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Tisha B'av Service - From the Depths to the Heights: Grieving and the Jewish Path to Wholeness"

Saturday, August 13, 2016 9 Av 5776

8:00 PM - 10:00 PMWest End Synagogue - Amsterdam Ave and 68th Street

The low point in the Jewish calendar, Tisha B'Av (the Ninth Day of the Hebrew month of Av) commemorates the destruction of the First and Second Temples, among other disasters in Jewish history. Traditionally, we chant the book of Eichah (Lamentations), sitting on the floor or on low chairs, mourning for that which we have lost. Grieving on Tisha B'av marks the beginning of a an emotional arc which eventually leads to joy, represented by Sukkot and Simchat Torah at the end of the fall holidays. Fear and anger -- powerful emotions swirling in our world today -- often mask underlying sadness and grief for losses which we prefer to avoid or repress. Tisha B'Av invites us into the experience of grieving our losses as a necessary stage in the process of personal and communal tikkun/repair. We will observe Tisha B'Av Saturday night, August 13, with a special text study session at 8 pm led by Rabbi Marc Margolius on the critical role that "healthy grieving" plays in the Jewish path towards personal and communal repair, healing, and wholeness. Following the study session, at 9 pm we will chant the Book of Eichah (Lamentations) and share reflections and poems on the experience of loss and grief.

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