The Shabbat after Tisha B’av has a special name, Shabbat Nahamu.  It get’s its name from the opening sentence of the Haftarah (Isaiah 40:1) , “Nachamu Nahamu ami – Comfort, comfort My People.”  Both the Haftarah and the choice of the Torah Reading, V’Ethanah in which we read of the Ten Commandments and the recitation of the Shema are designed to provide us with comfort and hope following the commemoration of the destruction of the Temples in Jerusalem and 2000 years of exile until the founding of the modern State of Israel. 

Many have seen in today’s divisions in Israel and around the Jewish world over proposed, and now enacted Judicial Reforms, a parallel to these dark times. 

We need healing.  We need comfort.  We need hope. 

This will be the topic of my remarks tomorrow.  I am inspired by these words of my friend Avi Mayer, now the Editor of the Jerusalem Post.  His piece today is excellent Torah.  One I am pleased to share with you. To read it click here>>