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According to the Shulchan Aruch Orach Chayim 554:1-3 one is permitted to study the book of Iyov/Job on Tisha b'Av. The book of Iyov does not seem to have any connection to the destruction of the Temple which is being mourned on Tisha b'Av nor does it have any connection to any other sad event in Jewish history. The majority of the book are a series of arguments between Iyov and his friends regarding how God administers punishment in the world.

I would like to understand why learning this book is permitted on Tisha b'Av.

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  • Because it's sad
    – Clint Eastwood
    Commented Aug 12 at 22:39
  • @ClintEastwood what is sad about it? There is a happy ending. Other books are sad, we don't read them
    – rikitikitembo
    Commented Aug 12 at 22:53
  • It doesn't have a happy ending! God kills a righteous man's children and afflicts him, then God tells him that His judgements are non of Job's business. Then there's a bit about how ostriches are stupid and God lifts his torment. On paper Job has his things returned but his initial set of children were still killed by God to win a bet.
    – Clint Eastwood
    Commented Aug 12 at 23:01
  • It's sadder than the churban. Tisha b'av punished wicked people. Job was a good man.
    – Clint Eastwood
    Commented Aug 12 at 23:01
  • @ClintEastwood according to Ramban God returns the children. By your argument we should be able to read anything that is sad, right?
    – rikitikitembo
    Commented Aug 12 at 23:24

3 Answers 3

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Rav Avidor Kohen Tzedek writes (somewhere in the first 2 chapters on Eichah, that's all I did yesterday) that the Jews didn't know why Hashem destroyed the Bet Hamikdash (see Bava Metzia 85b). Therefore one can learn Iyov which teaches that not all tragedies are (easily) explainable.

Another possible answer is Iyov is essentially a mussar book. This maybe the source that one can learn mussar on 9 Av. I would guess this is because the destruction of sticks and stones was less important the "destruction" of man himself (Medrash T'hillim 79:2, see Intro to Medrash Eichah 4 comparing "Eichah" to "Ayeka").

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Per the Shulchan Aruch in OC 554:1, one is not allowed to learn Torah because it brings happiness. The SA then goes on to bring examples of things one is allowed to learn, such as Job.

The reason is not because it is connected to Tisha Beav, as it clearly isn't. It is allowed to be learned because Job describes the travesty befallen on Job, which is definitely saddening in some way.

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    In dont understand. We can't learn just anything that is sad, like the death of shaul hamelech. So if it is not connected to the churban why is the fact that it is sad (in fact the majority of the book is philosophical argumentation, and not sad) allow it to be learned?
    – rikitikitembo
    Commented Aug 12 at 23:22
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The reason we may study Job on Tish'a b'Av is to remind ourselves of this line in Pirkei Avot:

Rabbi Yannai said: it is not in our hands to understand either of the security of the wicked or the afflictions of the righteous. [Avot 4:15]

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    What does that have to do with anything?
    – rikitikitembo
    Commented Aug 12 at 22:54

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