* Translated by Janine Muller Sherr
Tisha B’Av begins tomorrow night (Monday, August 12).
Today is the 24th yarhrzeit of the Slonimer rebbe, Rabbi Sholom Noach Berezovsky, also known as the Netivot Shalom, whose books have become increasingly popular in recent years.
Here are some of the rebbe’s insights about Tisha B’Av:
* “We do not mourn what is gone. The Jewish people don’t hold on to memories of the past if they aren’t connected to the present and the future. Our mourning is only meaningful because we yearn for a better future.”
* “In life, there are two types of cries: a cry that emerges from a feeling of despair and brokenness, and a cry that is an expression of hope for the future. Our tears over the destruction of the Temple are tears of hope.”
* “As Rabbi Moshe of Kobrin said: The worst thing is for a person to come to accept his painful situation.”
May we merit to see the rectification of our current situation and the dawning of a brighter future.
