Shabbat Chazon 1991

Shabbat Chazon (Shabbat of Vision) is the Shabbat immediately before Tisha B'Av. It takes its name from the haftarah reading that begins with 'Chazon Yeshayahu' (The Vision of Isaiah), a stern prophecy rebuking Israel for abandoning God's ways. It is the last and most intense of the three haftarot of rebuke read during the Three Weeks.

The haftarah is traditionally chanted to the mournful melody of Eicha (Lamentations). In some Ashkenazi communities, congregants change to weekday clothes for Shabbat as a sign of mourning, though the prevailing custom today is to wear Shabbat clothes. The atmosphere in synagogue is somber, as the community prepares for the fast of Tisha B'Av.