This week those in the Diaspora catch up with their brethren in the Land of Israel in reading the weekly Torah portions of Matot and Ma'asei. On top of that, this Friday we shall all welcome the new month of "Menachem Av" ("the Consoling Father").

As the month of Av enters, our traditional customs of mourning are ratcheted up, and the process of introspection and mourning for the loss of the Holy Temple intensifies as the Ninth of Av draws closer.

This week's Temple Talk takes a hard look at what has become the yearly cycle of mourning for the Temple, and asks: Has it evolved into a yearly cycle of avoidance? Why has the rebuilding of the Holy Temple become mythologized?

If we believe the Holy Temple has to become real, then we need to prepared for its resumption in every way, that's why the Temple Institute has established Nezer HaKodesh, the world's first school for training kohanim (Levitical priests) for their service in the Holy Temple.

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