Did you know that the saddest day and happiest day on the Jewish Calendar are within days of each other? And no it is not Purim or Chanukah….
Yesterday Jewish communities around the world observed the day of Tisha (9th of Av) B’Av, the day when both holy temples were destroyed in Jerusalem thousands of years ago and a day when many other terrible tragedies happened in the Jewish calendar. This day is considered the saddest day on the Jewish calendar since so many huge tragedies happened on this day which altered the course of history for the Jewish people and radically changed the way people connected with G-d and for that matter with each other.
On this day, besides the Temples being destroyed and many people being killed, … Read More »
Sir Issac Newton is known for many things including his research in calculus and in the field of universal gravity. Yet a lesser known side of Newton is that he intensely studied the Hebrew language so that he could study the Torah in its original form and understand it properly without relying on translations that he felt were at times questionable and not so accurate.
Sometimes it might seem that as a society we might be slipping backwards and losing parts of our values and accomplishments that have taken so long to achieve. Sometimes it may appear that we are simply treading water and going around in circles and then there are the moments when we feel like we are actually making progress and advancing towards growth and positive change in society.
Many people are dealing with vacations and travel plans that were canceled or rescheduled. There are people that I know who had trips to Israel, Europe, Australia and cruises and more that were planned and have since canceled.
This week the parents of one of my Bar Mitzvah students who have had to revise and reschedule long planned Bar Mitzvahs, asked their son what he would like to do on his upcoming 13th birthday to make the day itself special. They told me that offered him various fun activities and options, but instead he responded that what he wants to do on that day, is to go to Chabad and wrap Tefillin for the first time in his life.