“Yet as any elder will tell you, and as so many of us know deep down in that place that we rarely share with others in a meaningful way, life is HARD. I’m not talking about “too many things to do in not enough time” or “my kid hates swim lessons” hard. I’m talking about the hard that goes way beyond any clear description or possible solution. Each of us, no matter how blessed our lives may be at any particular moment, has suffered intolerable losses, terrible confusion, deep longing, and intense sadness. It may be true that this is the human condition, and that we are not alone (as so many of us feel so much of the time), but that knowledge doesn’t help when we are neck-deep in our own pain.”

You can read my entire piece about Tisha B’Av over on Kveller.com.