Hashiveinu: From Tisha B’Av to Torah Service

ByDavid Schwartz

Holidays

“Hashiveinu” “on one foot”:

“Hashiveinu” is the second to last verse of the Book of Eicha / Lamentations, traditionally chanted on Tisha B’Av. It is also part of the Torah Service (at the end of the prayer “Etz Chayim”) and in the Yom Kippur service (in the prayer “Sh’ma Koleinu”). This source sheet looks at the basics of Tisha B’Av, as well as some of the different places that this verse appears throughout the year.

When is Tisha B’Av?

ירמיהו נ״ב:י״ב-י״ג

(יב) וּבַחֹ֤דֶשׁ הַֽחֲמִישִׁי֙ בֶּעָשׂ֣וֹר לַחֹ֔דֶשׁ הִ֗יא שְׁנַת֙ תְּשַֽׁע־עֶשְׂרֵ֣ה שָׁנָ֔ה לַמֶּ֖לֶךְ נְבוּכַדְרֶאצַּ֣ר מֶֽלֶךְ־בָּבֶ֑ל בָּ֗א נְבֽוּזַרְאֲדָן֙ רַב־טַבָּחִ֔ים עָמַ֛ד לִפְנֵ֥י מֶֽלֶךְ־בָּבֶ֖ל בִּירוּשָׁלִָֽם׃ (יג) וַיִּשְׂרֹ֥ף אֶת־בֵּית־יְהוָ֖ה וְאֶת־בֵּ֣ית הַמֶּ֑לֶךְ וְאֵ֨ת כָּל־בָּתֵּ֧י יְרוּשָׁלִַ֛ם וְאֶת־כָּל־בֵּ֥ית הַגָּד֖וֹל שָׂרַ֥ף בָּאֵֽשׁ׃

Jeremiah 52:12-13

(12) On the tenth day of the fifth month—that was the nineteenth year of King Nebuchadrezzar, the king of Babylon—Nebuzaradan, the chief of the guards, came to represent the king of Babylon in Jerusalem. (13) He burned the House of the LORD, the king’s palace, and all the houses of Jerusalem; he burned down the house of every notable person.

Context: This is from the Biblical Book of Jeremiah, describing the destruction of the First Temple. Note that in the Bible, the first month is Nisan, when we left Egypt, so the fifth month would be Av.

According to this text, when was the Temple destroyed?

מלכים ב כ״ה:ח׳-ט׳

(ח) וּבַחֹ֤דֶשׁ הַֽחֲמִישִׁי֙ בְּשִׁבְעָ֣ה לַחֹ֔דֶשׁ הִ֗יא שְׁנַת֙ תְּשַֽׁע־עֶשְׂרֵ֣ה שָׁנָ֔ה לַמֶּ֖לֶךְ נְבֻכַדְנֶאצַּ֣ר מֶֽלֶךְ־בָּבֶ֑ל בָּ֞א נְבוּזַרְאֲדָ֧ן רַב־טַבָּחִ֛ים עֶ֥בֶד מֶֽלֶךְ־בָּבֶ֖ל יְרוּשָׁלִָֽם׃ (ט) וַיִּשְׂרֹ֥ף אֶת־בֵּית־יְהוָ֖ה וְאֶת־בֵּ֣ית הַמֶּ֑לֶךְ וְאֵ֨ת כָּל־בָּתֵּ֧י יְרוּשָׁלִַ֛ם וְאֶת־כָּל־בֵּ֥ית גָּד֖וֹל שָׂרַ֥ף בָּאֵֽשׁ׃

II Kings 25:8-9

(8) On the seventh day of the fifth month—that was the nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon—Nebuzaradan, the chief of the guards, an officer of the king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem. (9) He burned the House of the LORD, the king’s palace, and all the houses of Jerusalem; he burned down the house of every notable person.

Context: This is from the Biblical Book of Second Kings, describing the destruction of the First Temple.

According to this text, when was the Temple destroyed?

תענית כ״ט א:ט׳-י׳

וְתַנְיָא: אִי אֶפְשָׁר לוֹמַר בְּשִׁבְעָה, שֶׁהֲרֵי כְּבָר נֶאֱמַר ״בֶּעָשׂוֹר״. וְאִי אֶפְשָׁר לוֹמַר בֶּעָשׂוֹר, שֶׁהֲרֵי כְּבָר נֶאֱמַר ״בְּשִׁבְעָה״, הָא כֵּיצַד? בְּשִׁבְעָה נִכְנְסוּ נׇכְרִים לַהֵיכָל, וְאָכְלוּ וְקִלְקְלוּ בּוֹ שְׁבִיעִי שְׁמִינִי. וּתְשִׁיעִי סָמוּךְ לַחֲשֵׁיכָה הֵצִיתוּ בּוֹ אֶת הָאוּר, וְהָיָה דּוֹלֵק וְהוֹלֵךְ כׇּל הַיּוֹם כּוּלּוֹ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״אוֹי לָנוּ כִּי פָנָה הַיּוֹם כִּי יִנָּטוּ צִלְלֵי עָרֶב״. וְהַיְינוּ דְּאָמַר רַבִּי יוֹחָנָן: אִלְמָלֵי הָיִיתִי בְּאוֹתוֹ הַדּוֹר לֹא קְבַעְתִּיו אֶלָּא בָּעֲשִׂירִי, מִפְּנֵי שֶׁרוּבּוֹ שֶׁל הֵיכָל בּוֹ נִשְׂרַף. וְרַבָּנַן — אַתְחַלְתָּא דְפוּרְעֲנוּתָא עֲדִיפָא.

Taanit 29a:9-10

And it is taught in a baraita: It is impossible to say that the Temple was burned on the seventh of Av, as it has already been stated, in Jeremiah, that it was destroyed on the tenth. And it is also impossible to say that the Temple was burned on the tenth of Av, as it has already been stated that it was destroyed on the seventh, in II Kings 25:8–9. How so; what actually occurred? On the seventh of Av, gentiles entered the Sanctuary, and on the seventh and the eighth they ate there and desecrated it, by engaging in acts of fornication. And on the ninth, adjacent to nightfall, they set fire to it, and it continuously burned the entire day, as it is stated: “Woe unto us, for the day has declined, for the shadows of the evening are stretched out” (Jeremiah 4:6). This verse is interpreted as a prophecy about the evening when the Temple was burned. And this is what Rabbi Yoḥanan meant when he said: Had I been alive in that generation, I would have established the fast only on the tenth of Av because most of the Sanctuary was burned on that day. And the Sages, who established the fast on the ninth, how do they respond to that comment? They maintain that it is preferable to mark the beginning of the tragedy.

Context: This is from the Babylonian Talmud, Tractate Ta’anit, which is about fast days. It is explaining a mishnah which talks about the tragedies that happened on the Ninth of Av. One of the tragedies that the Mishnah talks about is the destruction of the First Temple, and the Gemara is trying to prove that from Biblical verses.

What is the problem that the text is trying to resolve?

How does it resolve the issue?

How do we commemorate Tisha B’Av?

תענית ל׳ א:י׳-י״א

תָּנוּ רַבָּנַן: כׇּל מִצְוֹת הַנּוֹהֲגוֹת בְּאָבֵל — נוֹהֲגוֹת בְּתִשְׁעָה בְּאָב; אָסוּר בַּאֲכִילָה וּבִשְׁתִיָּה, וּבְסִיכָה, וּבִנְעִילַת הַסַּנְדָּל, וּבְתַשְׁמִישׁ הַמִּטָּה. וְאָסוּר לִקְרוֹת בַּתּוֹרָה בַּנְּבִיאִים וּבַכְּתוּבִים, וְלִשְׁנוֹת בַּמִּשְׁנָה בַּתַּלְמוּד וּבַמִּדְרָשׁ וּבָהֲלָכוֹת וּבָאַגָּדוֹת. אֲבָל קוֹרֵא הוּא בִּמְקוֹם שֶׁאֵינוֹ רָגִיל לִקְרוֹת, וְשׁוֹנֶה בִּמְקוֹם שֶׁאֵינוֹ רָגִיל לִשְׁנוֹת, וְקוֹרֵא בְּקִינוֹת בְּאִיּוֹב, וּבִדְבָרִים הָרָעִים שֶׁבְּיִרְמְיָה. וְתִינוֹקוֹת שֶׁל בֵּית רַבָּן בְּטֵלִין, מִשּׁוּם שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״פִּקּוּדֵי ה׳ יְשָׁרִים מְשַׂמְּחֵי לֵב״.

Taanit 30a:10-11

The Sages taught: All mitzvot practiced by a mourner are likewise practiced on the Ninth of Av: It is prohibited to engage in eating, and in drinking, and in smearing oil on one’s body, and in wearing shoes, and in conjugal relations. It is prohibited to read from the Torah, from the Prophets, and from the Writings, or to study from the Mishna, from the Gemara, and from midrash, and from collections of halakhot, and from collections of aggadot. However, one may read from a place in the Bible that he is unaccustomed to reading, as it will be difficult for him and he will not derive pleasure from it, and he may likewise study from a place of the Talmud that he is unaccustomed to studying. And one may read from the book of Lamentations; from the book of Job; and from the evil matters in Jeremiah, i.e., his prophecies of doom. And schoolchildren interrupt their studies for the day because it is stated: “The precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart” (Psalms 19:9).

תענית ל׳ א:י׳-י״א

Taanit 30a:10-11

Context: This is also from Tractate Ta’anit in the Babylonian Talmud. It is now commenting on a mishnah which talks about what to do and not do on Tisha B’Av. The Sages had further things to say on this matter, and that’s what we’re talking about here.

What aren’t we allowed to do on Tisha B’Av, and why?

What are we allowed to do and why?

איכה א׳:א׳-ג׳

(א) אֵיכָ֣ה ׀ יָשְׁבָ֣ה בָדָ֗ד הָעִיר֙ רַבָּ֣תִי עָ֔ם הָיְתָ֖ה כְּאַלְמָנָ֑ה רַּבָּ֣תִי בַגּוֹיִ֗ם שָׂרָ֙תִי֙ בַּמְּדִינ֔וֹת הָיְתָ֖ה לָמַֽס׃ (ס) (ב) בָּכ֨וֹ תִבְכֶּ֜ה בַּלַּ֗יְלָה וְדִמְעָתָהּ֙ עַ֣ל לֶֽחֱיָ֔הּ אֵֽין־לָ֥הּ מְנַחֵ֖ם מִכָּל־אֹהֲבֶ֑יהָ כָּל־רֵעֶ֙יהָ֙ בָּ֣גְדוּ בָ֔הּ הָ֥יוּ לָ֖הּ לְאֹיְבִֽים׃ (ס) (ג) גָּֽלְתָ֨ה יְהוּדָ֤ה מֵעֹ֙נִי֙ וּמֵרֹ֣ב עֲבֹדָ֔ה הִ֚יא יָשְׁבָ֣ה בַגּוֹיִ֔ם לֹ֥א מָצְאָ֖ה מָנ֑וֹחַ כָּל־רֹדְפֶ֥יהָ הִשִּׂיג֖וּהָ בֵּ֥ין הַמְּצָרִֽים׃ (ס)

Lamentations 1:1-3

(1) Alas! Lonely sits the city once great with people! She that was great among nations is become like a widow; the princess among states is become a thrall. (2) Bitterly she weeps in the night, her cheek wet with tears. There is none to comfort her of all her friends. All her allies have betrayed her; they have become her foes. (3) Judah has gone into exile because of misery and harsh oppression; when she settled among the nations, she found no rest; All her pursuers overtook her in the narrow places.

Context: This is the beginning of the Biblical Book of Lamentations, called Eicha in Hebrew (named as such because that is the first Hebrew word in the book). It is a set of mostly alphabetical acrostic chapters chanted on Tisha B’Av, and it is chanted in a mournful trope (with a different mournful chanting for the 3rd chapter to knit the 3 mini-verses into one verse). Tradition ascribes this to Jeremiah; whether or not that is the case, it is not disputed that this book is about the destruction of the First Temple by the Babylonians in 586 BCE.

Why would this be the book we chant on Tisha B’Av?

Context: This is a recap of Tisha B’Av from BimBam in 2018. “Hashiveinu” is mentioned in 2:10-2:18. The connection to the High Holidays, as epitomized by “Hashiveinu” (which is in the High Holiday liturgy) comes up in 3:34-3:54.

So what’s the connection to the Torah Service?

איכה ה׳:כ״א

(כא) הֲשִׁיבֵ֨נוּ יְהוָ֤ה ׀ אֵלֶ֙יךָ֙ ונשוב [וְֽנָשׁ֔וּבָה] חַדֵּ֥שׁ יָמֵ֖ינוּ כְּקֶֽדֶם׃

Lamentations 5:21

(21) Take us back, O LORD, to Yourself, And we will come back; Renew our days as of old!

Context: This is the second to last verse of the Biblical Book of Lamentations (a.k.a. Eicha). When we get to this verse, the reader pauses and everybody chants it first. The verse is repeated after the last verse of Eicha to make sure that we don’t end on a note of reproach.

1. What does this have to do with our lives today?

2. How does this text connect to the idea of resilience?

3. Why might this have been chosen as the last thing we say when the Ark closes in the Torah service?

4. How does this help us transition from the brokenness of Tisha B’Av to Rosh Hashanah?

5. How does this musical setting change how you think about the text: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vkcM716IEW8 ? How about this one from Carlebach: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kt4VhhGTOX0 ?

6. How might the author of Eicha/Lamentations (traditionally ascribed to Jeremiah) have meant these words?

7. How much do you want your life to be changed (new) vs. kept the same (as of old)?

8. How would a migrant family separated at the border view this text?

9. Why might we say this line in the "Shema Koleinu" ("Hear our voice") prayer on Yom Kippur?

10. In Messengers of God (1976), Elie Wiesel writes, “G-d gave Adam a secret - not how to begin, but how to begin again.” How does this quote connect to this text?

11. The word for “take us back” (hashiveinu) is related to the word for “repentance” (teshuvah). Who is in charge of that process - G-d, or us?

12. According to the Bible, the First Temple was destroyed because the Judeans ignored the prophetic message from Jeremiah to return to the Lord’s ways (Jeremiah 34, 38, 42, 52). How does this angle on the text relate to our lives?

13. Which “days of old” would you like your life to be renewed like?

14. Does this connect to the saying “G-d helps those who help themselves?”

15. The first time the Torah uses “Mikedem”, it refers to being in the Garden of Eden, when everything was perfect (Gen. 2:8). The second time, it refers to outside of the Garden of Eden, when we had to work to make things good (Gen. 3:24). Which “Mikedem” do you want your life to be returned to?

16. Rabbi Arthur Waskow reads these words as "Make our days ‘new’ like they were long ago.” Does this resonate with you, and if so, in what way?

17. Rashi (1040-1105, France) comments that we have to say this verse (5:21) again after the last verse of Eicha (5:22), because otherwise we’d be ending on a word of reproof. How is that relevant to our lives today?

18. Ibn Ezra (1089-1167, Spain and Iraq), comments that if G-d returns us to Jerusalem, we will return to serving G-d. What are your thoughts about making this sort of deal with G-d?

Context: This is a tune for “Hashiveinu” written by Meir Ben-Uri (1908-1983). It is appropriate to sing after the reading of Eicha as a “Contemporary Kinnah”.

Context: “Hashiveinu” is chanted in it’s original context at the end of the Book of Eicha / Lamentations in the appropriate Eicha trope in this video. It is the penultimate verse of the book (5:21), and then repeated after the last verse so as to end on a more uplifting note. You can hear it at 2:54-3:10.

With appreciation to: Rachel Leshaw, Sefaria Education, Lauren Herrmann, Maharat Rachel Kohl Finegold, Rabbi David Segal, Miriam Aronin, Cantor Neil Schwartz, Neil Tow, Amy Bardack, Adam Starr, and Ilan Glazer.

Appendix: Musical Versions of Eitz Chayim

This is one of the most common tunes for Eitz Chayim. While the words are from the Bible (Book of Proverbs and Lamentations), this tune was written by Nissan Blumenthal and Samuel Malavsky. Here it is sung by Cantor Azi Schwartz.

This is the other most common tune for Eitz Chayim. It was composed in 1975 by Tanchum Portnoy. This video is how he originally composed it. To see how it is now done, see: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xrimjLcF1bU (by Six13). And here's Staam's version (the Jewish a cappella group at WashU / Washington University in St. Louis): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sdu3DyxvLJU

This is Safam's (Jewish-American rock group) version from their 1993 "On Track" album. This video is from a 1993 concert.