This week there are three exciting additions to TorahMedia.com!

First we have a brand new library of recordings from Rabbi Dr. Akiva Tatz. Rabbi Tatz is a world-renowned speaker and author who discusses the deeper spiritual realms of Judaism as well as many topics in Medical Ethics.

Next we bring you new classes from Rabbi Label Lam. Rabbi Lam is a master at bringing Judaism to the practical. These classes are perfect for all levels of observance.

And finally, just in time for this week’s Torah portion featuring the Aseres Hadibros (popularly known as the Ten Commandments — but really Ten Statements containing fourteen Commandments), Rabbi Moshe Eisemann offers a full series delving into each of the Commandments uttered on Mount Sinai. In 11 half-hour segments he explores the reasons why each Commandment was highlighted and the overarching themes. You can download the whole Aseres HaDibros series for free at TorahMedia.com, or subscribe to the Podcast!

Good Shabbos!
Rabbi Yaakov Menken
Director, Project Genesis / Torah.org

We are very excited to announce a new shipment of recordings from renowned speaker Rabbi Paysach Krohn. A highly respected orator among many Jewish communities, Rabbi Krohn’s speeches address audiences of various backgrounds and cover a myriad of subjects, including family values and personal growth.

You can enjoy these and many other classes by joining us at www.torahmedia.com.

Tuesday will be the Ninth of Av, historically the saddest day on the Jewish calendar. While it is something that I have mentioned any number of times, there are any number of dedicated Jews today who (1) speak about the importance of Jewish continuity, of ensuring Jewish survival into the future, (2) devote time, energy and money to Holocaust memorials, in order that the martyrs never be forgotten, and (3) ignore Tisha B’Av.

This deadly combination, endemic in the halls of Jewish federations across the US and elsewhere, strikes me as a particularly sad commentary on the state of our community. How can we be so blind?

Attendance at Holocaust commemorations is declining. The survivors are leaving us, and those without a long-term memory of Jewish history cannot create one ex nihilo to provide to the next generation of Jews.

This week, a giant of Baltimore Jewry passed away. Rabbi Amram Taub zt”l lost his wife and young family in the Holocaust. He came here and built another… and helped build an entire community. His experience did not break him or leave him bitter — I do not recall ever seeing him with anything other than a radiant smile on his face, and this was a recurring theme of the eulogies at his funeral.

That same afternoon, a representative of a Jewish charity came to my door. Seeing that he was, like Rabbi Taub, a Chassidic Jew, I inquired if he knew (of) the Rav. He had been at the funeral, in fact. And, what is more, his parents were survivors as well. His father had also built a second family after the loss of his first, and he said his elderly mother still knows the names of all her great-grandchildren.

Despite the fact that his father avoided speaking of his experiences, his grandchildren are all growing up acutely aware of what was lost. The Jewish people has experienced a series of tragic losses throughout its history, many of which can be traced, directly or indirectly, to the tragic date of 9 Av. May we all, on the 9th of Av, recall who we are, what we lost — and, above all, what we have as Jews.

Good Shabbos!
Rabbi Yaakov Menken
Director, Project Genesis / Torah.org