The noted Kabbalist Rabbi Eliyahu ben Moshe Loanz, known as "Rabbi Eliyahu Baal Shem" of Worms, Germany, passed away on the 21st of Tammuz of the year 5396 from creation (1636 CE). He was a grandson of the famed shtadlan (Jewish activist) R. Joselman of Rosheim, and the author of Michlal Yofi commentary on Ecclesiastes.
During the Three Weeks, from 17th of Tamuz to the 9th of Av, we commemorate the conquest of Jerusalem, the destruction of the Holy Temple and the dispersion of the Jewish people.
Weddings and other joyful events are not held during this period; like mourners, we do not cut our hair, and various pleasurable activities are limited or proscribed. (The particular mourning customs vary from community to community, so consult a competent halachic authority for details.)
Citing the verse (Isaiah 1:27) "Zion shall be redeemed with mishpat [Torah] and its returnees with tzedakah," the Rebbe urged that we increase in Torah study (particularly the study of the laws of the Holy Temple) and charity during this period.
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The Three Weeks
Adam trudged past the gates of Eden, his head low, his heart heavy with the pain of remorse.
Suddenly he stopped. A thought had struck him.
He turned to the heavens and exclaimed, “You had this planned! You put that fruit there knowing I would choose to eat from it!”
“But tell me: Why?
The heavens were silent.
But we have found an answer.
Without failure, we can never truly reach into the depths of our souls. We cannot know that our choices matter, and that we hold our destiny in our hands. That we exist.
With that failure and that discovery, we can return to the garden, reaching higher and higher without end, to the One that exists without cause.
Beyond Eden.