This enigmatic month is called in Hebrew "Menachem Av,' which means 'The Consoling Father.' Ostensibly the name doesn't fit the reality of these days leading up to the fast day of Tisha B'Av, observed next week, which marks the destruction of the Holy Temple. Yet the vision of this month is the secret of the absolute Oneness of God, the vision of true reality: a loving Father calling His children back to Him with kindness and compassion. Jim Long and Rabbi Chaim Richman explore the inner meaning of the cycles of our lives that lead from destruction to rebuilding.

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