Tisha B’Av, the 9th day of the month of Av falls on July 29/30th this year. This day commemorates the destruction of the Temple in both 586 BCE and again in 70CE. Tisha B’Av begins at sundown on July 29th and is a very dramatic and moving time to be in synagogue. We remove our shoes, sit on the floor, in semi-darkness, and light candles. We then recite Eicha (the book of Lamentations.) This year we will begin our service by creating an opportunity to invoke our own personal experiences of loss in order to connect with the larger, communal sense of loss of the Temple. One of the things that is brilliant about the Jewish calendar is that it recognizes the necessity of moments when we tap into the experience of loss and mourning as well as the necessity of tapping into moments of pure joy. I encourage everyone to join us this year at Bnai Keshet in a moving experience of Tisha B’Av.