The 9th day of Av, known as the fast of Tisha B’av, has been, historically, a bad day for the Jews. Tisha B’Av is, of course a sad day because it commemorates the destruction of not one,but two Holy Temples, and presaged our loss of national independence and descent into exile.

Tisha B’av got its bad rep way back when the Jews cried over the evil report of the spies who had gone to the Land of Israel for undercover espionage work. Ever since then, the day has been appointed …

It’s just a bit after Tisha B’av, and as always at this time of year, our collective mind is filled with thoughts of the past – and how that past got us to the present we find ourselves in. Unfortunately, whether it’s because of Holocaust, Inquisition, Cossack rioting, or one of the other myriad tortures imposed on the Jewish people, our present is often about change – of residence, legacy, family history, and even surname.
In many instances, those changes have been so severe as to break the fragile …

It’s been a heavy couple of weeks on the Jewish calendar – Passover, Yom Hashoa, Israel’s Memorial Day, and of course the 60th Independence Day celebration (we’re not going to forget that one anytime soon!). From Passover, with its celebration of ancient traditions to Holocaust Remembrance Day, commemorating the nation’s modern-day tremendum, to this week’s reflection on the sacrifices made by our soldiers and the showcasing of how far we’ve come in a mere six decades, we’ve reviewed and at least partially experienced thousands of years of Jewish life. It …