This morning we start with a great story from the inimitable Rav Nota Greenblatt, saving all the Torah Scrolls in a small Texas shul. We describe, as best we can from Shem MiShmuel, the mysterious taking of letters of a name, to hold in escrow until a mission is fulfilled, and we show how this applies to both Eliyahu and Pinchas. And we identify the pain, loss, and mourning of this period of the Three Weeks as suffering from the missing or incomplete "Vav", the fractured peace - dramatically and tragically on view in Israel today - and the unrealized redemption. This is our job now, our responsibility, each of us in our own way, during these Three Weeks, to complete the "Vav" of Shalom, and return the Vav" to Eliyahu so he can announce our complete redemption.

Michael Whitman is the senior rabbi of ADATH Congregation in Hampstead, Quebec, and an adjunct professor at McGill University Faculty of Law. ADATH is a modern orthodox synagogue community in suburban Montreal, providing Judaism for the next generation. We take great pleasure in welcoming everyone with a warm smile, while sharing inspiration through prayer, study, and friendship.

Rabbi Whitman shares his thoughts and inspirations through online lectures and shiurim, which are available on:

YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/adathyoutube

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adathmichael/

Podcast - Mining the Riches of the Parsha:

Apple Podcasts - https://tinyurl.com/miningtheriches1

Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/miningtheriches3

Stitcher: https://tinyurl.com/miningtheriches4

Please contact Rabbi Whitman ([email protected]) with any questions for feedback, or to receive a daily email, "Study with Rabbi Whitman Today," with current and past insights for that day, video, and audio, all in one short email sent directly to your inbox.