A step-by-step guide to Tisha B'Av observance

Magazine Dedicate an email Menachem Av 5, 5772 · July 24, 2012 Editor's Note: When I think of summer, I think of parks, ice pops, beaches, vacations, swimming pools, barbecues, sprinklers, music, day trips and lots of happy children. And much of the Northern Hemisphere is enjoying all that right now. We were too—until recently. Smack in the middle of the summer, we mark the saddest period of time on the Jewish calendar. We remember the destruction of the Holy Temples and the subsequent exile in which we still remain. We limit our fun, our eating and our grooming. We are in mourning. This seems to be a recurrent theme in Jewish life. When a couple marries, the groom breaks a glass under the wedding canopy to remind us of the Destruction. When building a new home, many leave a patch unfinished, again to remind us of Jerusalem's ruin. Perhaps the message is, "As good as it seems, don't get too comfortable. Our bodies may be okay, but our Jewish souls are horribly misplaced. We belong in Jerusalem, at home, at peace and at one." With the 9th of Av right around the corner, let's remember why we're here and where we wish to go. If we add just one more mitzvah to our daily doings, perhaps we'll finally get there. Miriam Szokovski, on behalf of the Chabad.org Editorial Team P.S. You may notice this week that we are experimenting with the layout of our weekly email magazine. We condensed the sections below to make it easier to scan the email and find the content that interests you. In our effort to continue to improve the content we deliver, we'd love to hear your feedback on this change as well as any other suggestions you may have.   This Week's Features Printable Magazine What We Are Missing By Yanki Tauber 3 Weeks and 9 Av Order of the Day A step-by-step guide to Tisha B'Av observance. The "separation meal," the book of Lamentations, elegies, prayers, Torah readings, the break-fast and more. More in 3 Weeks and 9 Av:   • Tisha B'Av That Falls on Shabbat or Sunday   • Dealing with Depression (By Sara Esther Crispe)   • How's Your Vision? (By Mendy Herson)   • Out of Sync (By Yehudis Fishman)   Video The Warehouse Two guys alone in a warehouse. But they are not really alone, because there are some others below them (and a suggestion of Someone Above). By Dovid Taub and DovBer Naiditch  Watch (1:04) More in Video:   • Crying Over the Destruction (By Shimon Hecht)   • Love Your Fellow As Your Fellow Needs (The Rebbe)   Parshah What Is the Book of Deuteronomy? The Book of Deuteronomy primarily contains Moses' last will and testament to the Children of Israel as they are poised to enter the Promised Land. By Menachem Posner More in Parshah:   • On False Translations (By Tali Loewenthal)   • Parshah in a Nutshell   Stories A Lost Luria On her back, hidden deep inside a sling, the baby boy slept on, blissfully unaware of the cruel world into which he had been born. By Dovid Leib Marasow More in Stories:   • The Making of a Kabbalist (By Moshe Miller)   • The Power of a Plate of Food (By Yerachmiel Tilles)   Issues of the Day Judaism and Environmentalism The commandment of Bal Tashchit—do not destroy or waste—has long been considered central to a Jewish environmental ethic. What is the basis for the commandment? By Yonatan Neril More in Issues of the Day:   • What Is Isaiah Telling Us Today? (By Rabbi Jonathan Sacks)   Question Is This Your Ten Million Dollars? A rabbi declines the ten-million-dollar lottery prize: says it's "against his principles." By Aron Moss Follow Us:   Featured Judaica: Witness to History The text interweaves academic content with personal accounts from a cross-section of eyewitnesses. The book is accompanied by a multi-media DVD, with coverage of Holocaust-era music, art and poetry; an animated timeline and maps; and personal testimonies of survivors and children of survivors. Price: $60.00 SALE: $54.00 More from Chabad.org • Society & Living • Lifecycles • Daily Life • Jewish Holidays • Ideas & Beliefs • Spirituality • Parshah • Audio Classes • Video • Women • News • Kids • Calendar • Daily Study • Find A Center • Donate • Ask the Rabbi • Contact Us • Subscribe Be a Part of it Enjoyed this email? Please help us continue to share the study of Torah and Jewish traditions: Dedicate or sponsor an email to mark a special occasion Make a donation to chabad.org.   Subscription Options: Subscribe to more chabad.org email lists Subscription Management Going on vacation? Unsubscribe Your subscribed email address is: woowonearts@gmail.com Change email address. Important Tip: To guarantee that your subscription emails continue to be delivered to you, please add subscriptions@chabad.org to your address book, or "whitelist" it in any filters or antispam programs you may have. © Copyright Chabad.org, all rights reserved.   Privacy Policy