hi folks,

today is the ninth of the hebrew calendar month of ab. it is a major fst day on our calendar, commemorating the destructin of the temple of jerusalem by the babylonians in 586 bc and by the romans in 70 ad. it is a major fast, 25 hours long, and it is second in importance only to Yom Kippur, the Jewish Day of Atonement.

in observance of the day, we also read jeremiah’s biblical composition, the scroll known as Eichah or Lamentations. since jeremiah was a contemporary, living in the city at the time of the babylonian destruction of the temple, his eyewitness account is nothing short of chilling.

since i am at camp yavneh for my 18th season, i had the privilege of attending a program at camp for 9 Ab last night — a short play and interpretative dance by some very talented young people. ten readers then chanted the Lamentations reading — 1/2 chapter each — and we sent the kids back to the bunks for some sleep before today’s full program of reflection, prayer, food for the younger kids and anyone else who wanted to eat, the burying of worn out ritual objects like prayer books, a tree planting as we begin to look to a brighter future, and many other activities centered around the theme of exile, powerlessness, etc.  It is a very powerful day, and its programming reflects this at camp yavneh. with all of this, i was lucky to fit in my bar mitzvah tutorials for the day, as well.

parents, consider sending your kids to camp yavneh in northwood, nh. it is a jewish experience that is nonpareil. The camp is transdenominational, which means that kids from families that are affiliated, non-affiliated, reform, reconstructionist, conservative, and orthodox find a common ground in this special place. go to campyavneh.org for details.

well, the closing program is only 30 minutes away. today flew by — meaningfully in so many ways.

if you are in the market for my services,  give me a shout. see my website for details.