This weekend marks the holiday of Tisha B’Av, a little-known Jewish day of mourning.  The holiday is in remembrance of the destruction of the First Temple in 586 BCE and the Second Temple in 70 CE.

The second destruction put an end to any chance of national sovereignty for Jews until 1948, when Israel was born.  For Europe’s Jews,  pivotal events occured in later centuries on the 9th of Av, including the expulsion of Jews from England in 1290 and Spain in 1492.  The Warsaw Ghetto was liquidated on that same day.

Many of us are enjoying our last summer vacations.  Tisha B’Av falls in a time when mourning seems like the last thing on our mind.

And yet, as we approach the High Holy Days and the end of our Jewish year, we can take  time to pause and reflect.  Are we carrying any grief or sorrow we need to acknowledge?  Is there a way to name our losses and honor them?  What do we fear and what do we hope for?

If you have the time and inclination, you might want to write in your Books of Life about any question that resonates.

If you would like to learn more about Tisha B’Av, try here.

http://www.jewfaq.org/holidayd.htm

However you choose to learn or reflect, I wish you all a sweet Shabbat bringing light, peace, and wholeness.

I look forward to seeing you at our next service on August 3.