The Book of Lamentations A special reading for Tisha B'Av that
sets the tone for this tragic and mournful day Over the course
of the Jewish year, there are five books that are associated
with specific holidays. These megillot (scrolls) relate the
event that took place on the particular holiday or reflect the
message of the occasion. The most of familiar is the scroll of
Esther, which is read on Purim. The book of Eicha (Lamentations)
is reading on the Ninth of Av. The book begins with the word
"eicha," meaning "how"--the first word of the opening verse,
"How lonely sits the city once full of people." This refers to
Jerusalem after the destruction of the Temple. Lamentations is
traditionally attributed to the prophet Jeremiah who witnessed
the destruction of the first Temple. Reprinted with permission
of the author from The Jewish Way: Living the Holidays. The Book
of Lamentations is an intricate set of dirges and descriptions
of Jerusalem under siege and of the destruction of the First
Temple. The elegy bewai