If tisha b'av was on Thursday can the break fast meal be chicken?

Yes, if Tisha B'Av falls on a Thursday, chicken may be eaten at the break-fast meal immediately after the fast ends. The restriction on meat and wine during the Nine Days applies up through the fast itself, and once Tisha B'Av concludes at nightfall, the mourning restrictions are lifted and one may eat chicken (which halachically is considered "meat" but is the subject of specific leniency discussions).

Key Takeaways

• Once Tisha B'Av ends at nightfall, the Nine Days restrictions on meat and wine are lifted.
• The Shulchan Aruch records a custom not to eat meat on the night of the 10th of Av (the night after Tisha B'Av) because the Temple continued burning into the 10th — but this applies only when Tisha B'Av falls on its standard date.
• When Tisha B'Av falls on Thursday (the 9th of Av), the 10th of Av is a Friday — erev Shabbat — and the custom of abstaining on the 10th is waived in honor of Shabbat.
• Yemenite Jews (olei Teman) have a separate lenient custom and do not restrict meat during the Nine Days at all, except at the seudah hamafseket (the final meal before the fast).
• For all other communities, chicken at the break-fast on Thursday night after Tisha B'Av is fully permitted.

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The Night After Tisha B'Av — The 10th of Av Issue

The Shulchan Aruch [Orach Chayim 558:1] rules:

"בתשעה באב לעת ערב הציתו אש בהיכל ונשרף עד שקיעת החמה ביום עשירי ומפני כך מנהג כשר שלא לאכול בשר ושלא לשתות יין בליל עשירי ויום עשירי"

"On Tisha B'Av, toward evening, fire was set to the Sanctuary and it burned until sunset on the tenth — therefore it is a proper custom not to eat meat and not to drink wine on the night of the tenth and the day of the tenth."

This means that in a normal year, even after the fast ends Thursday night, one might still customarily abstain. However, the Rama (Rabbi Moshe Isserles) adds a crucial qualification in the same passage:

"ויש מחמירין עד חצות היום ולא יותר"

"Some are stringent until midday [of the 10th] and no more."

When Tisha B'Av Is on Thursday — The Erev Shabbat Exception

When Tisha B'Av falls on Thursday, the 10th of Av is Friday — Erev Shabbat. The Shulchan Aruch explicitly rules [Orach Chayim 558:1]:

"אם חל תשעה באב בשבת ונדחה ליום א' מותר לאכול בשר ולשתות יין יום ב'"

"If Tisha B'Av fell on Shabbat and was postponed to Sunday, one may eat meat and drink wine on Monday [the 10th]."

The same logic applies when Tisha B'Av is on Thursday: since the 10th is Erev Shabbat, the custom of abstaining is set aside entirely out of כבוד שבת (honor of Shabbat). One should in fact eat meat and drink wine on Friday to properly honor Shabbat.

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Why Meat and Wine? The Deeper Reason

Peninei Halakhah [Zemanim 8:13:3] explains the theological reasoning beautifully:

"שאחר חורבן בית המקדש אין מעלים יותר את בשר הזבחים על המזבח, ואין מנסכים עליו את היין"

"After the destruction of the Temple, we no longer bring sacrificial meat upon the altar, nor pour wine libations upon it. It would have been fitting to abstain entirely from meat and wine until the Temple is rebuilt — but we cannot bear such a decree. Therefore, during the days designated for mourning the Destruction, there is reason to be stringent."

This explains why the restrictions are tied to mourning — meat and wine represent simcha (joy) and the Temple service, making them particularly inappropriate during the period of communal mourning.

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Yemenite Custom

It is worth noting that Yemenite Jews [Peninei Halakhah, Zemanim 8:13:5] do not follow the Nine Days restrictions on meat at all, eating meat throughout, and only abstaining at the seudah hamafseket (the last meal before the fast). For them, the break-fast meal with chicken or meat would be entirely standard.

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Practical Bottom Line

| Situation | Ruling | |---|---| | Tisha B'Av on Thursday, break-fast Thursday night | ✅ Chicken/meat permitted | | Friday (10th of Av = Erev Shabbat) | ✅ Meat/wine fully permitted and even encouraged for Shabbat honor | | Normal year, night of 10th of Av | ⚠️ Custom to abstain; Rama limits to midday |

For personal guidance on your specific situation and custom, consult your local rabbi or posek.