Rabbi Weill's Blog

Dear Friends,

Today is Tisha b'Av, the darkest day on the Jewish calendar. It is a fast day on which we recall the tragedies of our history, especially the destructions of the first and second Holy Temples, which were destroyed on this day, the ninth of Av, in the sixth century B.C.E. and the first century C.E., respectively.

Tisha b'Av is not only about our suffering. It is about any suffering. It is not merely about our broken structures. It is about our broken world. Our world suffers now. Whether or not you have been personally touched by the pandemic (and sadly some of us have), we acknowledge the seemingly relentless march and tight grip of the Coronavirus throughout the world. 

We pray for the healing of those who are sick with the virus; we pray for the consolation of those who have lost loved ones to the virus; and we pray for the health, wisdom, and strength of those who are fighting the virus.

Judaism is a religion of hope. We know: Gam zo ya'avor. This too shall pass. And, in the words of the psalmist: Weeping may linger for the night, but joy cometh in the morning (Ps. 30:6).

Shabbat Shalom,

Rabbi Jeffrey Weill