We are about to enter the period of Bein HaMitzarim–literally, Between the Straits–commonly known in English as the Three Weeks. These three weeks, beginning on the 17th of Tammuz and culminating on the 9th of Av, commemorate the most tragic periods in the national life of the Jewish people.

On the 17th of Tammuz, in 586 BCE, the Babylonians broke through the walls of Jerusalem, ending a two-and-a-half year siege in which starvation, disease, and internecine fighting were rampant. On the 9th of Av, we commemorate the destruction of both the first Temple that year and the second Temple in 70 CE , together with a variety of other Jewish calamities.

During the Three Weeks, we limit activities that might bring us pleasure, becoming stricter during the nine days preceding Tisha B’Av. On Tisha B’Av, we refrain from eating, drinking, wearing leather shoes, washing ourselves and other activities, while sitting low to the ground from sunset the evening before until midday. 

And in true Jewish fashion, we go from extreme mourning immediately into a period of consolation, reading seven Haftarot of consolation that take us directly into Rosh Hashanah. The first of these Shabbatot is called Shabbat Nachamu—the Shabbat of consolation. We begin to heal from the trauma of the various catastrophes and work our way up to the pinnacle of the High Holy Days in seven weeks, when we once again attempt to transform ourselves and improve our relationships with God and with our fellow humans. 

The haftorah for this particular week is taken from the Book of Yeshayahu, Isaiah, chapter 40, and addresses the return to Zion of the Jewish exiles together with the Divine Spirit who went with them into their exile.

Says the text:

ק֣וֹל קוֹרֵ֔א בַּמִּדְבָּ֕ר פַּנּ֖וּ דֶּ֣רֶךְ ה' יַשְּׁרוּ֙ בָּעֲרָבָ֔ה מְסִלָּ֖ה לֵא-לֹהֵֽינוּ׃ כָּל־גֶּיא֙ יִנָּשֵׂ֔א וְכָל־הַ֥ר וְגִבְעָ֖ה יִשְׁפָּ֑לוּ וְהָיָ֤ה הֶֽעָקֹב֙ לְמִישׁ֔וֹר וְהָרְכָסִ֖ים לְבִקְעָֽה׃ וְנִגְלָ֖ה כְּב֣וֹד ה' וְרָא֤וּ כָל־בָּשָׂר֙ יַחְדָּ֔ו כִּ֛י פִּ֥י ה' דִּבֵּֽר׃ 

A voice calls in the wilderness, 'Clear the way for Hashem, in the plain make a highway for our God. Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill shall be made low; and the rugged shall be made level, and the rough places, a plain; and the glory of Hashem shall be revealed, and all beings shall see it together; for the mouth of Hashem has spoken it.'

Picture the imagery in your mind: The way back to the Holy Land will be cleared. The returning masses—and God—will not have to navigate going down into valleys and climbing hills. They will not have to trek over rugged terrain and traverse rough places. It will all be smoothed for them into a level plain, creating a straight pathway where they can proceed more easily to their treasured destination. This is an idyllic scene.

As educators, we can look at this image not only in a literary sense, but in a homiletical one. After all, is this not what we strive to do for each and every one of our students? Each child has his or her own valleys to navigate and mountains to ascend, their own metaphorical Tisha B’Av to overcome. Our job as educators is to smooth each child’s path in the way that he or she needs, so that they can more easily reach their treasured destination. In this case, it could be mastering a skill or concept, acquiring a new way to look at something, or realizing their own self-worth.  

My prayer for all of us as we prepare for the next school year is that we will succeed in smoothing the way for our students so that each and every one of them can achieve their treasured destination of reaching their greatest potential.