יום שישי, ז׳ תשרי תשפ״זFriday, September 18, 2026
Follow Us
How is it that Rachel’s tears evoke such a powerful response from God? If we can make sense of this passage, it may be able to shed light on our process of mourning on Tisha B’Av, and help our tears and grief become a catalyst for action.
By Tzvi Fishman
“If you really want to keep it? GO IN AND POSSESS THE LAND! That’s the basis of Torah. Only in the Holy Land will you be able to understand what the Torah is all about, and only there can all of the Torah be kept.”
Overview and laws of the Jewish national day of mourning.
I usually don’t accept returns, said Mr. Solomon. I very much need the income. You took two pictures, so you need to pay for them.
What Was She Thinking? ‘I Did So Only To Please My Husband’ (Bava Basra 49b)
The power of speech, both positive and negative is large part of our legacy as Jews. Guarding our speech is one of our foremost weapons in bringing blessing upon us or, G-d forbid, the opposite. We cannot underestimate the power of our words, as the following stories demonstrate.
Question: May leftover meat from the Sabbath during the Nine Days be used during the week so as not to violate “bal tash’chit” – the prohibition against wastefulness? Rabbi Yaakov Spivak, zt”l Rosh Kollel, Kollel Ayshel Avraham Monsey, NY
Both the U.S. and Israel signed a document in support of the ICC under pressure, but neither of these countries ratified the treaty that established the ICC, and as such neither is obligated to submit to the ICC’s jurisdiction.
The Land of Israel being the ideal homeland of the Jews is that it is the only one. It is ideal, and nowhere else
Because Avraham is no longer physically with us in our world, this personal role is fulfilled through the exercise of the divine attribute that Avraham exemplified – that of chesed (kindness). When the power of the kindness of Avraham is made to resonate in the world, then we will know that the redemption is at hand.
And the Devil did grin, for his darling sin is pride that apes humility. -Samuel Taylor Coleridge
By Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks z"l
What is unique about the covenant in Judaism is, first, that one of the parties is G-d Himself. This would have been unintelligible to Israel’s neighbors, and remains extraordinary even today.
Many of us have lost it because we don’t see the true value of it. What would having the Beit HaMikdash add to my life that I don’t have already?
Even though the realm of evil may at times become stronger, one need not fear as he has hope and faith that Hashem is with us.
The Chovos HaLevovos gives us a chilling deterrent from speaking lashon hara. He warns us that if we speak lashon hara about someone, Hashem will take away some of our merits and give them to the person we spoke badly about.
By Rabbi Dr. Mordechai Schiffman
Learning how to politely say no to opportunities that take us away from our top priorities and goals is essential for fulfillment and success. Moreover, once we neglect studying Torah, writes Arvei Nachal, we will lose motivation to study, leading to even more idleness.
When one realizes he is sinning, there is a psychological urge to either rationalize the behavior, or deny obligation or connection to G-d.
If you take a moment to contemplate nature, you will find that almost everything in this world involves a cause-and-effect relationship. The world seems to abide by certain rules, with very few exceptions.
Letting things go is generally a virtue, at least regarding releasing acrimonious feelings towards others. However, when it comes to personal struggles and overcoming negative character traits or following through with a life-long dream and aspiration, letting it go in the face of adversity is not a virtue at all.
Our thoughts now must be directed to those families who are still suffering, whose loved ones are still in captivity, and to our brave soldiers who are fighting for our very existence – and to the hope that we are nearing the end of our galut when the Jewish people will be redeemed with the coming of Mashiach.
How could my best friend have left? I didn't say goodbye, I screamed and cried but he was gone.
The family told him that they would not be burying Eran but cremating him, instead. The Chassid was of course horrified by this information and started trying to convince them to have him buried. He called repeatedly until the family threatened to call the police if he bothered them again.
The Gemara (Kesubos 34b) presents two opinions on whether a guardian becomes liable for the entrusted item only from when the loss occurs, or retroactively from when the item was entrusted, Rabbi Dayan replied.
A Tax-Free Meal ‘A Town Whose Torah Scroll Was Stolen…’ (Bava Basra 43a)
By Adina Broder
Just as a mourner would find a cheerful greeting to be out of touch with what he is experiencing, that is how we should feel on Tisha B’Av.
Older Americans may remember one of the great betrayals felt by American military service members upon their return from fighting in Vietnam, when many were greeted with jeers and accusations. Indeed, the type of homecoming a soldier receives was found to predict PTSD up to 40 years later (Steenkamp et al, 2017).
Question: May leftover meat from the Sabbath during the Nine Days be used during the week so as not to violate “bal tash’chit” – the prohibition against wastefulness? Rabbi Yaakov Spivak [zt”l] Rosh Kollel, Kollel Ayshel Avraham Monsey, NY
The Land of Israel is the most desirable of all lands. Hashem watches over the Land constantly and more closely than any other land.
Duct tape is like the force. It has a light side, a dark side, and it holds the universe together. -Carl Zwanzig
Getting up from a fall can often feel very difficult. Understandably, many think that after falling, they cannot rise again.
once Aharon dies and they confront the king of Arad, they decide upon a different journey in which they will enter Israel through the “side door.”
By Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks z"l
According to Maimonides, the death of the High Priest has nothing to do with guilt or atonement, but simply with the fact that it causes a collective grief so great that it causes people to forget their own misfortunes in the face of a larger national loss.
It was necessary to have an equal number of people going to war, as were assigned to pray. This was to highlight the awareness that it was not the strength of those fighting that determined their victory over the Midyanim, but the prayers of the other 12,000 soldiers.
I realized that although he was in his late 80s, he wanted to walk from the bungalow all the way to the parking lot – a great distance – in order to personally greet her upon her arrival. That left an indelible impression upon me, of how a husband is supposed to show a wife that she is wanted.
The lesson is that Hashem’s judgment doesn’t reduce everything to qualities – good or evil – but pays close attention to quantities of good and evil.
How does Tisha B’Av and its meaning endure when we have little understanding of what we are missing? It’s because of the laws of mourning that we observe.
The last time the Torah mentions Aharon actually saying anything of his own volition, is when Miriam speaks lashon hara against Moshe. Aharon’s words are a plea for Moshe to pray to G-d to heal their sister.
Throughout history, cultures employed various forms of trial by ordeal in the hopes that either the person subjected to the test would be saved because of their stronger conviction of their innocence, or their guilt would lead to self-sabotage, or their innocence or guilt would be divinely orchestrated at that moment of intense danger or truth.
Everything in this world is merely potential, waiting to be used. Evil, therefore, is the misuse of potential, when we choose to use an object for something other than its true purpose.
Especially in our current times where we have a very clear demonstration of hatred toward Jews, both in the Arab world and in the western world, it is very important to focus on this all being part of Hashem’s plan and all being part of the bigger picture.
Without a moment of hesitation, he jumped into the water, reached out to the listless hand, lifted up the body and brought the little girl to the shore.
If Goats Had Wheels ‘The Goats Ate Husked Barley’ (Bava Basra 36a)
Shulchan Aruch, following Rashi and Rif, rules that the creditor cannot collect at all from sold property based on the invalid document, but he can still collect based on it from the debtor, who is not believed to contradict it.
Question: Whenever an activity is prohibited because of kavod hatzibbur [namely, the dignity of the congregation], may a kehilla decide that such activity, in their view, does not infringe upon the stature or dignity of the congregation? In my synagogue there are many people who do not wear jackets during services. What of a jacketless ba’al tefillah at Mincha or Ma’ariv, in a synagogue where the custom is such that the shaliach tzibbur does not wear a tallit for these services? Menachem Via Email
By Rabbi Dr. Mordechai Schiffman
Generalizing from judges to general ethical advice, the Lubavitcher Rebbe suggests that getting another’s perspective is essential for self-improvement. We tend to have self-serving biases in either positive or negative directions that distort our self-assessment.
An Egyptian whose ancestors committed genocide against our people may be accepted as a convert after three generations, but a Moabite and Amonite – who never gave us bread and water, they may never be accepted?
Moshe knows he’s running out of time, he wants to make his final request of Hashem.
By Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks z"l
A leader who fails to work for change is not a leader. But a leader who attempts too much change in too short a time will fail.
Even those less academic and studious can master the Torah and even those less disciplined have the capacity to fulfill all of their mitzvot.
How could we err and think, like the Jews of Hungary did, that the nations of the world will protect us during times of tribulation? When the inhumane policies of the evil Hitler, yemach shemo, had already affected most of the countries in Europe after four years, people still paid no attention.
The successful relationship between husband and wife makes the home into a sanctuary as it says, Ish v’isha shalom beineihem, Shechina shruyah beineihem – A husband and wife, if there is peace between them, then the divine Presence dwells between them.
If we seek to live our lives based on our own abilities and means, we are very limited. However, if we live with the awareness that it’s Hashem’s world, and we are merely trying to play our part in the divine plan, then we tap into the infinitude of the divine.
We are each endowed with our own unique potential, and everything in our life – down to the smallest detail – is here to help us fulfill our unique role.
Before you call me an apikores, no proof is good if it isn’t subject to honest evaluation and criticism.
Many poskim hold that since the music at a baseball game is incidental, one may attend a baseball game during the Three Weeks.
17th of Tammuz: Beginning 3 weeks of mourning for the destruction of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem.
The Jewish national period of mourning.
By Eliana Klein
Although I sincerely asked for mechila on every subsequent visit, she refused to accept my money or my apology. Instead she unequivocally announced, I don’t want to talk to you! and proceeded to ignore me.
Within His Grasp ‘Title…Is Established In Three Years [Of Occupancy] From Day To Day’ (Bava Basra 28a)
What is the biblical source for not causing pain to animals?
In the human experience, there’s no guarantee of a safe and successful landing and return. What is critical is not the ultimate destination, but the values we bring to the journey of life.
My son recently stopped wearing a necktie and lace-up shoes on the Sabbath. He explained that otherwise he fears transgressing the prohibition against tying knots on the Sabbath. Is he correct in this matter? A Mother in Israel Via E-mail
When you feel that the world is going mad, it is important to return to our sources. Our Torah portion this week reminds us that what we are experiencing today has occurred before.
How important are failed plans and plots, such that the Torah needs to mention any of them at all?
Part of what makes each of us so important is that we are all unique... Hashem created us this way because we each have unique missions in this world.
Parashat Balak is a very interesting parasha in that it relates an incident that none of Am Yisrael observed directly.
Balak realized that the land of the Amorites, including the strip of land between the Arnon River and the Yabbok river which formerly belonged to Moav, was eventually destined to be taken over by the Jews in accordance with G-d’s promise to Avraham.
Ignorance, the root and stem of all evil. -Plato
Bilaam’s hope is to reduce the power of Israel by carving away at our fighting men through spiritual means, so that they will be removed from the army as they are condemned to perdition for their transgressions.
By Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks z"l
These are important fights, good fights, whose outcome will affect more than Jews.
Not only is our disposition and attitude critical in disquieting circumstances, but every word we utter during challenging times is significant.
As you get better in chess, you just can’t rely on your opponent to make a mistake. Better players won’t make mistakes.
Imagine how different things would have been earlier this week had the walls supporting the roof of the structure on which the assassin was perched not have been at a height from which the assassin could have peered into the area around the podium where former President Trump was standing.
Someone once noted that a goal without a time frame is usually a mere fleeting dream. Even the best of intentions and aspirations are nebulous unless there is a manageable goal within a specific time frame.
When you look at a beautiful sunset on the beach, where exactly is the location of beauty? Is it the sunset? The reflection on the water? The contrast of the beach against the sunset? It’s none of them and all of them.
Many aspects of human nature have changed, and one cannot take pedagogical advice from the Gemara alone, any more than one can decide halacha from the Gemara alone.
Yes, he looks rather ridiculous as he makes one poor decision after another, and that is rather the point.
There is no question that at least for the Ashkanazim the three weeks are a time for contemplation and introspection. That being said, the majority feeling among poskim is that vacations and family outings are permitted during this time at least for the weeks prior to Rosh Chodesh Av, when the nine days begin before Tisha B’Av.
How many times does Hashem save us without our even knowing? Most of the time our bodies function, our appliances work, things go smoothly, and we aren’t even aware.
The simplest calculation is a 1/6 variance from the fair market value, whether underpayment or overpayment, replied Rabbi Dayan. Thus, for an item worth $60, a sales price of $50 or $70 – a variance of $10 – is considered 1/6 onaah and warrants adding the $10 underpayment or returning the $10 overcharge (C.M. 227:2).
Beyond The Letter Of The Law ‘He May Be Replaced By One Who Teaches More [Faster] …’ (Baba Basra 21a)
What exactly did Moshe and Aharon do wrong in the incident of "Mei Meriva"?
My son recently stopped wearing a necktie and lace-up shoes on the Sabbath. He explained that otherwise he fears transgressing the prohibition against tying knots on the Sabbath. I am concerned, as I do not wish that he appear slovenly especially on the Sabbath, which might not reflect well on him regarding possible shidduchim. Is he correct in this matter? A Concerned Mother Via E-mail
In America, where he arrived from Europe in 1941, mitzvah observance had become moribund, increasingly disconnected from the modern world. The Rebbe reversed this trend by demanding more Torah, more Jewish brotherhood, more Jewish education.
Innocence and naivete must be left behind. How can we hope to recapture them? Some things cannot be undone, only lived with.
The Torah tells us that Nadav and Avihu died because they brought a “strange fire” before Hashem (Vayikra 10:1). But Rashi says in the name of Rabbi Eliezer that they died because they taught Torah in front of their master, Moshe.
Building a Mishkan, circumcision, tzedakah, and farming are not our only significant actions. Every good deed we perform, no matter how small, is important and impactful. Each of these deeds contributes to the betterment of the world and should be appreciated and recognized.
It’s time for all our people to stop using these rationalizations because any thinking Jew knows in their heart of hearts that every Jew should be in Israel, and these excuses have no basis. Our grandparents would have given everything that they own to have the opportunity that we have today to make aliyah and live in Israel.
By Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks z"l
It is less reason than emotion that lies behind our choices, and it takes emotional intelligence to make good choices.
All men's souls are immortal, but the souls of the righteous are immortal and divine. -Socrates
Why weren’t Moshe’s prayers effective, as they were when he prayed for the frogs to be removed from Pharaoh?
The smart player always trains himself to think what the other person on the other side of the board is thinking about.
Whether a person has self-esteem or is instead narcissistic will impact on his or her ability to embody intellectual humility.
By Rabbi Dr. Mordechai Schiffman
We honor Torah, suggest the commentaries, by learning Torah and by performing the commandments, as well as by showing proper respect for both holy books as well as sages.
On the one hand, we all believe that we are unique and special. On the other hand, we sometimes struggle to experience our individuality, feeling almost lost in the crowd.
September 18, 2026 
