Parshas Balak Seventeenth Tammuz

ב"ה מפ' בלק וי"ז בתמוז

With the help of Heaven. From Parshas Balak, and the seventeenth of Tammuz.

This is the opening heading of the piece, noting that it was said with siyata diShmaya, on Parshas Balak, which fell during the period of the seventeenth of Tammuz, the fast that marks the beginning of the three weeks of mourning over the churban Beis HaMikdash.

Summary: This line serves as the heading for the divrei Torah of the Sfas Emes on Parshas Balak. It opens with the customary acknowledgment that the Torah is being said with the help of Heaven. It situates the piece both in the weekly parsha of Balak and in the time of year of the seventeenth of Tammuz, the fast day that begins the days of mourning over the destruction of the Beis HaMikdash and the onset of galus.