Tisha B’Av 101
Tisha B’Av, the ninth day of the month of Av, is the major day of communal mourning in the Jewish calendar.
Judaism after the Temple
Coping with destruction and building for the future.
Why Tisha B’Av is Not Really About Mourning
The practices associated with this holiday are closer to the experience of being a refugee than to being a mourner.
The Book of Eicha: Faith in a Whirlwind
At the core of Lamentations is an expression of faith in the human capacity to survive in a broken world.
When Prayer Fails Us
Tisha B’Av, the saddest day on the Jewish calendar, is testament to the failure of prayer to avert national catastrophe.
Next Torah Portion
Summary
In this Torah portion, Moses recounts the Israelites’ episodes from their 40 years in the wilderness. Moses encourages the Israelites in their upcoming conquest of the land of Canaan.
Featured Commentary
Culture and Counterculture
Are the giants described in Parashat Devarim primitive foes to be vanquished or a compelling culture to be resisted?
Kaddish Minyan With Rabbi Rachel Isaacs (Mondays)
Hosted by: My Jewish Learning
Daf Yomi
A global project of Talmud study, Daf Yomi covers the entire 2,711 pages of the Talmud in 7.5 years of daily study. Click below to join by signing up for our Daily Dose of Talmud newsletter and to see our most recent Daf Yomi essays.
Avodah Zarah 47
The frond line of idolatry.
Avodah Zarah 46
Boulder disputes.
Avodah Zarah 45
The hills are alive.
STUDY RESOURCES
Recharge Now
Our weekly Shabbat newsletter, Recharge, features a thoughtful, timely essay to enrich your Shabbat. Here are a few of our recent pieces:
The Elijah I Want
The prophetic voice I seek is not one of bombast and surety, but of quiet insight and peace.
The Torah Can Be Made to Say Almost Anything
All those rabbis sharing words of wisdom from the Torah? Take them with a grain of salt.
Just Stop
Only we humans have the capacity to choose not to do something we’re capable of doing.
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The notion that souls can be reborn after death figures prominently in Jewish mysticism.
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Lighting the candles, saying Kiddush and other Shabbat dinner rituals.
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