הלכה אויף תהילים 19:9

The night of the Ninth of Av, they remove their shoes like mourners and go to the synagogue. They do not kindle more than one lamp to recite Lamentations by its light. And when one arrives at "Fallen is the crown of our heads!"¹ Lamentations 5:16 it is extinguished. And pray the evening servie like on any other days, and say "Answer us"²The addition for fast-days. And the prayer leader says the complete qaddish and after that recites Lamentations and says qinot, and after that "and to Zion comes" and all the qedusha d-sidra. But one does not say "and as for Me, this is My covenant with them"³ Isaiah 59:21, the verse that introduces the qedusha d-sidra, as it would seem to be renewing the covenant on the qinot, and since it is written within, "it will not depart from your mouth," and on the Ninth of Av it is forbidden to read Torah, since it is written, "the precepts of the LORD are upright, rejoicing the heart"⁴ Psalms 19:9. And so too in a house of mourning it is customary not to say it, since there too the mourner is forbidden from reading Torah. And say the qaddish d-hu 'atid l-ḥadta⁵ also recited at funerals and siyyumim and return home. And one does not greet another except as mourners and the rebuked. And the reason for not lighting lights in the synagogue is as is said in Eikha Rabbati⁶ Eicha Rabba 3:10, that the Holy Blessed One said to the ministering angels at the time of the destruction of the Temple, "What is a king of flesh and blood supposed to do when he is mourning?" They said to him, "He extinguishes the phanases." He said to them, "So too I will do such," as it is said, "Sun and moon are dimmed."⁷ Joel 2:10. And the meaning of phanases⁸ From the Greek φᾱνός is vessels that carry lamps, that the wind not extinguish them, also called lanterns. And thus the targum of "With lights honor the LORD"⁹ Isaiah 24:15. Note that this translation, despite being found in many sources from the Rosh on, is not found in our manuscripts of Targum Jonathan on Isaiah 24:15 as "with phanases."

Torah scholars should not greet each other on the Ninth of Av. Rather they sit sadly and sigh like mourners. And if an ignorant person greeted them, they may return his greeting with a soft voice and a serious demeanor. And it is forbidden on the Ninth of Av to read the Torah, the Prophets, the Writings, the Mishnah, the laws, the Gemara and the aggadah. One may only read from Job, Lamentations and from bad things in Jeremiah. And we make the infants of the house of their teacher idle (we do not have them study). And some sages are accustomed to not laying the head tefillin.

It is written, “Serve the Lord with gladness” (Ps. 100:2)¹Berakoth 31a. and “Serve the Lord with fear” (Ps. 2:11), but how so? ²The Midrash on Psalms, trans. William Braude (2 Vols.; New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Press, 1959), II, 147.(both fear and gladness?) If a man is over-joyful, let him recall the day of death,³Berakoth 31a. this is fear. If he is sad, let him rejoice his heart with matters of the Law,⁴Shabbath 30b. as it is written, “The precepts of the Lord are right rejoicing the heart” (Ps. 19:9).