Nesach Hayayin (wine libations) on the Temple Altar with the destruction of the Temple.
Many kosher meat restaurants alter their menus during The Nine Days, replacing meat and chicken dishes with fish and vegetarian options in order to remain open while the meat prohibition is in place.
Children, pregnant or nursing women, and old or sick people who must eat meat for health reasons are allowed to. It is advisable, however, for them to eat poultry or meat derivatives.
One who usually makes Havdalah
over wine or grape juice at the conclusion of Shabbat
may do so during the Nine Days.
-observance. Thus, they will also refrain from listening to music or getting haircuts during the entire Three Weeks. However, young children who frequently soil or dirty their clothes are allowed to wear freshly washed clothes, and parents are allowed to launder those clothes for their children during the Nine Days. Similarly, children may bathe in warm water as frequently as necessary for basic hygiene.
The Nine Days typically coincide with summer camps for Jewish children in America. While swimming and water sports are avoided, camps often run special study programs and Holocaust
education modules. On Tisha B'Av itself, campers gather to listen to the traditional reading of the Book of Lamentations
and engage in creative projects that express the themes of the day.
, all forms of mourning are suspended. Therefore, observant Jews eat meat at their Shabbat meals and drink wine or grape juice for Kiddush
as usual. Whereas during the rest of the Nine Days, one may not take a hot shower, this too is permitted on Friday in honor of Shabbat. Similarly, while during the rest of the week one cannot wear freshly laundered clothes, on Shabbat, this is allowed.
Throughout the Nine Days (excluding Tisha B'Av), guests at a seudat mitzvah
— for example, a brit milah
ceremony, a pidyon haben
, a bar mitzvah seudah on the boy's birthday, or a siyum
— are allowed to eat meat and drink wine. Yeshiva
s, kollel
s, and other study programs try to plan the completion of a volume of Talmud or Mishnah to coincide with the Nine Days so that a meat meal may be served.
The previous Lubavitcher
Rebbe
, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneersohn
, asked that a siyum of a Talmudic tractate should be held every day of The Nine Days. Chabad now broadcasts the completion of tractates on its website.
An exception to the prohibition against new construction is made in the case of a building constructed for a mitzvah. Thus, a synagogue, yeshiva or mikveh may be constructed or decorated during the Nine Days.
s of the Three Weeks, a different Haftarah
is read in the synagogue
after the Torah reading. These are:
The last Shabbat preceding Tisha B'Av is traditionally called Shabbat Chazon ("Sabbath [of the] Vision"), after the first words of the Haftarah
read on this day. According to Biblical tradition, the prophet Isaiah
prophesied about the looming destruction of the first Jewish Temple in Jerusalem
and the subsequent punishment that God would mete out to the Jewish people, mainly their exiles in the Jewish diaspora
.
The Seudah HaMafseket resembles the meal of a mourner. The custom is to eat cold, hard-boiled eggs or lentils with bread and water. Only one cooked food may be eaten. The bread is dipped in ashes. Those who are eating sit on the ground or on low chairs, as they will during the night and morning of Tisha B'Av, and do not converse with each other.
If the Eighth of Av falls on a Shabbat, the Seudah HaMafseket is not eaten.
, the lowered lighting in the synagogue, and the recital of Kinnot
(elegies over the persecutions of Jewish communities throughout history). After midday, one may sit on a regular chair, but all the other restrictions of Tisha B'Av and the Nine Days continue to apply.
When Tisha B'Av falls on a Shabbat, the fast day is postponed until Sunday (the Tenth of Av). In this case, most restrictions end at nightfall after the fast. Except for the drinking of Havdalah
wine, consumption of meat and wine are delayed until the following morning. Some opinions say that one should not listen to music until the next morning.
40:1-26, which speaks of "comforting" the Jewish people for their suffering. This is the first of the seven Haftarahs of consolation that express the theme of redemption, leading up to the holiday of Rosh Hashanah
, the Jewish New Year.
Judaism
Judaism ) is the "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people...
that takes place during the first nine days of the Jewish month
Hebrew calendar
The Hebrew calendar , or Jewish calendar, is a lunisolar calendar used today predominantly for Jewish religious observances. It determines the dates for Jewish holidays and the appropriate public reading of Torah portions, yahrzeits , and daily Psalm reading, among many ceremonial uses...
of Av (corresponding to July/August). The Nine Days begin on Rosh Chodesh
Rosh Chodesh
Rosh Chodesh or Rosh ḥodesh is the name for the first day of every month in the Hebrew calendar, marked by the appearance of the new moon. The new moon is marked by the day and hour that the new crescent is observed...
Av ("First of Av") and culminates on the public fast day
Ta'anit
A ta'anit or taanis or taʿanith in Classical Hebrew is a fast in Judaism in which one abstains from all food and drink, including water...
of Tisha B'Av
Tisha B'Av
|Av]],") is an annual fast day in Judaism, named for the ninth day of the month of Av in the Hebrew calendar. The fast commemorates the destruction of both the First Temple and Second Temple in Jerusalem, which occurred about 655 years apart, but on the same Hebrew calendar date...
("Ninth of Av").
The Nine Days are part of a larger period of time known as The Three Weeks
The Three Weeks
The Three Weeks or Bein ha-Metzarim is a period of mourning commemorating the destruction of the first and second Jewish Temples...
, which begin with the public fast day of the Seventeenth of Tammuz
Seventeenth of Tammuz
The Seventeenth of Tammuz is a minor Jewish fast day commemorating the breach of the walls of Jerusalem before the destruction of the Second Temple. It falls on the 17th day of the Hebrew month of Tammuz and marks the beginning of the three-week mourning period leading up to Tisha B'Av.The day...
— commemorated in Judaism for the time when the forces of Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia
Babylonia
Babylonia was an ancient cultural region in central-southern Mesopotamia , with Babylon as its capital. Babylonia emerged as a major power when Hammurabi Babylonia was an ancient cultural region in central-southern Mesopotamia (present-day Iraq), with Babylon as its capital. Babylonia emerged as...
finally broke through the defensive walls surrounding Jerusalem, generally accepted as happening in 586 BC — and end with the public fast day of Tisha B'Av — when the Babylonians finally destroyed
Siege of Jerusalem (597 BC)
In 601 BC, in the fourth year of his reign, Nebuchadnezzar II, king of Babylon, unsuccessfully attempted to invade Egypt and was repulsed with heavy losses...
the First Temple
Solomon's Temple
Solomon's Temple, also known as the First Temple, was the main temple in ancient Jerusalem, on the Temple Mount , before its destruction by Nebuchadnezzar II after the Siege of Jerusalem of 587 BCE....
in 597 BC and when the Second Temple was destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD. During the entire Three Weeks, certain activities are forbidden to Jews by Jewish law
Halakha
Halakha — also transliterated Halocho , or Halacha — is the collective body of Jewish law, including biblical law and later talmudic and rabbinic law, as well as customs and traditions.Judaism classically draws no distinction in its laws between religious and ostensibly non-religious life; Jewish...
in order to decrease joy and inspire mourning over the destruction of Temple.
The Talmud says, "When the month of Av begins, we [i.e. Jews] reduce our joy." The Nine Days inaugurates an even greater level of communal and personal mourning in recognition of the many tragedies and calamities that befell the Jewish people at this time. These tragedies include the destruction of both Temples, the expulsion of the Jews from Spain
Alhambra decree
The Alhambra Decree was an edict issued on 31 March 1492 by the joint Catholic Monarchs of Spain ordering the expulsion of Jews from the Kingdom of Spain and its territories and possessions by 31 July of that year.The edict was formally revoked on 16 December 1968, following the Second...
on Tisha B'Av 1492, and the outbreak of World War I on Tisha B'Av 1914, which overturned many Jewish communities. The Nine Days are considered an inauspicious time, fraught with danger even in our day and age.
Rather than view the Three Weeks and the Nine Days as times of punishment and self-mortification, religious Jews see them as opportunities for introspection, repentance, and forging a closer relationship with God. The Talmud states that all who mourn the destruction of Jerusalem will merit to rejoice in its rebuilding. The Sages also teach that the Jewish Messiah will be born on Tisha B'Av. It is that promise of redemption which makes this period one of hope and anticipation.
Levels of mourning
The mourning observances during the Three Weeks are divided into four levels, increasing in intensity:- From the Seventeenth of TammuzSeventeenth of TammuzThe Seventeenth of Tammuz is a minor Jewish fast day commemorating the breach of the walls of Jerusalem before the destruction of the Second Temple. It falls on the 17th day of the Hebrew month of Tammuz and marks the beginning of the three-week mourning period leading up to Tisha B'Av.The day...
until the end of Tammuz - From Rosh Chodesh Av until the week in which Tisha B'Av falls
- The week in which Tisha B'Av falls
- Tisha B'Av itself
During the entire Three Weeks, Ashkenazi Jews
Ashkenazi Jews
Ashkenazi Jews, also known as Ashkenazic Jews or Ashkenazim , are the Jews descended from the medieval Jewish communities along the Rhine in Germany from Alsace in the south to the Rhineland in the north. Ashkenaz is the medieval Hebrew name for this region and thus for Germany...
refrain from making weddings, playing or listening to music, and shaving or taking haircuts. Sephardi Jews
Sephardi Jews
Sephardi Jews is a general term referring to the descendants of the Jews who lived in the Iberian Peninsula before their expulsion in the Spanish Inquisition. It can also refer to those who use a Sephardic style of liturgy or would otherwise define themselves in terms of the Jewish customs and...
begin these mourning observances on Rosh Chodesh Av, although Sephardi Jews generally do not hold weddings at all during the Three Weeks because they are an inauspicious time. Engagements are permitted. The custom is also to avoid saying the blessing over a new fruit on a weekday (one may do so on Shabbat), and making a major purchase such as a new home or car.
During the Nine Days, these additional activities are forbidden by Jewish law because they bring one to joy:
- Home improvements, painting and new construction
- Planting trees, flowers or grass
- Laundering clothes, towels, tablecloths and bed linens
- Wearing new or freshly laundered clothing
- Making or buying new clothes, towels, tablecloths and bed linens
- Eating meat or poultry
- Drinking wine or grape juice
- Bathing for pleasure (i.e., one may not take a hot shower or bath, but may use cold water to remove dirt and sweat)
- Swimming for health or exercise
On Tisha B'Av itself, these additional prohibitions are in force:
- Eating and drinking
- Bathing
- Applying oils or perfumes
- Wearing leather shoes
- Marital relations
- Greeting people
- Working
- Sitting on a chair (until midday)
For some restrictions, Jewish law makes a distinction between the beginning of the Nine Days and the week in which Tisha B'Av falls. (The new week begins on Saturday night). For example, the Ashkenazic custom is to permit nail trimming up until the week in which Tisha B'Av falls.
Meat and wine
The restrictions against eating meat and drinking wine, besides reducing a person's pleasure, recall the cessation of the Korban TamidKorban
The term offering as found in the Hebrew Bible in relation to the worship of Ancient Israel is mainly represented by the Hebrew noun korban whether for an animal or other offering...
(daily animal sacrifice) and the Nesach Hayayin (wine libations) on the Temple Altar with the destruction of the Temple.
Many kosher meat restaurants alter their menus during The Nine Days, replacing meat and chicken dishes with fish and vegetarian options in order to remain open while the meat prohibition is in place.
Children, pregnant or nursing women, and old or sick people who must eat meat for health reasons are allowed to. It is advisable, however, for them to eat poultry or meat derivatives.
One who usually makes Havdalah
Havdalah
Havdalah is a Jewish religious ceremony that marks the symbolic end of Shabbat and holidays, and ushers in the new week. Shabbat ends on Saturday night after the appearance of three stars in the sky...
over wine or grape juice at the conclusion of Shabbat
Shabbat
Shabbat is the seventh day of the Jewish week and a day of rest in Judaism. Shabbat is observed from a few minutes before sunset on Friday evening until a few minutes after when one would expect to be able to see three stars in the sky on Saturday night. The exact times, therefore, differ from...
may do so during the Nine Days.
Children
Children under the age of Bar and Bat Mitzvah are generally included in the lighter mourning practices as training for mitzvahMitzvah
The primary meaning of the Hebrew word refers to precepts and commandments as commanded by God...
-observance. Thus, they will also refrain from listening to music or getting haircuts during the entire Three Weeks. However, young children who frequently soil or dirty their clothes are allowed to wear freshly washed clothes, and parents are allowed to launder those clothes for their children during the Nine Days. Similarly, children may bathe in warm water as frequently as necessary for basic hygiene.
The Nine Days typically coincide with summer camps for Jewish children in America. While swimming and water sports are avoided, camps often run special study programs and Holocaust
The Holocaust
The Holocaust , also known as the Shoah , was the genocide of approximately six million European Jews and millions of others during World War II, a programme of systematic state-sponsored murder by Nazi...
education modules. On Tisha B'Av itself, campers gather to listen to the traditional reading of the Book of Lamentations
Book of Lamentations
The Book of Lamentations ) is a poetic book of the Hebrew Bible composed by the Jewish prophet Jeremiah. It mourns the destruction of Jerusalem and the Holy Temple in the 6th Century BCE....
and engage in creative projects that express the themes of the day.
Exceptions
On ShabbatShabbat
Shabbat is the seventh day of the Jewish week and a day of rest in Judaism. Shabbat is observed from a few minutes before sunset on Friday evening until a few minutes after when one would expect to be able to see three stars in the sky on Saturday night. The exact times, therefore, differ from...
, all forms of mourning are suspended. Therefore, observant Jews eat meat at their Shabbat meals and drink wine or grape juice for Kiddush
Kiddush
Kiddush , literally, "sanctification," is a blessing recited over wine or grape juice to sanctify the Shabbat and Jewish holidays.-Significance:...
as usual. Whereas during the rest of the Nine Days, one may not take a hot shower, this too is permitted on Friday in honor of Shabbat. Similarly, while during the rest of the week one cannot wear freshly laundered clothes, on Shabbat, this is allowed.
Throughout the Nine Days (excluding Tisha B'Av), guests at a seudat mitzvah
Seudat mitzvah
A seudat mitzvah , in Judaism, is an obligatory festive meal, usually referring to the celebratory meal following the fulfillment of a mitzvah , such as a bar mitzvah, a wedding, a brit milah , or a siyum...
— for example, a brit milah
Brit milah
The brit milah is a Jewish religious circumcision ceremony performed on 8-day old male infants by a mohel. The brit milah is followed by a celebratory meal .-Biblical references:...
ceremony, a pidyon haben
Pidyon HaBen
The Pidyon HaBen, or Redemption of the first born son, is a mitzvah in Judaism whereby a Jewish firstborn son is redeemed by use of silver coins from his birth-state of sanctity....
, a bar mitzvah seudah on the boy's birthday, or a siyum
Siyum
A siyum means the completion of any unit of Torah study, or book of the Mishnah or Talmud in Judaism. A siyum is usually followed by a celebratory meal, or seudat mitzvah, a meal in honor of a mitzvah, or commandment...
— are allowed to eat meat and drink wine. Yeshiva
Yeshiva
Yeshiva is a Jewish educational institution that focuses on the study of traditional religious texts, primarily the Talmud and Torah study. Study is usually done through daily shiurim and in study pairs called chavrutas...
s, kollel
Kollel
A kollel is an institute for full-time, advanced study of the Talmud and rabbinic literature. Like a yeshiva, a kollel features shiurim and learning sedarim ; unlike a yeshiva, the student body of a kollel are all married men...
s, and other study programs try to plan the completion of a volume of Talmud or Mishnah to coincide with the Nine Days so that a meat meal may be served.
The previous Lubavitcher
Chabad
Chabad or Chabad-Lubavitch is a major branch of Hasidic Judaism.Chabad may also refer to:*Chabad-Strashelye, a defunct branch of the Chabad school of Hasidic Judaism*Chabad-Kapust or Kapust, a defunct branch of the Chabad school of Hasidic Judaism...
Rebbe
Rebbe
Rebbe , which means master, teacher, or mentor, is a Yiddish word derived from the Hebrew word Rabbi. It often refers to the leader of a Hasidic Jewish movement...
, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneersohn
Menachem Mendel Schneersohn
Menachem Mendel Schneersohn also known as the Tzemach Tzedek was an Orthodox rabbi and the third Rebbe of the Chabad Lubavitch chasidic movement.-Biography:...
, asked that a siyum of a Talmudic tractate should be held every day of The Nine Days. Chabad now broadcasts the completion of tractates on its website.
An exception to the prohibition against new construction is made in the case of a building constructed for a mitzvah. Thus, a synagogue, yeshiva or mikveh may be constructed or decorated during the Nine Days.
Shabbat Chazon
During each of the three ShabbatShabbat
Shabbat is the seventh day of the Jewish week and a day of rest in Judaism. Shabbat is observed from a few minutes before sunset on Friday evening until a few minutes after when one would expect to be able to see three stars in the sky on Saturday night. The exact times, therefore, differ from...
s of the Three Weeks, a different Haftarah
Haftarah
The haftarah or haftoroh is a series of selections from the books of Nevi'im of the Hebrew Bible that is publicly read in synagogue as part of Jewish religious practice...
is read in the synagogue
Synagogue
A synagogue is a Jewish house of prayer. This use of the Greek term synagogue originates in the Septuagint where it sometimes translates the Hebrew word for assembly, kahal...
after the Torah reading. These are:
- Divrei Yirmiyahu (JeremiahBook of JeremiahThe Book of Jeremiah is the second of the Latter Prophets in the Hebrew Bible, following the book of Isaiah and preceding Ezekiel and the Book of the Twelve....
1.1-2.3) - Shim`u D'var Hashem (JeremiahBook of JeremiahThe Book of Jeremiah is the second of the Latter Prophets in the Hebrew Bible, following the book of Isaiah and preceding Ezekiel and the Book of the Twelve....
2.4-28) - Hazon Yishayahu (IsaiahBook of IsaiahThe Book of Isaiah is the first of the Latter Prophets in the Hebrew Bible, preceding the books of Ezekiel, Jeremiah and the Book of the Twelve...
1.1-27)
The last Shabbat preceding Tisha B'Av is traditionally called Shabbat Chazon ("Sabbath [of the] Vision"), after the first words of the Haftarah
Haftarah
The haftarah or haftoroh is a series of selections from the books of Nevi'im of the Hebrew Bible that is publicly read in synagogue as part of Jewish religious practice...
read on this day. According to Biblical tradition, the prophet Isaiah
Isaiah
Isaiah ; Greek: ', Ēsaïās ; "Yahu is salvation") was a prophet in the 8th-century BC Kingdom of Judah.Jews and Christians consider the Book of Isaiah a part of their Biblical canon; he is the first listed of the neviim akharonim, the later prophets. Many of the New Testament teachings of Jesus...
prophesied about the looming destruction of the first Jewish Temple in Jerusalem
Solomon's Temple
Solomon's Temple, also known as the First Temple, was the main temple in ancient Jerusalem, on the Temple Mount , before its destruction by Nebuchadnezzar II after the Siege of Jerusalem of 587 BCE....
and the subsequent punishment that God would mete out to the Jewish people, mainly their exiles in the Jewish diaspora
Jewish diaspora
The Jewish diaspora is the English term used to describe the Galut גלות , or 'exile', of the Jews from the region of the Kingdom of Judah and Roman Iudaea and later emigration from wider Eretz Israel....
.
Eighth of Av
The eighth day of Av is called Erev Tisha B'Av (the eve of the Ninth of Av). Beginning in the afternoon, observant Jews do not take pleasure walks and prepare for the fast of Tisha B'Av, which begins at sunset. It is customary to eat a large meal early in the afternoon, and then to have the Seudah HaMafseket ("cut-off meal") right before sunset.The Seudah HaMafseket resembles the meal of a mourner. The custom is to eat cold, hard-boiled eggs or lentils with bread and water. Only one cooked food may be eaten. The bread is dipped in ashes. Those who are eating sit on the ground or on low chairs, as they will during the night and morning of Tisha B'Av, and do not converse with each other.
If the Eighth of Av falls on a Shabbat, the Seudah HaMafseket is not eaten.
Ninth of Av
The ninth day of Av, or Tisha B'Av, is a day of extreme sadness and mourning over the destruction of the Temple. Some of the observances of this day resemble those of shiva, such as sitting on a low chair and not greeting people, while other observances reflect the theme of loss: the removal of the curtain from the arkArk (synagogue)
The Torah ark or ark in a synagogue is known in Hebrew as the Aron Kodesh by the Ashkenazim and as the Hekhál amongst most Sefardim. It is generally a receptacle, or ornamental closet, which contains each synagogue's Torah scrolls...
, the lowered lighting in the synagogue, and the recital of Kinnot
Kinnot
Kinnot are dirges or elegies traditionally recited by Jews on Tisha B'Av to mourn the destruction of the Second Temple in Jerusalem and other tragedies in Jewish history, including the Crusades and the Holocaust...
(elegies over the persecutions of Jewish communities throughout history). After midday, one may sit on a regular chair, but all the other restrictions of Tisha B'Av and the Nine Days continue to apply.
End of restrictions
The restrictions of The Nine Days conclude at midday of the Tenth of Av, the day after Tisha B'Av. The Sages enforced this extension of the mourning period to reflect the fact that while the Temple was set on fire during the afternoon of Tisha B'Av, it continued to burn through the Tenth of Av. All the prohibitions associated with The Nine Days are still in effect until midday, although one who attends a seudat mitzvah at this time may consume meat and wine.When Tisha B'Av falls on a Shabbat, the fast day is postponed until Sunday (the Tenth of Av). In this case, most restrictions end at nightfall after the fast. Except for the drinking of Havdalah
Havdalah
Havdalah is a Jewish religious ceremony that marks the symbolic end of Shabbat and holidays, and ushers in the new week. Shabbat ends on Saturday night after the appearance of three stars in the sky...
wine, consumption of meat and wine are delayed until the following morning. Some opinions say that one should not listen to music until the next morning.
Shabbat Nachamu
The Shabbat after Tisha B'Av is called Shabbat Nachamu ("Sabbath of Comforting"), after the Haftarah read on this day from the Book of IsaiahBook of Isaiah
The Book of Isaiah is the first of the Latter Prophets in the Hebrew Bible, preceding the books of Ezekiel, Jeremiah and the Book of the Twelve...
40:1-26, which speaks of "comforting" the Jewish people for their suffering. This is the first of the seven Haftarahs of consolation that express the theme of redemption, leading up to the holiday of Rosh Hashanah
Rosh Hashanah
Rosh Hashanah , , is the Jewish New Year. It is the first of the High Holy Days or Yamim Nora'im which occur in the autumn...
, the Jewish New Year.