Jewish ritual life can often feel incongruous with modern-day commitments and culture.  As liberal Jews struggle to resolve this tension, we are faced with a challenge: to faithfully conserve our religious traditions or create a new Judaism that responds to the needs of the present.

In this session before Tisha B’Av, Sarah Wolf and Benjamin Sommer will explore the rabbis’ response to the destruction of the Second Temple in Jerusalem in 70 C.E. as a model for how to grapple with this challenge. Together, we will reflect on their intentional (and successful!) responses and the resulting shifts that shaped Judaism. Tisha B’Av’s relevance comes not only from the opportunity to mourn Jewish tragedy, but from its lessons about creativity and dynamism in the wake of change.

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This program is part of Ideas for Today, curated courses by Hartman Institute scholars on the big Jewish ideas we need to think better and do better.