יום שישי, י״ח תמוז תשפ״וFriday, July 3, 2026
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Life sometimes feels like being a blind person in a restaurant. It's going to be good, they say. It will be good, they insist.
In life, we also have blind spots. There will be decisions that come our way that we will not be able to fairly judge, our biases or desires will blind us.
Thus has it ever been. Jews have been vilifying each other and attacking each other for thousands of years. What's new?
By Solly Hess
During the Kedusha prayer, I abandon gravity as much as I can. We lift up off our heels several times upwards to intensify our dedication to G-d. For me, the need to release my illusion of control is critical.
Hashem creates each and every one of us to be special in our own way. Why waste our lives comparing ourselves to others?
I find it interesting that the three weeks are always in the summer months, a time when we feel free and happy, and all of a sudden, we are hit with a mourning period where nine of those days we refrain from swimming, eating meat, and drinking wine.
We often try to bury our vulnerabilities and wounds. The pain or shame can simply feel too great. But when we face them, we can integrate these aspects within ourselves.
You need to understand that Hashem is in our life every single day. So, there is no need to worry. Take comfort in the fact that you are being worked with.
Using the Lashon Kodesh reveals its true majesty. It encompasses not only the art of comforting but also the radiant restoration of hope, the gentle touch of healing, and the grace of solace for all souls in need.
By Keshet Starr
As we commemorate the destruction of the Beit HaMikdash, we are reminded of G-d’s promise to the Jewish people: Nachamu, nachamu ami – comfort, comfort my people.
By Hillel Fuld
Sometimes, in order to achieve comfort, you need to stop, look around, and just be. That is what we have Shabbat for and that is what we learned from G-d and how he rested on the seventh day.
To know they must not suffer in silence and that there is an army of people who have their back – that is comfort.
These somber laments/dirges expressing public mourning and grief are composed with short meters resonating with sentiments of loss and incompletion.
The word dirge has an odd etymology. It originally stems from the Latin imperative root dirige, meaning direct!
By Rabbanit Dr. Adena Berkowitz
They aren’t meant to be quickly scanned, but rather require us to take the time to read, reflect and connect to our national tragedies, both thousands of years ago and even in contemporary times.
By Maayan Zik
To never forget the pain/That remains/To never settle too long in grief/And continue in faith and belief/That our dirge, like clay/Is formed into something lighter to play
By Nachum Segal
The dirge and the timely nusach and the attention to the kumsitz and slower paced singing, all play a positive role in setting the mood and getting in the mood for a national time of sadness and mourning.
By Rachel Kohn
The events of the Tanach had never felt so close and so real to me, like time compressed, and I could see everything in my mind's eye: the riverbeds and streams, sweeping hillsides, and rocky wilderness.
By Avi Ganz
Even after mankind was banished from Gan Eden and sentenced to a more limited experience, Rav Chaim says, our potential is so much greater than we too often believe.
By Eli Lebowicz
I probably know where I’m going, but I doubt myself, worried that I’ll mess up and make a wrong turn somewhere.
My first instinct was to tell her to move away from the 150-year-old, fading velvet cover, but instead, I enjoyed the sight of a giggling, Jewish child playing behind an artifact that miraculously was drawn from the fires of Kristallnacht.
I wonder about the Avot and Imahot and the shvatim, how they got around Israel with no maps at all – if anyone here knows of a Biblical map, please alert the media.
Notwithstanding the traditional and formidable complexity of this idea, a sense of zealousness in the simplest sense seems to connote a demand for relationships and obligations to be honored.
In our comics, the zealotry of Batman keeps Gotham safe, and in our Torah, lehavdil, the zealotry of Pinchas ultimately saved lives and resulted in peace.
Certain behaviors are so demonic and evil, that the Torah makes room for zealotry under extreme circumstances.
Folks here are zealous to defend against an equally zealous enemy. Here in Judea, it is clear that we are in the midst of a serious conflict for the land and for legitimacy.
Today, zealots are the ones who refuse to let the people they disagree with speak. They like to cancel comedians and are banning books like MAUS by Art Spiegelman from public school libraries, and writing angry letters to podcasters.
New Yorkers are like a puzzle. We may have different backgrounds, distinct lifestyles, and our own personal aspirations, but each of us is joined in a big picture and together we make a spectacular whole.
In the end, we are all crafting our own puzzles, made up of the aspects of life that we have been gifted, that we have been challenged with, that we have chosen to try to achieve, overcome, create, and manifest.
The Jewish experience has been shaped by puzzles that only an omniscience and omnipotent being can fully make sense of. Only He can bless us with puzzles that can unlock our potential and draw us closer to Hashem.
Only recently did I realize how much of an impact my 6th grade teacher had on my life; she strengthened and encouraged my love for reading, writing – and puzzles!
Our Yiddishkeit is the image our puzzle creates, and we should endeavor to make each piece of our puzzle fit this mold.
The earthquake wasn't a common geological phenomenon. The earth did something out of the ordinary, thereby requiring the pre-programming of nature during the six days of creation (similar to the speech of Bilam's donkey and the other miracles listed there).
These spiritual earthquakes are not always experienced physically at all. They are the opportunities created by the opening of a new yeshiva that properly serves a mission or a population that has been falling through the cracks.
Perhaps the Torah is trying to teach us that when your arguments are futile, like those of Korach, they are swallowed up and never to be seen or heard of again.
From the times of our sages and even to this day, natural phenomena have engendered discussion among Torah scholars about their meaning and purpose in general, and about the specific incident in particular.
Despite the brazenness of Korach’s rebellion (a machti et harabim event if there ever was one), we might still be shocked by its horrific fallout.
The soul of a Jew is a spy. The soul is G-dly, originating from an otherworldly place. Yet to fulfill its mission, it must disguise itself and function though the body like all human beings.
The facts as the spies presented them were entirely accurate. The sin was their conclusion: We will not be able to go up to that people, for it is too strong for us.
The State of Israel exists, despite 75 years of being surrounded by countries determined to annihilate it, because of brave individuals who risked their lives in order to obtain crucial information by being spies.
By JJ Eleff
This gray area is where we live most of our lives. We often face many challenges when it comes to keeping Torah and mitzvos, and if we see them as challenges as the miraglim did, then they will be! Our attitude is important.
According to Collins dictionary, a spy is a person employed to obtain secret information or a person who secretly watches others. The twelve men in Parshat Shlach (Bamidbar 13:2) were not spies.
Above all, he wants to make his customers happy, even if it comes at his own expense.
By Akiva Kra
Glass is broken at every wedding to remind us to mourn for the Beis HaMikdash. However, people usually overlook that and scream mazal tov because the chuppah is concluding.
By Sara Blau
The story didn't exactly play out that way. Avraham became prosperous, but also too busy to help the poor.
By Martin Bodek
Did you know that nature creates glass all the time? It can form when lightning strikes sand, when meteorites impact the earth, and when volcanoes spew molten rock that rapidly cools.
By dvora
Glass, a simple object, useful and positive, took on a tragic memory for the Jewish people. Kristallnacht – never to be forgotten; never to be repeated.
By Solly Hess
While my allergies and mop-top may have me feeling like a nazir, the fact is I’m far from it. Without Sefira and migraines, I’d be asking for a pair of scissors and a corkscrew!
Faced with the breakdown of society’s moral and ethical norms, Chazal anticipated the innate human desire to flee from the world.
By raising ourselves up to a higher spiritual level, we not only protect ourselves from temptations, but we should do so in a manner that fosters shalom, whether it is between husband and wife, between neighbors and friends, between the nations of the world or finding inner peace.
Whether good or bad, and Chazal have diverse opinions on the topic, the nazir is different. In truth, everyone is unique; we are each holy individuals at the core.
I could never be a nazir. I like to drink Moscato wine on Shabbat. And even though I love long hair, it is not flattering on me so I am forced to get a trim cut from time to time.
The wonder of the Tablets, however, is that the shattered shards which remained from the first Tablets – broken when Moshe witnessed the sin with the Golden Calf – were deemed important enough to be placed in the Aron within the Kodesh Kodshim.
The lesson of all advances in technology is – moderation. Can we learn to use it when we need it and not get addicted? This is the challenge that all of us need to conquer.
By Hillel Fuld
The first tablets were shattered by Moses because the Jewish people sinned with the golden calf. Meaning, they misused their need for spirituality.
The tablets were our first tangible source of information given to us by Hashem. It is where our non-separable connection began.
By Keshet Starr
Highlighting these ten commandments on tablets is not only a choice of style and semantics. It centers our faith and practice around core concepts and values.
Something already touched me then; the clouds atop the hills, the winds across my face, the sun peeking between the eagle-shaped yeshiva, all contributed to a spiritual connection with Hashem, drawing me to return.
At a certain point, I realized that unless I was going to run on a treadmill, hills were inevitable.
As we approach the holiday of Shavout, it’s helpful to remember that Har Sinai was chosen because of its humility, but it was still a strong mountain.
I'm a sucker for songs that see hills and mountains as obstacles to be overcome - Still Haven't Found what I'm Looking For, Climb Every Mountain, and The Climb to name a few.
Says Elifaz to Iyov: Were you born before Adam? Were you created before the hills? (Don’t you love the ring of that?)
The hadlakot on Lag Ba’Omer, remind us of the warmth and light of the Torah.
By Rachel Kohn
I fear that I won't see a symbol of celebration when I look into the leaping flames of this year's bonfires, but an echo of the conflagrations of the past – the heat and destructive potential all too present and real.
By Avi Ganz
Before allowing something to expand, it would be advisable to make sure it has the space in which to expand. Without that space, the results can be disastrous.
While the Torah is more frequently compared to water, it is also called an esh dat (fiery law). Fire takes coarse matter and turns it into something lighter that rises towards the heavens.
Fire represents the struggle between the body and the soul, which is the essence of being human.
By Nachum Segal
It is the ones that are accompanied by a do-over or second chance that offer an opportunity to repair a wrong or switch gears during a challenging episode.
When someone comes to meet with me, they or someone close to them recognize that a change is necessary. Yet, they still may not fully believe they can actually make that change.
Everyone wants a second chance. It’s a gift we continually grant the people we care about in our lives.
Sometimes you can’t make up what you missed. On some views, if due to reasons out of one’s control, one cannot fulfill a positive mitzvah, they have missed out and cannot remedy that at all.
I’m sure at the beginning it was about being frugal, about coming to America with nothing and painstakingly creating something; it was about scrimping pennies so you could buy the basics that we take for granted, like milk, like fresh eggs, like a tea bag.
If we ever find ourselves dismissively commenting about the detail-orientation of halacha, or of other communities' halachic observance, perhaps we can remember that when we really care, we can indeed be very invested in the minute differences between Williamsburg Blue and its neighbors in the fan deck.
This leads many to suggest that language impacts the distinctions which we make and perceive. In truth, this is not a new idea.
By Maayan Zik
Blue is the color of remembrance as we acknowledge all the struggles and torments alongside all the joy and levity that has come packaged with the resilience and strength of a people loyal and dedicated to service, service of Hashem, of community, of family, of each other, etc.
As a New Yorker and a City Councilwoman, blue represents the brave men and women of the N.Y. City Police Department. They put on that blue uniform day in and day out, committed to making our city a safe place for its citizens.
It is easy to connect with people when things are good and they are walking around with their head up high and looking towards the sky. It is more difficult to connect with a person when they are downtrodden and can barely look straightforward, let alone upwards.
Whether there’s a bumblebee circling the conference room, snowflakes flurrying outside the classroom, or an alert buzzing on all the phones in the auditorium: trying to maintain everyone’s attention is a futile battle.
Bees get a bad rap. The bee is a real blessing for its role as pollinator of the world’s produce and flowers.
By Ira Stoll
The flowers and fruit get the glory, but without the pollination help from bees, they wouldn't bloom. Sometimes what looks dangerous, like a bee, can turn out to be a blessing.
By Anat Coleman
Queen-less bees become agitated. Have we ensured that those who rely on us for clear guidelines and expectations have received them, so they don't feel leader-less?
Children grow up so quickly. Just a minute ago, my three-year-old was a newborn baby. Now, I have two daughters. Watching them grow and change is the most fascinating thing to witness.
By Eli Lebowicz
Deciding to be fleishig is a tough commitment to make. And it’s pretty similar to the same fear of commitment that many people have (and often more so guys) when it comes to dating.
July 3, 2026 
