(Courtesy of Tikvah) Rabbi Dr. Meir Soloveichik will be delivering two lectures on the meaning of Tisha B’Av in Bergen County synagogues during The Nine Days at programs co-hosted by Tikvah.

On Monday, August 5 at 8 p.m., Tikvah and Congregation Kehilat Kesher will host Rabbi Soloveichik at Cong. Kehilat Kesher in Englewood as he speaks about Spinoza’s Cherem, Disraeli’s Zionism and the Meaning of Tisha B’Av.

It is a little-known fact that the famous excommunication of Spinoza was issued right before the Ninth of Av. Was this a coincidence? And can the story of another estranged Jew, whose own Jewish identity was very different from that of Spinoza, bring a greater understanding of what Tisha B’Av is all about?

The lecture is free to the community, but advance registration is required. Visit tikvahfund.org/soloveichikinenglewood to register today.

On Sunday, August 12 at 8:30 p.m., Tikvah and Congregation Bnai Yeshurun will host Rabbi Soloveichik at Cong. Bnai Yeshurun in Teaneck in a conversation entitled “General Patton, Josephus and the Jews: What ‘The Jewish War’ has to Teach us About Our Moment.” So much of what is known about Tisha B’Av is drawn from Joesephus’ book “The Jewish War.” In this lecture, Rabbi Soloveichik will use a strange and striking poem by General George Patton, and a study of the ancient world, to understand why a study of Josephus today teaches a great deal about the critical moment in which the Jewish people find themselves.

Doors open at 8 p.m. and the lecture will begin promptly at 8:30; the lecture is free, but the community is asked to register in advance at www.bnaiyeshurun.org/events

Rabbi Dr. Meir Soloveichik is a senior fellow at Tikvah, director of the Zahava and Moshael Straus Center for Torah and Western Thought at Yeshiva University and senior rabbi of Congregation Shearith Israel, the oldest Jewish congregation in the United States.

Tikvah is a think tank and educational center focused on cultivating the next generation of Jewish citizens and leaders. Tikvah works with thousands of middle school, high school and college students across North America, and produces a sweeping range of essays, video courses and podcasts that bring the riches of Jewish and Western civilization to life. Learn more about Tikvah at www.tikvahfund.org