When God Appeases Man: Yom Kippur in a Time of Exile

Yom Kippur marks the end of an 11 week period when thematic haftarot about the destruction of the Temple, consolation following its loss, and repentance replace haftarot connected to the weekly Torah reading. What can this grouping teach us about the nature of forgiveness and reconciliation? Hannah Abrams explains.

“For These Things I Weep”: Psychological Readings of Lamentations

In time for Tisha Be-Av, Marc Eichenbaum offers a meaningful new reading of Eikha using modern psychological concepts like grief, trauma, and narrative construction.

Beyond Holocaust Time

Eli Rubin reviews Alan Rosen's The Holocaust’s Jewish Calendars: Keeping Time Sacred, Making Time Holy.

Tu be-Av and the Concubine of Givah

Tzvi Sinensky explores the Biblical origins of Tu be-Av.

This 9th of Av: Do We Sing with Yehudah Ha-Levi, or on Account of...

Rabbi Yaakov Jaffe comments on the poetry, context, and tension of Yehuda Ha-Levi's "Tziyon Halo Tishali" Kinnah.

Shomron Kol Titein: Let the Silent Sisters Speak and be Consoled

Yosef Lindell examines why Shomron Kol Titein is a fitting conclusion to the daytime kinnot on Tisha Be-Av.

The Fox and the Chair

Ayelet Wenger offers a creative, intertextual reading of the story of Rabbi Akiva and the Wolf on the Temple Mount.

Bernard Malamud’s “The German Refugee”: A Parable for Tishah Be-Av

Eileen Watts explores how Bernard Malamud's "The German Refugee" amplifies the themes of Tisha B'Av.

Joyful Planting: COVID and the Prohibition of Planting During the Three Weeks

Erica Brown considers the little-discussed prohibition on planting during the Nine Days and what it teaches about the nature of mourning and joy.

Hollow Land

Zohar Atkins shares a few poetic excerpts in honor of Tishah be-Av