Dear Friend,

Pinchas acted with immense courage that changed the course of Jewish history. Pinchas saw a moment that demanded responsibility, and instead of waiting for someone else to act, he stepped forward. Yet G-d’s reward is surprising: not honor or power, but “My covenant of peace.”

The strongest people are not those who win every battle, but those who bring healing, unity, and hope into a fractured world.

This message feels especially relevant as we observe the Fast of the Seventeenth of Tammuz and enter the Three Weeks. We remember the walls of Jerusalem being breached, a reminder that destruction begins when our spiritual and emotional defenses weaken. The Temple was not lost in a single day. It was the result of small (spiritual) cracks that were left unattended.

The Three Weeks invite us to repair those cracks before they become breaches. A kind word instead of criticism, patience instead of anger, prayer instead of indifference, and one more mitzvah than yesterday. Small acts of goodness strengthen the walls around our homes, our communities, and our own hearts.

May this be the year when our efforts to build peace and unity hasten the rebuilding of the the Temple, with the coming of Moshiach, speedily in our days.

Shabbat Shalom & Happy 4th of July!
Rabbi Zushe Cunin