Maran Rav Moshe Hillel Hirsch offered guidance to yeshiva bochurim who find it difficult to connect with the recitation of Kinnos on Tishah B’Av, recommending a balanced approach that preserves the traditional practice while encouraging greater understanding.

The guidance was given during a visit by Rav Aharon Yitzchak Berenzweig, a rosh mesivta at Yeshivas Mir and head of the Mevakshei Hashem organization, who came to consult with Rav Hirsch on several questions relating to the upcoming bein hazemanim period.

One of the primary issues raised concerned the lengthy recitation of Kinnos on Tishah B’Av. Rav Birntzweig described a challenge faced by many bochurim.

“On Tishah B’Av, there are bochurim who ask: Saying the Kinnos is very difficult for them. It takes a long time in the morning, and they don’t feel connected to it. Is it better to say only a few sections of the Kinnos with concentration after studying them beforehand, or is it preferable to read all of them even without understanding them? Which is better?”

After pausing to consider the question, Rav Hirsch responded by recalling the writings of Rav Avigdor Miller zt”l.

“I just saw an article by Rav Avigdor Miller zt”l in which he wrote that even if one does not understand the Kinnos, the very fact that everyone sits on the floor together and recites them brings a person into the state of mourning.

“It may be that this is true. There are people for whom the very experience of Tishah B’Av—sitting on the floor and saying Kinnos, even if they understand only a sentence here and there—is beneficial.

“But it is possible to make a compromise. To give up saying the Kinnos altogether—that certainly not. However, one can shorten the Kinnos somewhat. Take several Kinnos and really know them well. There should be two parts: some Kinnos that he studies carefully, and in addition there can be Kinnos that he does not understand, but he does not need to say all of them.

“That is the compromise I would suggest. Just as all of Klal Yisroel sits on the floor even without understanding everything, that too has value. But one should reduce the amount and instead devote that time to learning the Kinnos.”