Thursday, Tammuz 17, 5786 / July 2, 2026

B"H

Thursday, Tammuz 17, 5786 / July 2, 2026

Today (Thursday), the 17th of Tammuz, known as Shiv’a Asar B'Tammuz, is a fast day decreed by the sages, in association with the destruction of the Holy Temples in Jerusalem.

Q.  Why do we commemorate tragic events through fasting?

A.  Our sages explain that the Temples were destroyed as a result of the sins of the people. The way to correct them is through repentance and bettering our ways. Fasting is a way to bring a person to humility and thus to repentance and bettering our ways. The fasting is not the end result. It is a means to get us to repent and improve our ways.

Five tragic events occurred on this day in the course of Jewish history:

1) The First Tablets were broken on the 17^th of Tammuz, in the Hebrew year 2448.  After spending 40 days on Mount Sinai, Moshe descended from the mountain with The Two Tablets. Upon seeing the people worshipping the Golden Calf, Moshe broke the Tablets on which the Ten Commandments were engraved. Worshipping the Golden Calf was one of the gravest sins performed by the Jewish people.

2) The two mandatory daily sacrifices were stopped.  Two sacrifices, called, “Korban Tamid,” were brought upon the altar in the Temple each day, as we read in this week’s Parsha, Pinchas.  One was offered in the morning and one in the evening. The morning sacrifice was the first offering of the day, and the evening one was the last sacrifice of the day.  This went on for hundreds of years.  When the city of Jerusalem was under siege it became difficult to obtain animals for sacrifices. It was on the 17th of Tammuz that the Tamid sacrifice was stopped.

3) Thewalls of Jerusalem were breached.  On this day, the Romans succeeded in breaching the walls of the Holy city of Jerusalem, which eventually led to the fall of the city.

4)  A Torah was burnt.  Apustmus, captain of the Roman occupation forces, publicly burned the Torah Scroll on the 17th of Tammuz.

5) Anidol was placed in the Beth Hamikdash (Holy Temple) on this day. Idol worshipping is the gravest sin in Judaism.  For all of the above, the 17th day of Tammuz was decreed a fast day.

The 17th of Tammuz begins the "Three Week" period called, "Bein Hamtzarim" ("between the straits"), which ends with Tisha B’Av (9^th of Av), the day on which both Holy Temples were destroyed. 

Weddings are not performed during these three weeks, as we remember and mourn the destruction of the Holy Temples in Jerusalem. May we merit the coming of Moshiach and the rebuilding of the Holy Temple very soon! May we merit everlasting peace for Israel, in Israel and everywhere.  Amen!

HAVE A VERY GOOD, HAPPY, HEALTHY, BLESSED & SUCCESSFUL DAY

Tuesday, Tammuz 15, 5786 / June 30, 2026

B"H

Tuesday, Tammuz 15, 5786 / June 30, 2026

One of the lessons in the sixth chapter of Pirkei Avot, which we will recite this Shabbat, is: “Do not seek greatness for yourself, and do not desire honor. Let your [good] deeds exceed your learning. Do not yearn for the table of kings, for your table is greater than theirs and your crown is greater than theirs. Your employer [G-d] is trustworthy to pay you for all your deeds.”

“Do not seek greatness for yourself, and do not desire honor.” In last week’s Parsha we read that Bila’am, whom Balak hired to curse the Jewish people, desired honor and greatness.  Because of this he went to curse the Jewish people, however, in the end it brought about his downfall.  Not only did Balak chase him away in shame, but in the end it brought about his death.

Our sages tell us in the Talmud, “Whoever chases after honor, honor runs away from them; but one who runs away from honor, honor chases after them.”

One who seeks honor will not find it and if they do, it is only superficial and temporary.  True and everlasting honor belongs to the one who does not care for honor.  It belongs to those who perform good deeds only for the sake of doing good, because it’s the right thing to do.

A Chassid once came to Rabbi Bunim of Peshischa and complained, “Rebbe, our sages say that one who runs away from honor will merit honor.  I am a person who runs away from honor, yet I’m not getting the honor which I deserve?”

Rabbi Bunim replied, “Our sages are speaking about a person who runs from honor and completely forgets about it.  But you keep looking back to see if the honor is already catching up to you… in your case it will never come!”

“Let your [good] deeds exceed your learning.”  In the third chapter of Pirkei Avot, Rabbi Elazar ben Azariya explains this concept as follows: “Anyone whose wisdom exceeds his good deeds, to whom is he likened? To a tree whose branches are numerous, but whose roots are few; then the wind comes and uproots it and turns it upside down. However, one whose good deeds exceed his wisdom, to what is he likened? To a tree whose branches are few, but whose roots are numerous; even if all the winds of the world were to come and blow against it, they could not budge it from its place.”

Our sages also say that the purpose of studying Torah is that we should perform mitzvot and good deeds. The Talmud speaks harshly about those who study Torah, but do not live up to their studies.

Q.  Why do we put on the Tefillin first on the arm and then on the head?

A.  The Tefillin on the arm represents action, the performance of good deeds.  The Tefillin on the head represents study and intellect.  We put them on the hand first to convey the above lesson, that action is more important than intellect. 

              HAVE A VERY GOOD, HAPPY, HEALTHY, BLESSED & SUCCESSFUL DAY

Friday, Tammuz 11, 5786 / June 26, 2026

B"H

Friday, Tammuz 11, 5786 / June 26, 2026

In this week’s Parsha, Balak, which is one of the Parshiot read this Shabbat, the Torah tells how Balak, King of Moab, after seeing that the Jewish people were victorious against the two mighty kings, Sichon & Og, feared the Jewish people. He hired Bila’am to come and curse the Jewish nation. He thought that this way he may win in battle against them and get rid of them.

Bila’am, who, as told in the Parsha, was blind on one eye, had special spiritual powers. He was happy to go and curse the Jews. However, he knew that he needed G-d’s permission to do it. When G-d appeared to him in a dream, he told G-d his plan. In the beginning, G-d wouldn’t allow him to go. Later, G-d gave him permission but warned him to say only what He will tell him to say.

On the way, an angel blocked the road three times and the donkey he was riding on, who saw the angel, stopped each time. Bila’am who didn’t see the angel, hit the donkey each time. After hitting the donkey the third time, G-d opened the donkey’s mouth, and it said to Bila’am: “What have I done to you that you hit me these three times?” The angel told Bila’am, “Go with these men, but you may only speak the words which I will tell you to say.” No matter how much Bilaam tried to curse them, only blessings came out of his mouth. Many of his passages are about the coming of Moshiach.

Q.Why does the Torah tell us that Bila’am was blind on one eye?

A.Tommorow, the twelfth of Tammuz, the previous Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneerson, of blessed memory, was liberated from Russian prison. He was imprisoned for spreading the teachings of Torah. As a result, he was sentenced to death. Then, his death sentence was miraculously exchanged to his being expelled from Russia instead.

As a child, he asked his father, “Why did G-d create us with two eyes? I see even with one eye."

His father replied, “A person needs two eyes so that with the left eye, which represents judgment, he should look at himself in order to find his own faults and correct them. At another person, however, one should always look with the right eye - with compassion and kindness." The Torah tells us that Bila’am had no vision in one eye - he lacked seeing the good in the Jewish people.

In one of the concentration camps, there was a German Nazi commander. He was extremely cruel to the Jews in his camp. He had only one eye seeing, his left eye was made of glass.  It was made so perfect that one couldn’t distinguish it. One evening he called one of the Jews and said to him, “If you can recognize which is my false eye, I will give you a decent meal. But if not, I will shoot you. The Jew looked at him and said, “It’s your left eye.”

“You’re correct,” said the Nazi. “I will give you the meal I promised. But how did you know?”

The Jew answered, “I saw that only your left eye looked at me with sympathy and compassion…”

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