Lessons from the Weekly Parsha

July 24, 2026

Parshat Vaetchanan

By Rabbi Abraham Unger, Ph.D.
Executive Director

 

This Week’s Torah Portion

Emerging from the Darkness

Tonight begins the fast of mourning for the destruction of the Jerusalem Temples and other historic tragedies that have befallen the Jewish People. Tisha B’Av, the 9th of the Hebrew month of Av, is upon us.

In addition to abstaining from eating and drinking, we hold services tonight with the lights dimmed. The prophet Jeremiah’s Scroll of Lamentations is chanted in near-darkness.

Darkness represents torment and a lack of clarity. The patriarch Jacob famously wrestled with a mysterious figure at night. The Rabbis hypothesize that it was an angel. Was Jacob struggling with his own demons? Darkness brings with it mystery and fear, because we cannot see where we are or where we are going. Imagine being in Jerusalem as it burned. Imagine staring blankly among the ashes after the invading armies destroyed the symbols of our sovereignty.

But, as of tomorrow, as Tisha B’Av begins to wane, the light can indeed increase again. There is still hope that G-d will remember us. He will see us, and promises of redemption will be kept. Jeremiah ends his dirge with our covenantal plea: “Bring us back to you L-rd, and we shall return. Renew our days as they were before.”

The darkness teaches us the value of light. Without getting through the night, we would not be as focused on bringing about a happier day. To find our way to gratitude – to hope – that is the task at hand over the course of this next day.

 

Weekly Parenting Message from the Parsha

History and Change

Tonight through tomorrow traditional Jews observe the fast of Tisha B’Av, commemorating the destruction of the First and Second Temples in Jerusalem and other tragedies in Jewish history such as the Spanish Inquisition. It is a day of mourning. Synagogue lights are dimmed and we sit on low stools or the floor for services.The ancient Temples represented Jewish sovereignty in the Land of Israel. They were roughly equivalent to the Washington D.C. of the Jewish people in antiquity. The Temples were not only Houses of Prayer where offerings were made. The High Court, known as the Sanhedrin, met there, and various other national functions took place in and around this structure. It was an economic center as well.

Given Tisha B’Av is a day of sadness over the loss of Jewish autonomy in Israel, a Halakhic, or legal, question, has emerged. Some Rabbinic scholars have asked whether the day’s status as period of mourning should change, because the Jewish people has now regained independence in Eretz Yisrael, the Land of Israel.

In the end, the consensus is that although circumstances have indeed changed, Tisha B’Av still commemorates moments in history that must be recollected. Furthermore, we recognize that sovereignty is incomplete from a theological perspective because the Temple has not been rebuilt. The Temple is more than merely a capitol building; it represents redemption. We yet yearn for a repaired world.

As parents, we try to teach our children that history matters because it helps make meaning out of change. Understanding and remembering the past offers us insights into what still needs work today. That’s the teaching moment that Tisha B’Av offers us as mothers and fathers.