Tisha B’Av and the Nine Days

Our CEO Rabbi Gelb shares this update:

As the nine days leading up to Tisha B’Av begin, we wanted to explain a change in how we approach the nine days and eating meat. We will be serving meat over the nine days, and we will have sufficient vegetarian food for anyone abstaining from eating meat. On Shabbat, everyone agrees eating meat is ok. Here is some helpful explanation from our Rabbinic advisor, Rabbi Gordon Tucker.  

Regarding meat on the nine days, a couple of helpful points: 

• Abstaining from meat (and wine) during the nine days is a Minhag from the post talmudic period, and never was a Din. 

• Firm proof of this is that the Talmud, in Ta’anit 30a, says that meat can be eaten right up until hours before the fast itself (i.e. on the 8th of Av) provided that it is not eaten at the final meal before the fast.  And some of the Sages even allowed it at the final meal, provided you ate less meat than usual. 

• Sephardic Jews observe the customary restrictions (including eating meat, cutting hair, laundering, etc.) not for the full nine days, but rather during the week in which Tish’a B’Av falls.  [NOTE: this year, with Tish’a B’Av on Sunday, the Sephardic week is simply the day of Tish’a B’Av itself!] 

• How did the custom get started if it is not in the Talmud?  Prof. Daniel Sperber, one of the greatest experts on Jewish customs, has demonstrated that the custom to abstain from meat and wine is based on a mistaken reading of a text in the Talmud Yerushalmi. 

• None of this suggests that we negate the custom entirely; but there is good reason not to make abstaining from meat mandatory on all campers and staff.  There should be plentiful vegetarian options for those who wish to continue the custom, and those who are comfortable eating meat should be able to do as well.  A good lesson in pluralism!