From Mourning to Gladness: Tisha B’Av

In the blazing heat of summer, when the land is parched and dry in Israel and throughout the Western world, an intense period of mourning begins for observant Jews. For three weeks, beginning on the Hebrew date 17 Tammuz, (which falls on Sunday, July 17, 2022), until Tisha b’Av, the ninth of the month of Av (beginning in the evening of August 6, 2022), the Jewish people remember the terrible events that occurred during this time throughout history. It all started when Moses came down from Mt. Sinai with the two tablets of the law. Instead of piety, he found the golden calf and great debauchery among the children of Israel. According to Jewish tradition, Moses smashed the tablets in rage on 17 Tammuz.