Tisha B’Av & Minor Fast Days

During the hottest time of the summer, when the land of Israel is parched and dry, we pause for the holiday of Tisha B’Av. It commemorates the destruction of the first and second temples in Jerusalem and provides the opportunity to mourn for the suffering of our people and suffering throughout the world. Other minor fast days remind us of additional events from our shared history, and provide opportunities for reflection in our hectic lives.

Latest Rituals

“Only when you stand alone will you know who you truly are…”
“We will weep through as many nights as we must…”
“I will teach you the melody of my Echa, together we will sit on the ground and mourn for the peace of Jerusalem.”
“Did they praise / the G-d that brought about their / most brutal response to devastation? / Or did they lament?”
“For every grain of salt, a thousand tears…”
“There are ashes sunken within us / in places that feel too deep to touch…”
“May the cries of every neshama / Be rendered into / Notes of comfort…”
A poem about the contradictions in the month of Av.
A poem for Tisha b’Av.
“All that remains to me / of my family’s life in Ukraine… / are four silver kiddush cups…”

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