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As always, Rabbi Wein intertwines history with hashkafa in this riveting Tisha B'Av package. From Jeremiah's rebuke to the wisdom of the Talmudic rabbis, Rabbi Wein underscores the lessons we must learn from our national tragedies and points the way toward consolation and hope.

Individual lectures:

The Destruction of the First Temple - The destruction of the First Temple was more than a pivotal event in Jewish history; it was a radical shift in our relationship with God. In this memorable lecture, Rabbi Wein addresses the spiritual and philosophical questions raised by the loss of the Temple and sheds light on the insights given by the Talmudic rabbis.

The Destruction of the Second Temple - With detailed portrayals of the leading personalities and events at the darkest moment of Jewish history, Rabbi Wein brings out the traitorous dealings of Josephus Flavius, the fall of the zealots of Masada, and above all the sagacity of Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai, who helped the Jewish people to maintain their faith that the Temple would someday be rebuilt.

The Haftorah of Tisha B'Av, Part 1 - The bitter ruminations of the prophet Jeremiah are the Haftorah for the saddest day on the Jewish calendar. Yet though Jeremiah warned the Jewish people to abandon their ways, his rebuke is not a smug “I told you so,” but genuine pathos for his people. Rabbi Wein brings out the meaning of Tisha B’Av by showing how the antidote to Jewish tragedy is Jewish unity.

The Haftorah of Tisha B'Av, Part 2 - Rabbi Wein continues his analysis of the Tisha B’Av Haftorah with particular focus on Jeremiah’s powerful language of mourning. Comparing death and destruction to an unexpected intruder, the catastrophic events of Tisha B’Av become real to us in deep and personal ways.

The Three Weeks - The Three Weeks of Mourning, which commemorate the destruction of the First and Second Holy Temples, have significance for every Jewish individual. With all the tragedy in our bloody history, our mourning should be endless, but the Talmudic Rabbis in their wisdom limited our mourning to these Three Weeks. Yet inevitably, as time passes, people become numbed to their own history. With both historical and Halachic analyses, Rabbi Wein awakens us to the true meaning of the Three Weeks.