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Rabbi's Message

The Jewish Calendar Reflects our Emotions

08/07/2025 07:08:42 AM

Aug7

Rabbi Micah Peltz

It is amazing to me how often our Jewish calendar reflects our emotions.  Last Sunday, we marked Tisha B’Av, a somber day of fasting and mourning for the many destructions that have befallen our people.  Our traditions on that day push us to reflect on what went wrong in the past, and how we can prevent these things from happening again in the future.  Tisha B’Av’s lessons about the consequences of sinat hinam, senseless hatred towards others, shfihut dam, bloodshed, and idolatry, falling prey to false gods, resonate in our world today.  I often find Tisha B’Av to be a tough day, and this year even more than in years past. 
 
But what helps is the Shabbat that follows Tisha B’Av, which is known as Shabbat Nahamu, the Shabbat of Comfort.  This Shabbat takes its name from the opening words of the haftarah from the prophet Isaiah who proclaims “Nahamu Nahamu Ami” – “Comfort, Comfort, My People.”  Many commentaries debate the source of this comfort, and in shul this Shabbat we’ll take a look at some of those, based on the haftarah and our Torah portion, Ve’ethanan, which is chalked full of classics like the Ten Commandments and the Shema.
 
Beyond the lessons of our text, something that is giving me comfort this week is that my daughter Yael returned home from Ramah Israel Seminar.  Some of you will recall how I wrote back in June that the program, like many other Israel trips, had been canceled during the Iranian missile attacks in June.  After the US attacked Iran and a ceasefire was declared, Ramah was able to pivot back to the trip, which brought about 100 teens to Israel on the program.  Yael had a wonderful and meaningful trip, where she not only enjoyed everything that Israel has to offer, but also engaged deeply with Israelis of different backgrounds and faiths, as well its many complexities.  I was comforted not only because she is home, but because of the experiences she had.  Hearing her describe them, even the challenging ones, gave me comfort.  For this is how we learn and grow, and ultimately move forward to better days.  This, I think, is one of the messages of Shabbat Nahamu.  In our Torah discussion on Shabbat morning, we’ll discuss other ways that this Shabbat after Tisha B’Av can provide us comfort. 
 
I hope that you can join us. 
 
Shabbat Shalom
Wed, August 27 2025 3 Elul 5785