They say that Aharon HaKohen died on Rosh Chodesh Av, the beginning of the 9 Days. With his death, the Bnei Yisrael lost the clouds of protection in the desert. Aharon was said to be someone who was a Rodef Shalom and Ohev Shalom, someone who tried to make peace between arguing parties, even going as far as to lie to each party that the other one wanted to reconcile. It doesn’t seem accidental that protection from harm in the desert for the Bnei Yisrael was in the merit of the man who encouraged agreeableness between people. And while we are still mastering the pastime of millennia-old internal fighting, we wonder why the nations of the world every few decades decide that the Jews are so horrible. Maybe for the next 9 days, when you feel the urge to post or yell at your fellow member of the tribe, you remember that we are all one, even if sure doesn’t feel like it.

An iron cannonball that may have played a role in the 1836 Battle of the Alamo has been unearthed in Texas, according to researchers. It’s only the second artifact of its kind ever found intact at the site.