יום שישי, י״ח תמוז תשפ״וFriday, July 3, 2026
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Although the court, by invalidating the fine, literally gutted the lawsuit and neutralized it, there was not a majority who were prepared to formally throw out the case altogether.
Abraham Lincoln chose a different path. Instead of surrounding himself with loyalists, he built a “team of rivals,” appointing to his Cabinet, men who had opposed him and even run against him for the presidency. They disagreed with him often and sometimes bitterly, but Lincoln welcomed the challenge.
To equate Munich and Yalta isn’t just sloppy history. It erases the essential difference between surrender and solidarity in the face of total war.
The idea that a prohibited substance is nullified by 60 is portrayed pictographically by a mem (square) surrounded by a samech (circle).
There are several leniencies in applying this restriction when the names do not totally match up. For example, if the names do not match exactly – such as a father-in-law named Yaakov Yosef and a son-in-law named Yosef – some poskim permit the marriage.
The reason that it makes the heat index hotter is that it stops your body's ability for sweat to evaporate, thereby trapping body heat.
It's not the heat. It's the humidity. That's the common refrain. A high temperature alone isn't enough to change your day, but when it's humid? Humidity is everywhere.
By Martin Bodek
Hot and humid, hot and humid, everybody loves it when it's hot and humid, and your clothing sticks to you. I know, catchy, right?
Recently I was in Washington, D.C. for a work trip; it was 95 degrees and humid. As I walked around town, exploring the sights, I was sweating so much that my sheitel started sweating as well.
A person can think of all sorts of ways to cool down. Perhaps a glass of cold water, a cool shower, or a shady spot would do the trick.
It’s an understatement to say that Rabbi Wein has been a major influence in my life. I find myself quoting him constantly. When I had questions about Torah outlook or life matters, I would ask Rabbi Wein. Now that opportunity is lost.
By Jason Ciment
Elul has started. It’s the time of year when we find ourselves reflecting on the past, hoping we didn’t mess up too badly, and wondering if we’ll make it through the U’netaneh Tokef of Rosh Hashana with a clean slate. The end of the year is a great catalyst to thinking about goals – […]
Of course, an enormously important part of the mix is the apparent full support of President Trump which sends a powerful message to Israel’s enemies.
He drove and drove, enjoying every minute when suddenly the car in front of him put on the brakes! David tried to stop in time but couldn't and he went smashing into the car in front of him.
Children who struggle with social skills are less likely to participate in class, less likely to ask important questions when they don’t understand something, and more likely to fall between the cracks.
Not Wanted – Dead Or Alive ‘A Mouse That Fell into A Cask Of Beer’ (Avodah Zarah 68b)
A toxic friend will not be happy for you when something good happens to you or when you get something new. Someone who truly loves you will celebrate your happiness. Toxic friends do not.
Fundamentally, bitachon is the acceptance and recognition that every experience comes directly from Hashem, given out of His love for us. It means knowing unequivocally that nothing happens by chance and that every aspect of our lives is under complete and total Divine supervision.
Having too much cash sitting in a checking account is typically a poor decision, as you are losing buying power due to inflation.
Mindy, of course, had no idea Chani was busy struggling to process the idea that Effi Weinberg would be coming to town, wondering if he hated her and how she would react if their paths crossed.
Question: I recently returned from a trip abroad and wanted to say HaGomel. When I mentioned this to the officers of my synagogue, however, they told me that I would have to wait until Shabbos to do so. I was not given any reason for this and did not wish to display my ignorance, so I quietly acquiesced. Can you please explain why I had to wait? Name Withheld Via E-mail
By Mendi Glik
Yossi grew up in a musical house. His mother played accordion and used to sing with the kids every Shabbat. His grandfather on his father’s side was a ba’al tefillah. His grandfather’s brother was a cantor and knew the big cantors.
What is the blessing that G-d bestows on us for keeping the mitzvot? It is that “tishme’u,” you will be able in the future to continue performing the mitzvot. There is a future to keeping mitzvot.
Ironically, it’s minority schoolchildren, whom teachers claim to care about, who have been the biggest losers.
All of us should express our appreciation of talmud Torah’s importance by enabling those devoted to its study to focus on that important mission.
Its clarity, accuracy, and comprehensiveness swiftly eclipsed earlier lexicographical works, establishing it as the indispensable reference for generations of scholars – both Jewish and Christian – who sought to unlock the linguistic treasures of the Tanach.
We will bentch Rosh Chodesh this Shabbat and announce the coming month – Rosh Chodesh Elul yihyeh machar b’yom Rishon uvyom Sheini…
By Marc Gronich
There is a clear nexus between cell phone use and a decline in students’ mental health and academic success due to a decreased ability to focus, diminished social interaction and emotional stress, said Senator Shelley Mayer (D – Yonkers, Westchester County), chairwoman of the Senate Education Committee.
The Talmud (Shabbos 151b) expounds that anyone who has compassion on Hashem’s creatures will receive compassion from Hashem, and one who does not have compassion will not receive compassion from Heaven...
By Alan Zeitlin
The idea that the entire country of Israel is immoral is a fantasy of Jew-haters.
Other depictions of the redemption tend to emphasize the glory of G-d that derives from His redeeming His people at a time and in a manner which suits Him. But human beings, even those who are desperate and endangered, ideally don’t want to be given something they have not earned.
As the weeks went on, it became disappointingly apparent to me that my father and I were not inspired by the same things. I desperately wanted to connect to the ideas that he thought worthy of preservation, and while I was able to appreciate them intellectually, my heart remained perversely neutral.
While Zola is celebrated today as a defender of Jewish rights, his fiction, particularly in La Curee, reflects the complexities and contradictions inherent in French attitudes toward Jews in the late 19th century.
Very often, people believe that true depth and wisdom lies only in far-off places – in Eastern spirituality or Western philosophy. However, the deepest wisdom lies within Jewish thought, in the depths of the Torah’s inner wisdom. One must only seek, and they will find.
Plainly, for that crowd, it is of no moment what the laws or tradition may require. What counts is whether the results work for you.
Roosevelt knew his words had to do more than rally the public – they had to silence powerful and influential Americans who still imagined a deal with Germany might be possible.
In reality, every color is actually all the colors except that one – because the surface is absorbing all wavelengths except for one, and reflecting that one back to us.
Being Jewish is not being a religion of holy people. It is a religion of ordinary people aspiring to holiness through sacred acts in daily life.
Promoting ruach (team spirit) and hype are extremely important to help fire up and motivate the team to feel they can win Color War. It’s always fascinating to see a relatively quiet staff member standing on a bench, his face painted his team’s color, screaming a chant with hundreds of campers excitedly following his lead.
He really was an amazing speaker. The Torah just flowed from his lips. He was so brilliant, but also so modest.
By David Curwin
Moshe was a Hebrew name from the start, but he also bore an Egyptian name. A key piece of evidence supporting the Hebrew origin is the pun itself.
By Avi Ganz
The lesson is that to aspire to greatness in leadership, we need to realize that the kedusha; the greatness, is everywhere. Not just in the burning bush or the heavenly voice.
By Solly Hess
Sadly, the culture in which we find ourselves today tells a different story. Leadership has been reduced to “influence.” If you can find or rally an audience, you are a leader. All you need is followers. How you act, what you say, or how you treat the very people who look to you for guidance, matters far less than your status, position, or title.
The Torah emphasizes the fact that all eyes were on him throughout his lifetime, and his leadership becomes that much more inspiring when one considers what his experience must have been like in that environment.
He was even open to his father-in-law's advice to delegate judging disputes, instead of acting like he could do it all.
It is frightening to see that this sort of thing is embedded in our higher education. It is not hyperbole to suggest that our students – our future leaders – are in the thrall of dedicated ideologues who are proselytizing in the guise of educating.
By Alan Magill
Three diseases could not stop my mother. They never had a chance. She LIVED and was a giver until the last moment she passed from this world to a better world.
As someone who used to be on the receiving end of this toxic behavior from friends and family – I say used to be because I stopped all contact with these health-destroying individuals – I have zero tolerance for any emotional and verbal abuse – I wonder why the spouse doesn't just walk away.
Who’s The Boss? ‘One Hired A Laborer To Assist Him In Yayin Nesech’ (Avodah Zarah 62a)
It’s all about when and how you say no.
Unlike legitimate shame, which is a productive, self-correcting mechanism that says, I am less because of what I’ve done, this is toxic shame: I am less because of what was done to me.
By Irwin Cohen
The six-foot-six left-handed pitcher's career spanned 19 seasons and he racked up a career record of 251 wins and 161 losses with a pretty good earned run average of 3.74. C.C. won 19 games three times and once won 21 in a season.
Western liberals have shown a troubling tolerance for these totalitarians.
By Mendi Glik
You’ll be surprised to hear that Netanel was not pushed by his father to be chazzan – it was all his choice. But chazzanut was a big part of his childhood.
Mindy’s hours scrolling through Instagram had served as her cordon bleu education, and when motivated, she could summon enviable energy to attack large gourmet meals.
All her life, from early childhood, Grandma has been meticulous in living a fully observant Jewish life. Her devotion to mitzvot was such that at age 99, when the U.K. was in full lockdown during Covid, she cleaned and kashered her home for Pesach entirely on her own – just months before her 100th birthday.
It is truly heartbreaking that in the midst of a devastating war – nearly 1,000 brave Israeli soldiers have been killed, thousands more wounded, tens of thousands of families remain displaced, and the country is torn apart emotionally and ideologically over the seemingly irreconcilable goals of rescuing the long-suffering hostages and defeating Hamas – another battle has been declared.
Question: I recently returned from a trip abroad and wanted to say HaGomel. When I mentioned this to the officers of my synagogue, however, they told me that I would have to wait until Shabbos to do so. I was not given any reason for this and did not wish to display my ignorance, so I quietly acquiesced. Can you please explain why I had to wait? Name Withheld Via E-mail
We must all prioritize our time and be sensitive to others. During the time that we are working on ahavas chinam, let us all try to work harder on not ignoring others when we are with them and really being present, without the distraction of a phone.
The Aish Kodesh taught his community, in the abyss of dehumanization and annihilation, that they had been given an opportunity to elicit Hashem’s power to redeem the world and fulfill His promises to our forefathers.
Even a single person’s Torah learning makes the whole world worthwhile!
This wasn’t just anti-Israel opinion; it was a call for the elimination of an entire nation and its people. This type of speech has no place in civilized discourse, and defending it as a form of free expression only emboldens those who seek to delegitimize Israel and harm Jewish communities.
Eikev gives us the source of the mitzvah to daven. Once again, Rabbinic law has given us the how many times a day, at what times, and what to say. It should, however, never escape us that the Torah’s command to “Serve G-d with all our heart” is the core of our davening.
The sefer is sui generis – not a conventional commentary, nor merely a novellae – but a tightly reasoned map of halachic architecture, often condensed into a few masterfully chosen words.
Covenant grows up here. It moves from bedtime prayers to morning spreadsheets. From mezuzahs on doorposts to mercy in hospital rooms. Not because we are commanded, but because we remember.
By Ariela Davis
I am endlessly grateful to Hashem for the miracles he performed for us in getting our footing in this amazing country... I’m grateful to Hashem for providing us with work that we find challenging and fulfilling and also proud that we were able to recreate ourselves.
There was no danger of becoming arrogant in the desert. There were no self-made men there. It was clear to all that manna rained down from heaven, that water was provided in merit of Miriam, that clothes lasted forever and one’s feet did not swell in the heat (8:4).
You had this upcoming year planned, and part of that included dating. Now you worry that this might not be the correct decision. Should time be factored into your hope to date and if so when would it be right?
The Chazon Ish answered him that Torah is not wisdom; it’s a neshama, a soul.
Turning himself into a scientific lexicographer, he was determined that each word would have its roots in Biblical sources to the greatest possible extent. However, in many cases, there were no analogs – one estimate is that the Hebrew Bible contains only 6,259 unique words, while modern Hebrew has about 80,000 – so he had to create new words from whole cloth.
As we previously explained, the purpose of techeiles and tzitzis is to straighten the bent path and help connect us back to Hashem, our Source.
Huckabee went on to challenge Starmer on how much food his government had sent to Gaza, noting that Israel has already contributed more than two million tons although Hamas seized much of it. Indeed, has anyone seen a malnourished Hamas terrorist in any of the pictures of them shooting their rifles into the air?
By Marc Gronich
Delgado said he felt unsatisfied in his role as Hochul’s teammate. Following public disagreements with her, he said in February 2025 that he would not seek reelection as lieutenant governor in 2026.
I am not saying I know exactly how Israel should or should not act, what the day after plan should be, which leaders or parties know best, or so on.
Disenfranchised and prolonged grief often require additional support, as they involve barriers – emotional, social, or both – to normal mourning.
A person would think twice before he spoke about someone else, knowing that one statement of lashon hara can cause him to contract tzaraas.
The Lubavitcher Rebbe, zt”l, refused to call a hospital a beit cholim, house of the sick, because words shape reality. He called it a beit refuah, house of healing, reinforcing hope and recovery. The label itself becomes part of the cure.
Our people now embark on a project greater than the Great Wall of China – not forged from stone and mortar, but carved deep into the fabric of history.
By Nachum Segal
We must remind ourselves not to fear. We know who is in charge and who choreographs daily life for our beloved nation.
Everywhere I go throughout Israel, every hostage poster, every sticker or magnet memorializing a fallen soldier hits hard. Despite being an outsider, they are all so familiar, their names and faces, because we have all been following so closely.
Yisrael is the most sublime of the names, given to Yaakov by G-d’s angel with whom he had battled.
Yisrael, of course, is the name of (or, at least, one of the names of) our forefather. Given that the Torah explains why Yaakov received this name, it should be easier to understand why we, too, are called by that name.
We daven Shimoneh Esrei every day and ask Hashem to heal the sick of Am Yisrael. It doesn't matter if we don't personally know the person we are praying for because as the Talmud teaches us that all Jews are responsible for one another.
The Trump campus antisemitism campaign includes lawsuits and suspensions of massive research grants in the hundreds of millions of dollars. UCLA has recently had $584 million in research funding suspended.
By Risa Rotman
Sunday morning as I was packing up for my retreat, I threw in the Arnica even though I felt like my hand was already feeling and looking much better. It can’t hurt, I thought as I tossed in a few more maybe items.
While in the United States, Aaronsohn made some important contacts in the American Jewish community, including with some leading philanthropists, who agreed to finance Aaronsohn’s efforts to establish such an institute.
Our Turn ‘A Gentile Nullifies His Idolatrous Relic...’ (Avodah Zarah 52b)
If we really are living in the times of Mashiach, how can we think Mashiach can possibly come when even Orthodox Jews do not treat each other well?
We wonder, why am I not passionate about anything significant? The answer is rarely found in more searching – but in more refining.
July 3, 2026 
