Tisha B’Av
When a temple is destroyed we have to ask ourselves who built the bulldozers.
Tisha b’av, which is Hebrew for the 9th of Av, is a major fast day during the Jewish month of Av. The ninth of Av commemorates the destruction of the First and Second Temples in Jerusalem, as well as a series of other tragic historical events that befell the Jewish people on Tisha Bav. In addition to the fast on Tisha B’av, there are other laws and customs of observing the day such as observing other mourning customs, reading Eicha (the book of Lamentations), and reading Kinot. The Meaningful Life Center offers deep, yet accessible, insights into Tisha B’av. Our archive of videos and essays will help you to learn not just what the 9th of Av events were, but what their spiritual and mystical ramifications were and how the spiritual dimension of the 9th of Av can enhance your life. Based on the mystical teachings of Chassidus, the insights offered by The Meaningful Life Center about Tisha B’av offer a hopeful vision of the future redemption.
Tisha B’Av: Pain and Pleasure: The Birth of the Future in the Belly of the Beast
Tisha B’av at the Western Wall: Do we see the light at the end of the tunnel? will we have the courage and strength to solve the problem at its root?
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Rebuilding Life After Trauma: A Six-Step Plan
Repair your own life; help to repair the lives of others; strive to champion the entities which supply dignity and purpose to you and to the world.
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The Seven Weeks of Comfort
Learn about the Seven Weeks of Comfort that follow the Three Weeks of Affliction. In these weeks we are comforted over the destruction and loss of the Holy Temple, and they prepare us for rebirth and renewal in the upcoming New Year.
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Shoftim: Abandonment & Reconciliation
Following the destruction of the Temple and the ‘Three Weeks of Affliction,’ come the ‘Seven Weeks of Comfort,’ in which the people are consoled and comforted for their great losses.
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Pinchas: The Best Way to Commemorate September 11
As we begin to commemorate the tragic events of September 11, we are also entering an important period of Jewish mourning: The beginning of the Three Weeks.
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Vaetchanan: Crying For Israel
We cried about Israel upon the spies return, today we continue to cry about the land: Is there a connection between these three millennia of tears?
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Devorim: Pot Boiling
During this difficult time of mourning we look to Samech Vav, the mystical text, for answers to what can be learned from the historical and current events.
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The Power of Rejection
In this week’s Torah portion we read: Devorim – “these are the words that Moses spoke…” in the last 37 days of his life and from him there is much to learn.
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