Tisha Be'av

The first word of the Book of Lamentations, the central text of this week’s Tisha B’Av fast, is “eicha,” or "how" – a harbinger to Israel's current situation.

By adapting her personal act of fasting to Tisha Be'Av, one Israeli ignited a nationwide protest against the debated reform, in an act of unity.

On Tisha Be'av, the Jewish people mourn the two destructions of the First and Second Temples of Jerusalem. Here is everything you need to know.

The series canvasses the vast timeline of Jewish history, from events like the Bar Kochba rebellion, to the Holocaust, and the terror attacks of the twentieth century.

"It doesn't matter who you are and it doesn't matter who the patient is. We're here to help everyone," the United Hatzalah volunteer said.

By keeping alive these bitter memories of our exile, and teaching them to our children, we hope both to prevent their recurrence and to recognize the miraculous continuity of our existence.

We face another round of Tisha Be’av longing for Temple rituals and political systems which, to some, seem alien. How can we reclaim authentic mourning?

These nine days allow us to mindfully remember the forces that led to destruction from within our own nation, the thousands of years yearning to return, and finally, the power of rebuilding.

If the parties internalize and converge, on this Tisha Be'av, we will be able to feel that we have learned something from the past and will not repeat the mistakes of our ancestors.

The Beit Hamikdash, as yet still an elusive dream and a work in progress, can serve as a great influencer.