Tisha B’Av (the 9^th day of the Month of Av) is a day of Jewish national mourning.  On this day in history both the First and Second Temples were destroyed, leading to massive suffering and theological struggles.  In the Middle Ages, Jews were expelled from England, France and Spain on Tisha B’Av, deepening the pain associated with this tragic day. As a result, Jews, world-wide, fast and avoid life-affirming behaviors on Tisha B’Av, much in the manner of Yom Kippur. We gather to read the Biblical Text of Lamentations which describes the horrendous sufferings of the Jews following the destruction of the First Temple by the Babylonians in 586 BCE.