The Three Weeks and the Mourning of the Temple (Bein ha-Metsarim)

The Three Weeks, called Bein ha-Metsarim, extend from the Fast of the Seventeenth of Tammuz to that of the Ninth of Av, a period of mourning for the destruction of the two Temples of Jerusalem. Observances of increasing mourning are maintained, notably during the Nine Days preceding Tisha BeAv, with abstention from meat, wine, and rejoicing. This period marks the pinnacle of remembrance of national catastrophes.