Eicha is the Hebrew name for the Book of Lamentations, composed by the Prophet Jeremiah1 before the destruction of the first Holy Temple. It is a book of acrostic poems in the order of the Hebrew alphabet, recounting the horror of the Babylonian conquest of Jerusalem. The five poems of Eicha drip with agony as the prophet describes the siege and its aftermath.

Read: When Was Eichah Written?

Tisha B’av and Eicha

The book of Eicha is fittingly read on Tisha B’av, the day we commemorate the destruction of the first and second Holy Temples. It is read after evening prayers on the night of Tisha B’av.2

During the reading, it is customary to sit on a very low stool or on the ground.3 One person reads aloud in a customary mournful tune while the rest of the congregation murmurs along.

The penultimate verse of Eicha carries a kernel of hope: “Take us back, G‑d, to Yourself,

and let us come back; renew our days as of old!” The custom is to sing that line again after completing Eicha, to end on an uplifting note.4

Read: What to Expect at Tisha B’Av Services