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Read it: Vaad HaRabbonim of Baltimore Directive on Response to Criminal Emergencies on Shabbos and Yom Tov Shabbos / Sukkos / Baltimore Zmanim / Eruvs Are Up Scott Administration Issues ‘Return to Work’ Plan for Baltimore City Employees Watch: Rabbi Shlomo Horwitz Where is SHLOMO HAMELECH in the Ushpizin?? Plus, MUSIC BONUS (Video) Watch: Drone footage of Yerushalayim on Erev Sukkos 5777 (Video) BJL Traffic Alert: New Speed Camera Installation BJL Traffic Alert: Traffic Disruption on Reisterstown Road Due to Bus Accident Sukkos 5784: New York City Residents Urged To Shelter In Place As Life-threatening Flooding Submerges Subways, Streets House GOP Tanks Its Own Funding Bill, Edging Closer To Shutdown Maryland to Enact Stringent Gun Control Laws and Enhanced Police Accountability Measures on Oct. 1 Attempted Terror Attack: Terrorists Open Fire At Beit El From Moving Vehicle IRS Facing Worker Furloughs With Shutdown Amid GOP Confusion, U.S. Braces For ‘First-ever Shutdown About Nothing’ Poll: Netanyahu, Gantz Neck And Neck, Left Has Majority Pro-PA Groups: Suspend Israel's Entry Into The Visa Waiver Program Sukkos 5784 - Machzikei Hadas Off-Duty Sheriff's Deputy Shot To Death In Federal Hill Baltimore County Police Host Steering Wheel Lock Pop-Up Event This Tuesday, Oct. 3 (2nd Day Chol HaMoed) Bribery Allegations Spark Outrage Over Israeli Ministry of Religion's Plan to Distribute Sweets in Shuls on Simchat Torah Watch: Rabbi Ori Strum - The Starry Night and the Holiday of Sukkos (Video)
Baltimore, MD - Sept. 21, 2023 - Click on the letter below for a larger, printable copy
Baltimore, MD - September 29, 2023  – Today, Mayor Brandon M. Scott and Chief Administrative Officer Faith Leach directed executive departments and agencies to increase employee in-person presence at city government offices beginning Tuesday, January 2, 2024. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Baltimore City pivoted to a maximum telework posture to accommodate the immediate public health crisis. As Baltimore City adapts in this latest stage of the pandemic, the city is making additional updates to the hybrid work environment to encourage city employees to increase their time spent in physical office spaces. The update to the telework policy is designed to allow agencies to continue to use telework as a tool in talent recruitment, retention, and to accommodate building space limitati...
Aerial video of Arzei Habira, Maalot Dafna/Machal, and Ramat Eshkol on Erev Sukkos 5777.
Baltimore, MD – Sept. 29, 2023 – A new speed camera has been installed in the community on Greenspring Ave, near Shomrei Emunah, right outside the Flora Park Apartment Homes.
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Baltimore, MD – Sept. 29, 2023 – 2:20PM - Due to a bus accident in front of Dugans Liquors, (1322 Reisterstown Road) both southbound lanes on Reisterstown Road are blocked, and northbound traffic is reduced to one lane.
New York City faces severe flash flooding due to remnants of Tropical Storm Ophelia, submerging streets and subways, especially impacting Brooklyn, according to FOX Weather. Despite warnings and a State of Emergency declared across NYC, Long Island, and the Hudson Valley, residents encountered massive disruptions, with authorities urging people to stay indoors. Rainfall rates in some areas reached 2 inches per hour, overwhelming the city's drainage capacity. The heavy rainfall also hindered operations at LaGuardia Airport and prompted a travel advisory lasting until Saturday morning. Coastal areas along the Atlantic are also on alert for flooding conditions exacerbated by the full moon causing king tides.
A band of House conservatives on Friday voted down a GOP bill to avoid a government shutdown. The vote marked a significant — and embarrassing — defeat for Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) as a shutdown this weekend appears increasingly inevitable. Twenty-one Republicans joined Democrats in opposing the legislation, bringing the final tally to 198-232. The measure advanced in a party-line vote earlier on Friday. The bill did not stand a chance in the Senate, where Democrats were sure to line up against it. And the White House Friday morning issued a veto threat for the bill. The tally was largely expected after a handful of conservatives — more than McCarthy could afford to lose in his narrow majority — lined up against t...
Baltimore, MD - Sept. 29, 2023  - New gun control laws will take effect in Maryland on Oct. 1, as a response to a past U.S. Supreme Court ruling, despite facing challenges from gun rights groups, according to WBAL. The laws include restrictions on carrying concealed firearms in specified areas like schools or places selling alcohol, and changes to gun licensing procedures, such as raising the qualifying age to 21. Additionally, Jaelynn's Law will mandate better firearm storage to prevent minors' access. Moreover, Maryland's attorney general will now have independent authority to prosecute police-involved deaths, following a series of police reforms. Hospitals will also be required to include fentanyl testing in certain drug screenings, ensuring better diagnost...
Parsha Hashavua
Sukkos 5784 - Machzikei Hadas

This coming Tuesday, 18 Tishrei, is the 18th yahrtzeit of HaRav Naftali Neuberger, zt"l, of Ner Yisroel.


This shtikle is dedicated le'iluy nishmaso, Naftali ben Meir Halevi.


I heard the following from Rav Tzvi Mordechai Feldheim of Mesivta Kesser Torah last year:


The four species we traditionally take and shake on Sukkos carry numerous different symbolisms. If you ask your typical student, perhaps the most well-known is the midrash (Tanchuma Emor 19) comparing each item to a part of the body. The one lulav is compared to the spine. The one esrog resembles our heart. We take two aravos whose leaves are shaped like lips – of which, of course, we have two. The leaves of the hadas resemble the eyes. Why, then, do we take three, rather than two?


Another oddity regarding the hadas is observed in the discussion in the gemara (Sukkah 32b) regarding configurations of the leaves that render a hadas invalid. The stem should have three leaves coming out together at the same level. If one of the leaves is offset from the other two, although Rav Acha would consider this a virtue, Mar bar Ameimar declared that his father would refer to such a branch as a hadas shoteh – literally, a crazy myrtle. Why is this adjective used for the hadas? We don't find any other invalid mitzvah objects being referred to as shoteh.


We commonly associate the work sukkah etymologically with the schach, the covering, to which many of the intricate halachic details apply. Rabbeinu Bachye (Devarim 16:14), however, suggests that the word is derived from socheh, to see (as in Rashi to Bereishis 11:29). More specifically, it refers to the more abstract vision of wisdom and insight.


Rabbi Feldheim explains that the theme of the sukkah demands of us to let go of our pursuit of material possessions and leave our home in favour of a flimsy hut to remind us of that which is fleeting and meaningless and focus our attention to serving HaShem, the true purpose of our existence. This is the vision to which Rabbeinu Bachye refers that this mitzvah makes so clear. In addition to our two physical eyes, we must possess the third eye to realize this vision. That is why we take three hadasim. As well, the branch with only two leaves aligned is referred to as shoteh because symbolically, it represents the individual who sees only with his eyes and lacks the awareness to understand his true purpose.


Have a good Shabbos and chag samei'ach!

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Terrorists opened fire overnight from a moving vehicle at the town of Beit El north of Jerusalem; no one was hurt, and no damage was reported. IDF soldiers who were operating in the area returned fire at the vehicle, and one of the terrorists was hit. After searching the area, forces located several bullet casings. In addition, IDF soldiers arrested a wanted suspect in the town of el-Bireh near Ramallah. During the activity, suspects threw rocks and launched a firework at the soldiers, who responded using riot dispersal equipment. The wanted suspect was transferred for further handling by the security forces. No Israeli forces were harmed.
The Internal Revenue Service had expected to remain open for business despite a government shutdown but has now released a contingency plan showing that up to two-thirds of its 90,000 employees will be furloughed if the government halt starts Sunday. The IRS had hoped to remain open and funded by the $80 billion boost through the Inflation Reduction Act, but has received late guidance from the Office of Management and Budget this week that it could not cover its workers' salaries during the shutdown President Joe Biden's legislation, reports The Washington Post. According to OMB, the legislation money can't be used to substitute for the IRS's regular budget, which is used to pay most employees' salaries. This means the backlogs will also return at the IR...
SimchasSimchas Simcha
In 1995 and 1996, the federal government shut down as House Republicans and the Clinton administration clashed over spending cuts. In 2013, the government shut down because of a partisan disagreement over President Barack Obama’s Affordable Care Act. In 2018, Democrats bucked President Donald Trump’s demands to fund a U.S.-Mexico border wall, leading to the longest shutdown in U.S. history. And now? “We are truly heading for the first-ever shutdown about nothing,” said Michael Strain, director of economic policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute, a right-leaning think tank. Strain has started referring to the current GOP House-led impasse as “the ‘Seinfeld’ shutdown,” a reference to the popular sitcom widely known&...
The National Unity party has significantly weakened, losing three seats in one week, according to a new poll conducted by the "Lazar Studies" institute, headed by Dr. Menachem Lazar, and published by the Maariv newspaper today (Friday). According to the poll, the National Unity and Likud parties are tied at 28 seats each, the first time they have been tied in these polls since May 24. However, the center-left bloc has not weakened much, as the National Unity party's decline is offset by an increase in support for the Yesh Atid and Meretz parties. As a result, the coalition has strengthened by only one Knesset seat. According to the poll, if elections were held today, the current coalition would win 54 seats, while the opposition parties would win a combined 66 seats, a f...
Nichum AveilimNichum Aveilim Aveilim
A number of pro-Palestinian Arab groups have called on the US Department of Homeland Security and State Department to suspend Israel's entry into the Visa Waiver Program (VWP), until pending litigation alleging the program unlawfully discriminates against US citizens of Palestinian Arab origin is resolved. The groups which made the call include Democracy for the Arab World Now (DAWN) and the American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC). Both these groups are plaintiffs in the lawsuit, filed in the Eastern District of Michigan, that seeks an injunction against the US government's admission of Israel to the VWP. "The US should halt implementation of the visa waiver for Israel at least until a judge reviews what we believe to be the government's arbitrary and capricious...
This coming Tuesday, 18 Tishrei, is the 18th yahrtzeit of HaRav Naftali Neuberger, zt"l, of Ner Yisroel. This shtikle is dedicated le'iluy nishmaso, Naftali ben Meir Halevi. I heard the following from Rav Tzvi Mordechai Feldheim of Mesivta Kesser Torah last year: The four species we traditionally take and shake on Sukkos carry numerous different symbolisms. If you ask your typical student, perhaps the most well-known is the midrash (Tanchuma Emor 19) comparing each item to a part of the body. The one lulav is compared to the spine. The one esrog resembles our heart. We take two aravos whose leaves are shaped like lips – of which, of course, we have two. The leaves of the hadas resemble the eyes. Why, then, do we take three, rather than two? Another oddity...
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Baltimore, MD - Sept. 29, 2023 - A 23-year-old off-duty Howard County Sheriff's deputy, Ryan Demby, was fatally shot following a bar altercation in Federal Hill on Thursday night, according to WMAR2News. The incident, which started as a verbal dispute among bar patrons, escalated when shots were fired around midnight. The exact involvement of Demby in the dispute is unclear, and there's no information on any suspect(s). The Howard County Sheriff's Office expressed deep sorrow over the tragic loss.
Baltimore, MD - Sept. 29, 2023 - The Baltimore County Police Department is hosting another pop-up event on Tuesday, October 3, 2023, to provide steering wheel locks to Baltimore County residents who own a Hyundai with a standard "turn-key-to-start" ignition (2011-2022 models). The event will be held at BCoPD Precinct 4-Pikesville, 215 Milford Mill Rd., 21208. Steering wheel locks will be distributed from 8 a.m. until supplies last.  Residents can go to the Hyundai or Kia webpage and enter their vehicle's VIN to see if their vehicle is eligible for the upgrade.
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The Ministry of Religion caused an uproar after it announced that it would distribute candy bags to children in synagogues on Simchat Torah in order to "bring the children of Israel closer and connect them to tradition." Haaretz TV critic Rogel Alpher wrote that it was a bribe to children. "The Israeli government has launched a new initiative in honor of Simchat Torah. It bribes children to come to the synagogue. The bribe is a bag of sweets. The Ministry of Religious Services will distribute candy bags to 250,000 children at celebrations in synagogues on Simchat Torah, which cost 650,000 shekels." Akiva Novick criticized the initiative: "These are exactly the things that cause the common man to dislike the conduct of the haredi parties. Do you want to hand out candy? Go to the gro...
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