July 16th, 2021 — Shabbat Devarim 5781
This Shabbat comes a day before the greatest day of mourning in the Jewish calendar year, Tisha B’av, on which we read the book of Lamentations. That’s what we call it in English, anyway. But in Hebrew, the book is simply called Eikha, or “How?” To understand the full meaning of this existential question, we have to go back to the first time it was asked.