I came across this article from The Forward on Tisha B’Av which gives a lot of great information. In particular I found their fasting tips to be useful. Obviously you should pick and choose and see what fits you best, and, as always, take care of your health first. Fasting is not your top priority and you should always been listening to what your body and mind needs before custom.
TIPS FOR BEFORE THE FAST
- Drink plenty of water, starting 48 hours before the fast. Increase your regular fluid intake by 30%.
- Wean yourself off of caffeine starting 72 hours before the fast.
- Decrease foods or drinks with refined sugar a few days prior.
- Avoid salty foods.
- Eat complex carbs: Whole grains, vegetables, baked (preferably sweet) potatoes.
- Don’t overeat in your pre-fast meal.
- Eat fruit, especially hydrating fruit like melon and watermelon, which help retain liquids.
CUSTOMS FOR THE PRE-FAST MEAL
- The meal is eaten while sitting on the floor or on a low stool, as if one is sitting Shiva.
- Traditional pre-fast foods include boiled egg or lentils, foods associated with mourning, their round shape a symbol of the cycle of life.
- It is customary to dip bread or egg into ashes.
- Traditionally, fish, meat and wine are avoided, as they’re considered celebratory foods.
AFTER THE FAST
- Break your fast on 4 cups of water, before eating anything.
- Eat a light meal. Salad and soup, along with bread or rice, is great for this. Dessert should be fruits only.
- Traditionally, meat and wine are not consumed until the following day.
- After eating lightly, step away from the table and go for a short walk.
- If you are really still hungry after that, have a small snack and more water.
For those that find a fast meaningful.
This year (2018) Tisha B’Av begins the evening of Saturday July 21st, and continues until the evening of Sunday July 22nd.
IMPORTANT: This year, the 9th of Av (Tisha=9) actually falls on Shabbos, but because we don’t fast on Shabbos, the fast is pushed off until Sunday. This affects what’s written above in a few ways, among them:
1. Normally Tisha B’Av is one of the most stringent fasts (along with Yom Kippur), but when it is pushed off, there is more room for leniency if you have any health concerns (I’m talking less than life threatening – someone whose life would be endangered by fasting is never obligated to do so). Consult a rabbi if you have concerns.
2. Because the time leading into the fast is Shabbos, we do not begin the full-on mourning customs during the pre-fast meal. We do not sit on the floor or eat foods associated with mourning. No dipping anything in ashes. It is fine to eat fish, meat, and wine (actually, fish is not a problem even when the date falls differently, not sure where they got that from).
3. While normally one can keep eating on Shabbos indefinitely so long as one washed for hamotzi before sunset, the pre-fast meal must be finished before sunset (while Shabbos doesn’t end til nightfall, which is a later time).
4. Because it is not possible to make havdala Saturday night (because that would involve drinking wine/grape juice, and the fast has already started), one must make a modified havdala prior to breaking the fast.
See here for an article covering this topic of Tisha B’Av falling on a Shabbos and being pushed off til Sunday.
See here for more information on Tisha B’Av as a whole.
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