יום רביעי, א׳ אב תשפ״וWednesday, July 15, 2026
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Rabbi Yisrael Motzen serves as rabbi of Ner Tamid Greenspring Valley Synagogue in Baltimore, MD. He also serves as the special assistant to the EVPs of the Orthodox Union. He is a graduate of Ner Israel Rabbinical College and holds an M.A. in Clinical Community Counseling from Johns Hopkins University.
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Churches and shuls started placing flags in their sanctuaries around World War I. In addition to it being a time of nationalistic fervor, it was especially important for religious groups that were being accused of being sympathetic to enemies of the United States to demonstrate how patriotic they were.
We are living through exceptionally challenging times, and we need Hashem’s mercy now more than ever. The best way to reach Hashem is by making sure that His children are cared for.
We are commemorating the individual Jew, the lonely Jew, who was not connected to the nation in that moment, who felt alone, who felt broken, who felt lost, but who nonetheless was protected by G-d even though he or she was not surrounded by the clouds of glory.
You have to wonder why, according to the Radak, Yitzchak needed to place his wife before him. Could there be anything more important? Could he possibly have been thinking about anything or anyone else when his wife was barren and desperate for a child? Apparently, yes.
Viewing singles exclusively through a we-must-get-you-married prism has terrible ramifications.
July 10, 2026 
