Tishah B’Av - A Day of Reflection
Tishah B'Av means "ninth of Av" and refers to a traditional Jewish day of fasting and mourning. Av corresponds to July or August of the secular year.
On Tishah B’Av, Feeling the Loss from the Flames
On Yom Kippur, we ask “Who by fire?” Sadly, this year at Tishah B’Av we already know who - the 19 firefighters who perished in Arizona.
An Absence of Color and Light: A Poem for Tishah B'Av
We sat among the willows,
and we wept,
there by the river
that flowed
clear and cold and swift,
--branches dancing,
barely dancing--
as they swayed
and swept the ground.
We stood among the weeping trees,
Prayers mixed with
visions of ash.
Why I Don't Mourn the Temple
My son’s birthday is in July. Last year, we sent out invitations to his bunkmates for a typical kindergartener’s birthday bash - pizza and ice cream cake at a moon-bounce place.
Catastrophe in America: Racism, Violence, & Tishah B'Av
I had a friend in college named Ray. He was a good guy. He had a lot of the qualities I thought I lacked when I was in college. Ray was good looking, athletic and charismatic. He was a running back on the school's football team.
The Work That Awaits Us
Last night, for the first time ever, I attended a Tishah B’Av study session – a joint venture between my own Temple Shaaray Tefila and O
Why Was Fred Rogers at High Holiday Services This Year?
If you attended worship services at a Reform congregation anywhere in North America during the last month or so, chances are good you heard a sermon about Mister Rogers.
How Two Congregations Are Recovering from Hurricane Florence
Rabbi Emily Losben-Ostrov was new to her congregation in Wilmington, NC, when she faced an unprecedented challenge: a Category 4 hurricane during the Days of Awe.
A Jewish Response to Political Scandal
As we witness public figures dismantled by the revelation of ugly episodes from their pasts, we parents must distill these events and their aftermath for our children.