The Seventeenth of Tammuz is the dawn-to-nightfall fast day commemorating the breaching of the walls of Jerusalem, leading to the destruction of the Holy Temple on the 9th of Av, three weeks later. Since this year it falls on [this] Shabbat, the fast is postponed until the following day, Sunday (July 21).
The weekly reading of Balak contains the most basic prophecy about the Coming of Moshiach, as the Rambam (Maimonides) explains. The first three articles address this topic.
The 2nd is by the Ohr HaChayim, the great 18th century Moroccan kabbalist, whose yahrzeit falls this week, on Thursday 15 Tammuz,
The next, on the Weekly chapter of Pirkei Avot, is from the Rebbe Rayatz of Chabad, whose yahrzeit falls this week on Monday 12 Tammuz.
The grand finale: an extraordinary story evolving from a quoted verse in the Torah portion.

(Those of you in ISRAEL should click to 'PINCHAS' for articles on your Weekly Reading.)