Rabbi Yaniv Meirov, rav of Congregation Charm Circle and CEO of Chazaq, greeted everyone on Sunday night, July 13, for the Shiv’ah Asar B’Tamuz shiurim at Havurat Yisrael, sponsored by Chazaq. He explained that Shiv’ah Asar B’Tamuz is a very sad day, marking the beginning of the Three Weeks – the mourning period that leads to Tish’ah B’Av, when both Holy Temples were destroyed.

Parshas VaEschanan begins with Moshe Rabbeinu davening“Va’eschanan el Hashem” – a t’filah so deep, Chazal tell us it was one of 515 pleas. Even though Moshe’s t’filah wasn’t answered in the way he hoped, we learn a powerful y’sod: no t’filah is ever lost.

This week’s parshah, Parshas Pinchas, shows us how one person’s courage and mesirus nefesh can save an entire nation. Pinchas acted quickly and with pure yir’as Shamayim to stop a terrible sin that was causing a plague in klal Yisrael. Because of his z’chus, Hashem gave him a special promise: a “bris shalom,” a covenant of peace.

Bethel Woods Center for the Arts has announced that Pavilion seating is now nearly sold out for Ishay Ribo’s upcoming concert — set for Thursday, August 7 (Yud Gimmel Av), just before Shabbos Nachamu. As demand continues to surge for what’s expected to be one of the most significant Jewish music events of the year, a limited number of Pavilion seats remain available. Lawn tickets and Separate Seating sections are also still open, offering a range of options for guests looking to be part of this historic night.

Mort Klein, a German-born American economist, statistician, and chairman of the Zionist Organization of America for three decades, has been praised as a voice of sanity for the Jewish community. While other American Jewish leaders have often been perceived as “emotional” and playing politics, Klein leaves little to the imagination. He’s a pragmatist and remains one of the most prominent Zionist leaders in America, especially at a time of great existential dangers facing Israel and the Jewish diaspora.