Looking for a lift with the saddest day of the Jewish year upon us? How about a spiritual tool to use between now and Rosh Hashanah?

Whether or not you were searching, I’ve created something you might like – a reverse Omer Calendar for the 49 days between Tisha B’Av and Rosh Hashanah.

Counting the Omer is a Jewish practice in the spring. It marks the transition between the Passover seder to the celebration of Shavuot 49 days later, the day we observe the giving of the Torah. The Jewish calendar gives us another 49 day span, from the lowest day of the year, Tisha B’Av which marks the destruction of the two Temples in Jerusalem, to the beginning of the New Year, Rosh Hashanah.

Beginning with Tisha B’Av, this Sunday, I have collected 50 daily quotes from a wide variety of sources and put them into a reverse calendar that I hope will help guide, enlighten, and perhaps amuse you during this transition period. I researched carefully, but may have made errors. I apologize for the possibility of misquotes.

Although Tisha B’Av is usually seen as a day of mourning, I don’t believe that going into a state of mourning each year is a good way to live our lives. Our goal as Jews and humans is to make the world a better place, not to bemoan the sad past.

Rabbi Jonathan Sacks obviously agreed with me; here’s what he said: “Hope rebuilds the ruins of Jerusalem. The Jewish people kept hope alive and hope kept the Jewish people alive. That is the message of Tisha B’Av.”

May we be blessed to continue to hope, and to continue improving our world for everyone.