06/15/2026
**NEW MONTH ANNOUNCEMENT**
Chodesh tov!
Tonight we enter the Biblical month of Tamuz 🥳 and tomorrow night you should be able to see the new moon sliver in the sky!
For those of you interested in taking a deeper look into what this month has for us through a spiritual lens, here is some insight-
Our Focus: We are to see the good and the blessing in all things, promote brotherly love, and to guard our eyes against idolatry.
Reflections through history: Tammuz 17 is a day of fasting and mourning for these terrible events:
1. Moses broke the tablets when he saw Israel worship the Golden Calf.
2. During the siege of Jerusalem, the Babylonians stopped daily sacrifices.
3. Apostomos burned the holy Torah.
4. An idol was placed in the Temple.
5. The Romans breached the walls of Jerusalem in A.D. 69 after a the siege.
The 17th of Tammuz starts a period of mourning known as the “three weeks,” concluding on the 9th of Av, is another fast that recalls the destruction of both Temples. The sages teach that Hashem allowed the destruction of both temples because of baseless hatred among brethren.
These cultural fast days are referenced in Zechariah 8:19
“Adonai-Tzva’ot says, ‘The fast days of the fourth, fifth, seventh and tenth months are to become times of joy, gladness and cheer for the house of Y’hudah. Therefore, love truth and peace.’
We will be touching base on these themes in more depth during our evening Tisha B'Av service on the evening of Wednesday July 22.
