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

“We take for granted that we have food to eat”

The Mindfulness of Fasting

When do we lament? / I looked through all my poetry / To find one to share / As a new retelling of / Our communal lament

 
A Contemporary Kinah for Tisha B’Av

I am here, standing in the desert. / I wear heavy clothing that will protect me from bullets, / but not from my hurting heart.

footsteps in sand

Lamentations

Lamentations

“Your struggle is your strength”

God’s Lament: A Letter to Daughter Zion
The Month of Av Stands Alone

The Reconstructionist Network

Serving as central organization of the Reconstructionist movement

Training the next generation of groundbreaking rabbis

Modeling respectful conversations on pressing Jewish issues

Curating original, Jewish rituals, and convening Jewish creatives

Presence and Absence: Images of the Divine in Kabbalah

In this study of the Zohar, Rabbi Margie Jacobs will guide you in exploring the Shekhinah, the feminine, immanent, indwelling Sacred Presence, through the use of art materials and reflective writing. Four sessions starting May 7, 2024. 

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The Reconstructionist Network