There was a summer camp that embarked on a special project with its campers.
From the first day of the season, the campers began building a detailed model of the Bais HaMikdash, the Holy Temple, which stood in Jerusalem.
Each bunk was given a particular job and as the weeks passed the edifice began to take shape. The campers were deeply invested in the project and took great pride in its construction.
Every day they saw it coming together.
Then, it was finally complete.
The campers stood in a circle around their model of the Temple.
They were so proud of every detail and oohed and aahed over the magnificent artistry.
The camp administrator had the whole piece brought to the pool and everyone stood around as the beautiful structure was mirrored in the water around it.
All of a sudden someone yelled
“Fire”.
Unbeknownst to them, the model had been set alight. And before their very eyes, the outcome of their efforts, the work they had done so laboriously, all went up in smoke.
The campers cried some bitter tears.
The day
Tisha BAv

A noted Rabbi and judge who lives in Jerusalem was walking home with a friend. He was confronted by his neighbor. The neighbor accosted the Rabbi and charged him with owing him money.
The Rabbi asked, why do I owe you money?
The neighbor replied that the Rabbi had recently had his apartment painted and the process had caused the neighbor damage and he felt he was owed recompense.
The Rabbi asked why?
The man explained that the painter had poured the leftover paint down the pipes and that paint had stopped up his pipes and he had to hire a plumber to unstop the pipes to the tune of 600 shekel, approximately $200.
The Rabbi immediately reached into his pocket and gave his neighbor the money.
As they continued on their journey, the Rabbi told his colleague that he could prove in 3 ways that he did not actually owe the money.
First of all, the Rabbi said, paint does not clog pipes.
Secondly, the pipes in his apartment are on the other side of the building, and do not interface at all with his neighbor’s pipes.
And, finally, he had not done any painting in his apartment at all.
The colleague was dumbfounded. He wanted to understand why the Rabbi paid the sum without argument or defense.
The Rabbi responded that keeping peace with his neighbor is worth 600 shekels.
That is an inspired thought.
Especially at this time of year when we are experiencing the Three Weeks, the time when we mourn the loss of our Temple, the House of Peace, a loss that came about due to not seeing one another’s presence and worth.
If we would value peace with one another to the degree we would be willing to pay for it, we would be in a different place entirely.

This week’s Parsha, Torah portion, is called Parshat Pinchos.
It is one of the longest portions of the Torah, clocking in at a whopping 168 verses.
Pinchos’s, the grandson of Aaron, stops a plague that is devastating the people. The plague is a punishment for promiscuous behavior by some of the menfolk.
Subsequent to the plague a census is enacted.
The purpose of the census is to lay the groundwork for dividing up the Land of Israel and giving each Tribe its portion.
The portions of the land will be awarded to each family.
There is however one family that has no father or brothers, no menfolk at all.
It is a family comprised of five sisters.
They are the daughters of a man named Zelopchad who has perished in the desert.
The 5 daughters question Moshe about the inheritance.
Their father did leave Egypt with the Jewish people, but he has passed on, leaving no male heirs to inherit when they enter the land.
They argue that his name should not be forgotten, and that they in fact should be allowed to claim his portion.
Moshe did not know the answer to their question, and he brings their claim to the final adjudicator, Gd.
Moshe is told by Gd that the daughters of Tzelopchad have a legitimate claim and indeed, they should receive their Father’s portion.
Rabbanit Yemima Mizrachi expounds on these five exceptional women.
She notes that we are now entering the period of the Three Weeks.
This is the time of year when the Jewish people mourns the destruction of the Temples in Jerusalem.
The Three Weeks are bracketed by two fast days, one on the 17th day of Tammuz, which was this past Tuesday, and one on the 9th day of the month of Av which will be on August 13.
In her inimitable fashion, the Rabbanit notices the connection of the numbers.
Particularly the number 5.
Because on both of those fast days we commemorate 5 terrible events that transpired on those days.
Each of the fast days remind us of 5 things that transpired.
Chief amongst the 5, are the sin of the Golden Calf on the 17th of Tammuz, and the Sin of the Spies being one of the 5 awful events that transpired on the 9th of Av.
She makes the point that these 5 women did not take part in either of those crimes.
They should therefore not be included in the punishment.
What do these women want?
They want a future, an inheritance in the beloved Land.
And they are willing to fight for it.
And Gd says yes.
The future they dreamed of was indeed given to them.
There are not many details listed about these 5 sisters but our Sages teach us that they were intelligent and righteous women, after all the case they presented was accepted by Gd.

This week’s Torah portion is called Balak.
It describes the way the world viewed the Jewish people as they were marching through the desert.
The Jewish nation had experienced miracles coupled with great ups and downs.
Despite receiving the Torah at Mt Sinai, the acme of experiences, they sank to the nadir with the sin of the Golden Calf.
And when the opportunity arrived to enter into the Land of Israel, the spies sent to reconnoiter saw the greatness of the land and its inhabitants, but did not have the necessary faith in Gd or in themselves to enter the Land.
Due to their insecurity and feeling like they looked like grasshoppers in the eyes of the inhabitants, they feared to enter and shared a negative report.
This resulted in the punishment of marching through the desert for 40 years.
We know how the Jewish people felt about themselves.
But how did the other nations really see the Jews?
We get a glimpse of understanding from this portion.
It turns out that the other nations were actually fearful if the Jewish nation.
It turns out that a powerful king by the name of Balak, hence the name of the portion, was so fearful of the Jews, he hired a sorcerer to curse the Jewish nation.
That prophet was called Bilaam, and every time he attempts to curse the Jews, his words come out in the form of a blessing.
The words he spouts, are actually coming from Gd.
This is a curious phenomenon.
The last Torah portions are an accumulation of failures on the part of the Jewish people.
The track record is pretty abysmal and it would not be surprising if the Jews thought Gd had pretty much given up on them.
But they are given an insider’s peek when they hear the words of Bilaam, who is only a mouthpiece for Gd.

During the Holocaust, a rabbi by the name of Rabbi Ephraim Oshry was asked some horrific questions. Jews came to the rabbi for guidance and rulings on Jewish law that were reakky ghastly and grim.
One question he received came from a father whose son was destined for death. The father asked if he was allowed to bribe the Nazi guard to have his son released. The question stemmed from the repugnant reality that if the guard agreed, he would simply take another person in place of the son. Therefore the bribe was effectively murdering someone else.
Rabbi Oshry wrote his rulings on scraps of paper, most of which were torn from the bags of cement he carried as a forced laborer.
He buried his rulings which he was able to retrieve after the war.
He published all the legal opinions he wrote on those heart rending inquiries under the title “Responsa from the Depths”.
Rabbi Oshry said that the maintenance of Jewish life in the face of such horror was an integral part of Jewish resistance. Many who asked those questions did not survive, but their souls would live on.
He said “their souls were in the questions”.
Just the other day, a venerable rabbi by the name of Rabbi Asher Weiss, was also asked some difficult questions about how to maintain Jewish life and Jewish ritual, in the face of tremendous adversity.
A recently wounded year 20 year old soldier had some practical questions to pose to the rabbi.
In his recent deployment in the IDF, he was seriously wounded, and had lost both legs and his right arm and had injured his left hand. He asked about how he should don his Tefillin, and how he should ritually wash his hands, issues that are vastly complicated by his injuries.
But it was his last question that brought Rabbi Weiss to tears.
He explained that he would be receiving prosthetics for his legs and hand and he wanted to know when is the appropriate time to make the Shehechiyanu blessing. Should he recite the blessing when he receives the prosthetics, or when he puts them on for the first time.
Rabbi Weiss had never heard such a query.
The blessing of Shehechiyanu celebrates gratitude to Gd for sustaining us in life till that moment. It’s a way to express to Gd appreciation for arriving at this moment and celebrating new possessions or special experiences.
This soldier wants to know when to make this blessing?
Over the loss of three of his four limbs?
He is still blessing Gd?
No wonder the Rabbi was brought to tears. As Rabbi Weiss shared the experience he said in wonder, these are Tzadikim, these are holy and righteous people.
As Rabbi Oshry had once penned, the shining soul of this young man is revealed in his questions.
It is humbling.

Today is July 4, Independence Day in the USA.
Today is also Day 272.
A day we pray for the independence of our brothers and sisters who are trapped in Gaza, trapped behind the gates the terrorists have imprisoned them behind.
We want to celebrate their independence so desperately.
We know miracles happen. They have happened to the Jewish people from time immemorial.
48 years ago on this day, we witnessed such a miracle.
On July 4,1976, 100 Israeli commandos, were able to rescue 100 hostages who were being held at the airport in Entebbe.
The story is a miracle in our times.
This past week was also the 5th Yahrzeit, anniversary, of the passing of a great educator and mentor of thousands.
Rabbi David Trenk ztzl believed in miracles too.
He believed in the miracle that is you!
He would focus on the strengths of each person to the degree that they would start to believe in themselves and overcome the adversity that might be holding them back in any way.
There are hundreds of stories told by his students regarding this trait of positivity and how his outlook changed their outlook on themselves and how others viewed them.
Rabbi Trenk would take his car to a mechanic. There was another regular customer who frequented the same mechanic, a trucker, who was apparently extremely intimidating. Whenever he entered the mechanic’s shop everyone took a step back. Once Rabbi Trenk happened to be there when this burly gentleman came in. Within a moment he jumped up, hugged the man and said “my brother it’s so nice to meet you”.
The man literally melted before everyone’s eyes. He was so touched.
Afterwards one of the other customers asked Rabbi Trenk, why he called him “my brother”, after all, he was anything but.
Rabbi Trenk replied, he is my brother, did you not see the Magen David necklace he was wearing?
The truth is no one did see it.
They saw the persona of a truck driver. They couldn’t see beyond. No one else saw who he really was.
This week’s Torah portion is called Korach.
It speaks of jealousy amongst “brothers” that goes terribly wrong.
In the portion is a verse where Gd says to Aaron
“bring close, your brothers, the Levites, they will assist you and they will serve you”.
Rashi, the Torah commentary, explains what the role of the Levites, would be in the sanctuary and later on in the Temple.

Day 256
Many years ago our family had the pleasure of making the acquaintance of another family here in Atlanta.
One of the children, a teenager, was searching to find meaning in his Judaism, and became a regular visitor.
He brought his parents to meet us, and we became fast friends.
Each of the above had limited Jewish background, and they were intrigued to learn more.
They had another daughter who was attending a prestigious law school out of state. This daughter became alarmed as she heard about the Jewish journey her parents were embarking upon, and was afraid they had lost their compass.
To allay her fears, the mom suggested she join us on her next visit home.
To her credit, she came.
In perfect lawyerly fashion, she peppered us with questions about Judaism.
To me it seemed she was not very interested.
She was not connecting personally to the Jewish wisdom that was being shared.
As the meal progressed, my husband began sharing a Torah thought. It centered around the laws of Loshon Hara, the prohibition to speak slander about others.
I was astounded to see a complete change in the demeanor of our budding lawyer. She was dumbfounded to hear that Judaism forbids gossip, speaking badly about another.
It turned out that this precept was hers as well.
She was known amongst her peers as someone who would not speak, or share, or listen to Loshon Hara.
This decision on her part did not make her very popular with some of her friends, and it was at great personal sacrifice that she continued her practice.
Learning that there are many laws regarding proper speech and the respect the Torah requires us to show one another, was an eye opener for her.
Today, this young woman is a successful attorney, plying her craft while she carefully keeps the laws of Loshon Hara, and many others as well.

Behaalotcha.
When you go up.
This Torah portion is the one where the preparation to enter the Land of Israel is completed and the trek forward begins.
It is the point of transition from theory to practice.
If we would stop the narrative here the story would be pollyannish, a fairytale.
Gd took us out of Egypt with technicolor miracles, proceeds to present us with the Torah, establishes the Tabernacle, the nexus of Divine and human, and then gives us the commandments-the blueprint of how to live life in a spiritual manner while living on earth.
It seems just so perfect.
But life isn’t perfect.
Our lives aren’t perfect.
If we look at our lives they are often quite messy.
Difficult relationships, illness, loss, financial challenges and that is just a small sliver of the aforementioned mess.
If we would try to relate to the Torah, it would not jive.
The Torah perspective seems perfect, how can we relate?
But the portion just not stop with the theoretical.
Because this Portion has more complaints than any other portion.
The Jewish people are dissatisfied with so much, they even long for Egypt and it’s misery for goodness sakes.
The portion details the anger, frustration, complaints which seem so petty - real life on steroids.
It is Gd saying to the people, people you are complicated.
You are a mix of resentment, jealousy, weakness and even boredom.
Gd is very real about humankind.
Gd created us in our complex nature.
Our job as human beings is to live real life with all its challenges while simultaneously working towards reaching to the ideal.
In the words of Rabbi Reuven Tradburks
“Behaalotcha assured us that the ideal is to aspire to, while the real is to manage.”
This week our family suffered a devastating loss.
A very dear family friend passed away.

Day 244
Rachel Polin, mother of Hersh, who is still languishing in captivity, was asked to address a gathering of Chabad Campus outreach workers. Rachel thanked the women for carving out time in their busy schedule to support her and join her in prayer on behalf of Hersh.
She is praying for the rescue and release of Hersh Ben Chana Perel and the women in attendance prayed with her.
She was surrounded by their loving embrace.
It must have given her a modicum of comfort and surely gave her courage to continue in her brave fight on behalf of her son.
As I watched the event and speech I was taken with the kindness these women exhibited, not only taking of their time but showing up in a deeply meaningful manner.
That is Chessed.
Loving kindness.
A hallmark of a Jew.
Recently, a Holocaust survivor by the name of Marion Blumenthal addressed a group of young adults. This woman who grew up having experienced unspeakable horrors had a message for her young audience. They assumed she would exhort them to never forget or stand up to the enemy as no fight.
Instead her message was
“Be kind to one another”
Despite the darkness this woman has experienced, her motto is to be kind.
That is the hallmark of a Jew.
If we aren’t kind we cannot survive.
Next week we will celebrate the holiday of Shavuot.
This is the holiday when we celebrate the giving of the Torah to the Jewish people.
On Shavuot we read the book of Ruth which is the story of a Moabite princess who cast her lot with the Jewish people. One might assume that is the reason we read this book on Shavuot.
Just as the Jewish nation accepted the Torah, so too did Ruth when she converted.
Makes sense.
Our Sages give another explanation.
They call this book a book of Chessed, loving kindness.
The story is told in great detail to flesh out the extreme kindness that was done.
Here is the story in a nutshell.

Day 237
Every day of these 237 we have seen pictures.
Photos of smiling young men and women, in the prime of their lives.
And then we learn they are no longer with us on this planet.
The heart breaks again and again as we contemplate the shattered lives and broken souls who are left behind.
Many days it is too much to bear.
But we are given glimpses into the greatness of those we have lost and we are left breathless by their faith, determination and bravery. It makes us stand taller, squaring our shoulders as we brace ourselves to try a little harder to emulate them.
And what of the families they have left behind?
They are the true warrriors.
This week there was a Brit Milah. The mother of the baby, cradling the newborn in her arms, is flanked by her toddler and her own mother and grandmother. All are surrounding her in a circle of love, strength and support.
Rabbanit Yemima Mizrachi was there.
Her reaction was not pity.
Rather she sees the scene and exclaims that we are a nation of lionesses.
She could see the power emanating from these women.
They will persevere and continue on.
I watched an interview of a bereaved mother.
She lost two daughters at the Nova festival. She shared about these two sisters, the light and joy they brought to her and to the world.
And while she is forever going to mourn them, she will also continue to live for them, having their spirit always with her, always feeling their presence, every single moment of her life.
She will not stop living she will honor their lives by living her own.
And their constant presence, she said, will be her inspiration.
For a bereaved parent, child or spouse, the grief is always a part of their new normal.
Rabbi Moshe Hauer teaches us the reality of this situation through the lens of this week’s Torah portion.
This week we will read the last Parsha of the book of VaYikra, the book Leviticus, which is called Bechukotai.
In it Gd promises to remember his covenant with Jacob and also Isaac and Gd will recall Gd’s covenant with the Abraham.
This refers to the promise that Gd makes that even if we have strayed and we are being dreadfully punished, at the end we will be remembered and redeemed.
The sentence is quite convoluted. It seems the remembrance and recalling is only connected to two of the three Patriarchs, Abraham and Jacob? What about Isaac? Why is there no need to remember him?
Rashi, the super commentator, explains that Gd does not need to remember Isaac, as his “ashes” are always piled before Gd.
(This refers to the Binding of Isaac. Gd commanded Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac and Isaac was willing to subject himself. The deed never actually took place, but because Isaac was willing, it is as if he was brought a sacrifice and the ashes are symbolic.)
Since those ashes are always present there is no need to remember that which is still and always, there.
Rabbi Hauer shares that this unusual statement can be seen as a reciprocation from Gd.
Abraham was ready to sacrifice his son. In his mind the deed was done. He was therefore considered a bereaved parent.
A bereaved person carries their loss with them always. With the passage of time they learn to live again, they learn to function, but there is always the absence of their loved one tugging at their heart.