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5781 Consolation in the Galus The three Shabbasos before Tisha BaAv are called the תלתא דפורענותא because during these Shabosos, we read Haftorahs that talk about the Churban instead of reading a Haftorah which is מענין הפרשה. The seven weeks after Tisha BaAv, beginning with this Shabbos, are known as the שב דנחמתא since the Haftorah of each of these weeks discuss consolation. The תלתא דפורענותא are understandable as we are still in Galus and are still waiting for the building of the Beis Hamikdash....

5781 Blind Spot This Shabbos, ח אב, is the Yahrzeit of the Alter from Kelm. The Rav mentioned that in Kelm, on a Yahrzeit, a Yasom didn’t daven at the Amud. They would say the reason is because the Amud is not a Yasom. (This was prompted by someone in the Shul having Yahrzeit and not davening for the Amud.) In the Sefer חכמה ומוסר (Volume 2, Siman 71, titled מכל מלמדי השכלתי), the Alter from Kelm writes something that is connected to the beginning of Devarim (1:9-14)....

5779 ונאכל מפריה ונשבע מטובה We say in the ברכות מעין שלש the words ונאכל מפריה ונשבע מטובה ונברך עליה בקדשה ובטהרה. The Poskim (See טור סימן רח) want to remove the words ונאכל מפריה ונשבע מטובה because of the Gemara in Sotah 14a. The Gemara there says as follows: דרש רבי שמלאי מפני מה נתאוה משה רבינו ליכנס לא"י וכי לאכול מפריה הוא צריך או לשבוע מטובה הוא צריך אלא כך אמר משה הרבה מצות נצטוו ישראל ואין מתקיימין אלא בא"י אכנס אני לארץ כדי שיתקיימו כולן על ידי...

5779 Importance of Speech This week’s Parshah begins with the Parshah of Nedarim. Why is it mentioned specifically here, after the episode with Bilaam and Pinchas and between the story with the בנות מדין and the war against מדין? Rashi in Parshas Balak quotes the Chazal that tells us that Bilaam was given to theאומות העולם as a Navi כדי שלא יהא פתחון פה לאומות לומר אלו היו לנו נביאים חזרנו למוטב (כב,ה)....

5781 Yahrzeit, the Churban, and Moadim The Kiddush was sponsored by Sender Galbut לעלוי נשמת his father, Reb Boruch Tzvi Ben Reuven Nosson Z”L. Dr. Galbut had visited the shul twice when he was already terminally ill and nevertheless he had a captivating smile and radiated Simchah. He was Zocheh that his Yahrzeit be during the ימי המצרים which are anyways days of mourning so he didn’t add another day of sadness....