Devarim: Approaching 9 Av
When I think of summer, I think of parks, ice pops, beaches, vacations, swimming pools, barbecues, sprinklers, music, day trips and lots of happy children. And much of the Northern Hemisphere is enjoying all that right now. We were too—until recently.
Smack in the middle of the summer, we mark the saddest period of time on the Jewish calendar. We remember the destruction of the Holy Temples and the subsequent exile in which we still remain. We limit our fun, our eating and our grooming. We are in mourning.
This seems to be a recurrent theme in Jewish life. When a couple marries, the groom breaks a glass under the wedding canopy to remind us of the Destruction. When building a new home, many leave a patch unfinished, again to remind us of Jerusalem’s ruin.
Perhaps the message is, “As good as it seems, don’t get too comfortable. Our bodies may be okay, but our Jewish souls are horribly misplaced. We belong in Jerusalem, at home, at peace and at one.”
With the 9th of Av right around the corner, let’s remember why we’re here and where we wish to go. If we add just one more mitzvah to our daily doings, perhaps we’ll finally get there.
Miriam Szokovski,
on behalf of the Chabad.org Editorial Team
A step-by-step guide to Tisha B’Av observance. The “separation meal,” the book of Lamentations, elegies, prayers, Torah readings, the break-fast and more.
On Shabbat, all public displays of mourning are strictly prohibited. This causes changes in many of the Tisha B’Av laws and customs.
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