32 | JULY 20 • 2023
M
y brothers and I were raised
as Reform Jews. We attended
religious school through high
school. Our education culminated with a
six-week teen mission to Israel, an experi-
ence of a lifetime.
From what I understood as a kid, we
were observing most of the important
Jewish holidays. The High Holidays always
dominated our fall schedules, complete
with services, family gatherings, apples and
honey.
After Rosh Hashanah, the countdown
would begin for Yom Kippur. On the holi-
est day of the year, we were expected to
fast, which is a real challenge for a kid. I
was always grateful that this occurred only
once a year for us.
But as an adult who has experienced
loss, I can better understand the deeper
meaning behind many observation rituals,
especially as Tisha b’
Av approaches.
Learning more about Jewish culture
researching our culinary anthropology, I’ve
become aware that the Yom Kippur is not
the only fast for all sectors of the Jewish
community.
There are six required public fasts in the
Jewish faith, two major and four minor.
The two major fasts are Yom Kippur and
Tisha b’
Av. The minor days include the
Fast of Esther, the Fast of Gedaliah, The
Tenth of Tevet (Asara b’Tevet) and the
Seventeenth of Tammuz.
Minor fasts last from sunrise to sunset
on the same day, while major fasts extend
from the sundown before the holiday
through sundown on the following day.
Fasting occurs in many major religions
around the world, including Buddhism,
Christianity, Islam, Taoism, Jainism and
Hinduism. In Judaism, fasting is our com-
munity response to a tragedy or used for
personal repentance.
On Tisha b’
Av, Reform, Reconstruc-
tionist and Conservative Jews usually
incorporate only certain practices of this
holiday. As Reformists, this is probably
why fasting didn’t come up for us in the
middle of our summer vacations.
A HOLIDAY OF MOURNING
Tisha b’
Av, or the Ninth of Av, is a day
where we collectively memorialize the
destruction of the first and second tem-
ples. We also include the other Jewish
catastrophes we’ve endured throughout
our history.
On Tisha B’
Av, we fast and mourn for
the community losses of the Bar Kochba
Revolt, massacres by Crusaders, medie-
val expulsions from Spain, England and
France, and the Holocaust. This year, it
begins at sundown on Wednesday, July 26,
and ends at nightfall on Thursday, July 27.
On Tisha b’
Av, there is also room to
reflect on more personal losses, which for
the first time for me includes a parent. I
see now that Tisha b’
Av sets aside an addi-
tional opportunity for me to acknowledge
this sense of loss and displacement I feel
from my father’s absence. He passed away
in July 2022.
This last year was a difficult adjustment
for us because Dad was such a strong fam-
ily patriarch. It sounded odd to hear the
rabbi read “Edward Haenick” in temple on
his first yahrzeit, the Jewish anniversary
ritual for mourners to remember, honor
and commemorate a loved one. I couldn’t
believe a year had already passed. I strug-
gle to believe it’s even real at times.
His shivah was difficult, but with the
help of friends and family, we got through
it. Every need we had was met by the peo-
ple who love and support us. Without ever
having to ask, we would have a drink, and
Comfort foods for before and after the Tisha b’Av fast.
Moving
Full Circle …
MICHELLE KOBERNICK CONTRIBUTING WRITER
FOOD