Rabbi's Week in Review Blog

We’ve entered into a three-week period of mourning on the Jewish calendar that culminates on Tisha B’Av, the ninth day of the month of Av. It is the only other major fast day on the calendar other than Yom Kippur. The ninth of Av is when, according to tradition, both the first and second Temples were destroyed. It is a day of great sadness.

Two things to think about. In commemorating the tragedies that we have suffered throughout Jewish history, we don’t place blame on our enemies. During this three-week period, we read Haftarot of admonition — the prophet Jeremiah warning us that if our treatment of others did not change, the terrible things that ultimately happened would happen.  

At the same time, after Tisha B’Av we have seven weeks of consolation. These seven weeks leading up to Rosh Hashanah let us know that whatever we have done wrong, there is always the possibility for positive change. We never lose the opportunity to do better and, with that, we never lose hope for a better future. The Jewish calendar, in its genius, takes us from periods of difficult reflection to opportunities to move from that reflection toward better, more meaningful lives.