6:03pm - Havdalah, Saturday
(Melbourne Australia)
Shabbat Shalom!
Fast postponed until Sunday 17th
6:04am - Fast begins, Sunday
5:50pm - Fast ends, Sunday
(The 3 Weeks begins, details below)
Attached is this weeks Emmanuel's listings
Please click here to view the Yeshivah Shule Tzetel for Shabbos Parshas Bolok. PARSHAH IN A NUTSHELL
Numbers 22:2–25:9
Balak, the king of Moab, summons the prophet Balaam to curse the people of Israel. On the way, Balaam is berated by his donkey, who sees, before Balaam does, the angel that G‑d sends to block their way. Three times, from three different vantage points, Balaam attempts to pronounce his curses; each time, blessings issue forth instead. Balaam also prophesies on the end of the days and the coming of Moshiach.
The people fall prey to the charms of the daughters of Moab, and are enticed to worship the idol Peor. When a high-ranking Israelite official publicly takes a Midianite princess into a tent, Pinchas kills them both, stopping the plague raging among the people.
HAFTORAH IN A NUTSHELL
Micah 5:6-6:8
This week's haftorah makes mention of the incident of Balak the king of Moab hiring the sorcerer Balaam to curse the Jewish people — the main topic of this week's Torah reading.
The prophet Micah prophesies about what will occur after the war of Gog and Magog, the war which precedes the coming of the Messiah and the Final Redemption.
"And the remnant of Jacob shall be in the midst of many peoples — like dew sent by G‑d, like torrents of rain upon vegetation that does not hope for any man and does not wait for the sons of men." The prophet describes how G‑d will remove the idols and sorcerers and how He will destroy the Jews' enemies.
The prophet Micah then goes on to rebuke the Jewish people for not observing G‑d's commandments, calling as witness the "mountains and hills" — a reference to the Patriarchs and Matriarchs — and reminding them of the great things G‑d had done for them. He took them out of Egypt and replaced the curses that Balaam son of Beor wanted to utter against them with blessings.
The Jewish people respond by saying that they do not know how to serve G‑d and ask for guidance. The prophet reminds them of the Torah, and that all they need to do is contained within it: "He has told you, O man, what is good, and what G‑d demands of you: but to do justice, love kindness, and walk discreetly with your G‑d."
SAGES ON THE PARSHAH
She crushed Balaam's foot against the wall (22:27)
This was the very heap of stones which Laban and Jacob had erected as a testament that "I will not pass over this heap to you, and that you will not pass over this heap and this pillar to me, for harm" (Genesis 31:52). Balaam, who is Laban, was now violating this covenant by crossing the heap to come curse the descendents Jacob. Therefore the wall was punishing him, for it was the witness for the oath, and it is written (Deuteronomy 17:7): "The hand of the witnesses should be first in [punishing] him."
(Midrash Tanchuma)
https://w2.chabad.org/media/pdf/111825.pdf
FAST OF THE 17th OF TAMMUZ
Because of the holiness of Shabbat, the fast of Tammuz 17 is this year postponed to today, Tammuz 18. We refrain from all food and drink from "daybreak" (about an hour before sunrise, depending on location) until nightfall. Special prayers and Torah readings are added to the day's services.
The fast day mourns the breaching of Jerusalem's walls and the other tragic events that occurred on Tammuz 17--see "Today in Jewish History" for that date--and repenting and rectifying their causes.
Link: Halachic times for today's fast
During the Three Weeks, from 17th of Tamuz to the 9th of Av, we commemorate the conquest of Jerusalem, the destruction of the Holy Temple and the dispersion of the Jewish people.
Weddings and other joyful events are not held during this period; like mourners, we do not cut our hair, and various pleasurable activities are limited or proscribed. (The particular mourning customs vary from community to community, so consult a competent halachic authority for details.)
Submission to Emmanuel's? See here
