By The Rivers of Babylon
It is a challenge to mourn on Tisha b’Av for a tragedy which occurred thousands of years ago. Join Mrs. Sarah Rudolph as she explores how we feel sorrow over losing something we never experienced having. One poignant entry point to connect with that loss is through the poetry of King David. David himself longed to build the Beit Hamikdash but never experienced it. In Al Naharot Bavel, he portrays the complicated emotions of those who did experience having and then losing it – including finding sparks of hope for the future.
Classes this Tisha B’Av are dedicated in the memory of Nachman ben Gedaliya HaCohen and Miriam bat Avraham by their families.
לע”נ נחמן בן גדליה הכהן ומרים בת אברהם מאת משפחתם
Sarah Rudolph is Director of TorahTutors.org. She is a freelance Jewish educator, writer, and editor and has been sharing her passion for Jewish texts of all kinds for over 15 years, with students of all ages. Sarah’s essays have been published in a variety of internet and print media, including Times of Israel, Kveller, Jewish Action, OU Life, The Lehrhaus, TorahMusings, and more. She is Editor-At-Large, Deracheha: womenandmitzvot.org. Sarah lives in Cleveland with her husband and four children, but is privileged to learn online with students all over the world.