[HANASHIR:6559] Re: Tisha B'av

[BEBWH <BEBWH...>]

OK, Adrian....you can pat me on the back for not jumping in sooner... and for 
taking your past advise to heart. Many have posted some traditional music 
references for Tisha B'av. Actually in the Orthodox the tradition, there is 
no music on Tisha B'av. There is a period from the 17th of Tammuz until Tisha 
B'av that gradually increases our sense of mourning as we get closer to the 
9th of Av. Music is one of the things that is out. On Tisha B'av, Eicha is 
sung to a beauiful melody but thats it. We stop listening to music far in 
advance and the period of the three weeks (which starts 7/20) with a fast, is 
a sort of reverse to the Shiva period. Shiva starts with 7 days of intense 
mourning, 30 days where certain things are relaxed and then an 11 month 
period of mourning where other thngs, but less than before are still 
prohibited. The Three Weeks starts us off with minor prohibitions, then from 
Rosh Chodesh Av until Tisha B'av , the Nine Days, there are greater no no's, 
and then Tisha B'av itself has the strongest impact or curtailments on us. 
During the Nine Days for example, one of the prohibitions is not eating meat, 
except on Shabbos. There is no Aveilus, or mourning on Shabbos, ever. Thats 
why when any fast falls out on Shabbos it is postponed. The joy of Shabbos, 
Oneg Shabbos is so great that even Shiva stops for Shabbos. Some 
congregations have the custom of making a mourner wait outside in the hallway 
on Friday night until after Kaballat Shabbat is over and Maariv starts so 
that 1) He/she will not be in the room for the singing of Kabalat Shabbat and 
2) they enter the shul and the entire congregation has the opportunity to be 
Menechem Ovel, comforting the mourner.  All shuls do not do this because some 
customs dictate that a mourner can be in the room for all of it. On the idea 
of singing L'cha Dodi to a Tisha B'Av melody for weeks in advance I have 
never heard of this. I would personally side with the idea of not showing any 
signs of mourning on Shabbos. I feel Tisha B'av and the preperation we do in 
the weeks before is enough mourning for a simple Jew like me and I look 
forward to Shabbos as a time to sing L'cha Dodi with some ruach and a break 
during this period. OK, Adrian..how did I do?

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