Jewish Custom & Convention! Learning the How and Why of our Cherished Traditions On the 9 Days. Part 2: When Dinner Interrupts... What’s Up with the Last Supper before the Fast of Tisha B’Av?! Observance of Tisha B’av seems to require a proverbial Seuda Hamafseket or “Last Supper” before the fasting commences. But why make hay out of final morsels; after all isn't it about abstention? A quick glance at the Mishna serves to solidify the query. Yet, a careful analysis of early Talmudic sources along with classic medieval commentary reveals tantalizing meaning and deeper purpose. A fresh new understanding of what this final meal represents, with a special emphasis on its hidden flavors can only be fully appreciated in its unusual Shabbat incarnation.

Jewish Custom & Convention! Learning the How and Why of our Cherished Traditions On the 9 Days. Part 1: Vegan Values Why are Wine Meat Verboten next week? The rhyme and reason behind the well established pre-Tisha B’Av ban on meat and wine is surprisingly vague and inconclusive – especially as Talmudic sources say nothing of the sort, and the tradition doesn't jibe with general mourning and bereavement practices! Tracing the generational evolution of the Halachik documentation provides us subtle hints that can lead us towards a fresh understanding of these dining limitations – allowing us to appreciate the jurisprudence behind the Ashkenazic and Sephardic applications of this kindred prohibition.