As I sit here mourning the loss of the Beis Hamikdash (Holy Temple) that was burned to the ground 2000 years ago, catapulting the Jewish people into a painful exile, where we’ve been beaten and murdered, expelled and tortured in almost every land we’ve ever lived in since then, I am thinking of how we […]

Dear JITC- What prophecies are we supposed to be seeing during the times of Moshiach that we may be seeing right now? Thanks, MM Dear MM- Thanks for your question, though I don’t love it and you’re probably not going to love my answer. The reason I don’t love your question is because it presupposes […]

I had a dream last night about Tisha B’Av. As one does. And in it I got into a theological conversation with a less observant friend of mine. Theological conversations are not uncommon in my dreams. Occupational hazard, I suppose. We were sitting on the floor – one of the customary ways that Jews mourn, […]

Dear Jew in the City- Moshiach hasn’t come for thousands of Tisha b’Avs so far. How do we not lose hope? Thanks, CM Dear CM- Thanks for your question. I think you’ve hit the nail on the head. Before I explain what I mean by that, a quick refresher on moshiach, culled from the Rambam’s […]

Dear Jew in the City- What is Shabbos Nachamu? I know it’s the Shabbos after Tisha b’Av but what’s the point of it? Are you supposed to do anything on it? Thanks! Sincerely, Cici Dear Cici- For the three Shabboses leading up to Tisha b’Av, we read haftaros of admonition – two from Jeremiah and […]

This time of year, we love to talk about hate. We love to quote the Talmudic passage (Yoma 9b) that says the Second Temple was destroyed because of sinat chinam, usually translated as baseless hatred; we love to talk about increasing ahavat chinam, baseless love, to end the exile that hated began. And we love […]