Comfort and connection in a confused world

It’s hard not to feel disoriented these days.

Antisemitism isn’t hiding anymore; it’s loud, public, and in some of the most “respectable” spaces: universities, media, even halls of government. The moral compass of Western civilization feels broken. Terror groups are excused and even celebrated, while Israel is condemned for defending itself. The truth is blurred, outrage is selective, and Jewish lives seem to matter less in the global conversation.

For many Jews, this isn’t just unsettling—it’s painful. It feels like moral exile. Like the world we thought we belonged to is pulling away. But right now, in the Jewish calendar, we find something surprising: hope.

This Shabbat is Shabbat Nachamu, the “Shabbat of Comfort.” It’s also Tu B’Av, the 15th of Av—the “holiday of love.” The fact that these two days fall on the same day this year, a rare occurrence, is more than a coincidence. It’s a message.

Just days ago, we were sitting on the floor for Tisha B’Av, remembering destruction, exile, and our people’s historic suffering. But now, we’re told: “Nachamu, nachamu ami—Comfort, comfort My people.” Not just once, but twice. Because after deep pain, we don’t just need words—we need healing.

Most people think of Tu B’Av as “the Jewish Valentine’s Day.” But it’s about a lot more than romance. Historically, it was a day of unity, of second chances, of rebuilding relationships—between people, between tribes, and between us and G-d.

In ancient times, on Tu B’Av, the young women of Jerusalem would dress in white and go out into the fields to dance. It wasn’t about status or wealth—they all wore borrowed white garments so no one would be judged by appearances. The point was connection and wholesome joy.

Tu B’Av also marked reconciliation and healing between the tribes of Israel after internal divisions, civil war, and loss. It was a day when divisions dissolved, and a fractured people remembered that they are, at their core, one.

The rare overlapping of Tu B’Av and Shabbat Nachamu brings together two messages the Jewish people desperately need right now:

Nachamu: You are not alone. There is comfort. There is healing. There is a future.

Tu B’Av: Open your heart. Rebuild connection. Choose love and unity, even in a world that seems to reward hatred and confusion.

Together, these two days remind us that after the pain, we don’t just survive—we grow. We don’t just rebuild buildings—we rebuild each other, if not more so. The world may be shouting lies, but we whisper truth—and truth endures.

In a time when so many around us are choosing sides without facts, shouting slogans without thought, we are called to do something deeper: to stay rooted in who we are. To build love, not noise. To seek clarity, not outrage. To comfort, not cancel.

So this Shabbat, take a moment to turn down the volume of the world and tune into something quieter but stronger: the voice of comfort, the joy of Tu B’Av, and the power of Jewish resilience.

We’ve been here before. We’ve always come back stronger.

Now is no different.