Grief, rupture, and the work of repair — a study of Eikhah
This is a study of Eikhah — Lamentations — built on the Jewish calendar's own architecture for collective mourning. The arc follows Bein HaMetzarim, the Three Weeks between the seventeenth of Tammuz and the ninth of Av: three weeks of descent, a single concentrated day of rupture at Tisha B'Av, and seven weeks of comfort that follow.
The course draws a direct line from ancient catastrophe to the grief many of us are carrying now — including, unavoidably, the devastation in Gaza and the long reckoning many Jews are doing with political Zionism — without collapsing any of it into the other, and without rushing toward hope the text hasn't earned yet.
Three Weeks — Eikha, Sinat Chinam, the Nine Days
Tisha B'Av — the full reading, sitting low
Seven Weeks — the haftarot of consolation, Nachamu through Sos Asis
| Session | Falls within | Covers |
|---|---|---|
| Parts 1 & 2 | Early in the Three Weeks, shortly after 17 Tammuz | Week 1 — Eikha |
| Parts 3 & 4 | Mid‑Three Weeks | Week 2 — Sinat Chinam |
| Part 5 | During the Nine Days (Rosh Chodesh Av onward) | Week 3 — The Nine Days |
| Full Reading | Tisha B'Av itself | The complete text, ideally sunset to sunset |
This guide runs on the Hebrew calendar, so the Gregorian dates shift every year. Check this year's Tisha B'Av date and count backward to set the live sessions. The Seven Weeks of Comfort that follow (Weeks 4–10) are self-guided using this companion.