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Oct. 15, 2024:Dear friends,We are truly overwhelmed by the outpouring of generosity shown by the beautiful Baltimore Jewish community. Baltimore is, and always was, a city of chesed (kindness), and R' Dovid and I are proud to have grown up there. May this year bring growth, happiness, prosperity, and peace to all of you, to Am Yisroel, and to the world.Thank you for being by our side. Rochel Frid (née Reich) on behalf of R' Dovid and the family. Donate Now: https://bit.ly/SavingRavDovid Rochel Frid has been fighting a battle that no one should face alone. Her husband, a kind and loving father, is battling life with ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis), a cruel disease that has robbed him of his ability to move, speak, and live independently. Despite the tremend...
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Baltimore, MD - Oct. 15, 2024  - Always wanted to join Daf Yomi but needed a little nudge? Enter O'Fishel's Mitzvah Motivators Get Your HEAD in SanHEDrin Program, with incentives of up to $1,000! Details on mitzvahmo.com
Baltimore, MD – Oct. 13, 2024 -  BJL wishes a hearty Mazel Tov to Avraham & Mindy Rothenburg on the birth of a daughter. Mazel Tov to grandparents Rabbi & Mrs. Meir & Esti Rothenberg and Mr. & Mrs. Nechemya & Malka Jakobovitz   יה"ר שיזכו לגדל בתם לתורה, לחופה, ולמעשים טובים. אמן
Baltimore, MD - Oct. 16, 2024  - Judge Lydia Griggsby denied Marilyn Mosby's defense request to end her home detention and replace it with a curfew. The former Baltimore City's State Attorney appeal came in light of her new job offer to serve as Director of Global Strategic Planning at an undisclosed California-based company. While the enterprise is headquartered in California, Mosby will be stationed in Maryland. According to her defense, this new position "will require routine travel to varying locations throughout Maryland." However, the Court opposed Mosby's motion and is asking for more information regarding Mosby's new job. "In this regard, the United States Probation Office informs the Court that it has requested certain information from the Defendant to ...
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Baltimore, MD - Sept. 22, 2024 -  As always, Shabsi's Judaica looks forward to assisting you with all your Yom Tov needs. Click on the graphic below for a larger, printable version of Shabsi's Judaica Yom Tov season schedule!  
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Israeli officials have been reassuring US counterparts that Israel will take swift action to alleviate the severe humanitarian crisis in Gaza, following an ultimatum from the Biden administration, two Israeli officials told Axios on Wednesday. On Monday, US Secretary of State Blinken and Secretary of Defense Austin sent a letter to Israeli leaders, warning that US weapon shipments to Israel could be affected if Israel fails to make improvements in Gaza within 30 days. The letter was delivered to Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer. Senior US officials emphasized that the letter was not a prelude to withholding weapons but rather an effort to encourage a shift in Israel's approach. High-ranking Israeli officials acknowledged that, ...
Baltimore, MD – Oct.15, 2024 – Below are the STAR-K Restaurants & Certified Facilities with Sukkas Available Accents GrillAventura Assisted Living (formerly Tudor Heights) Caramels Pizza Cocoacinos/Pie 18 Cafe Croustille Cafe David Chu China Bistro Goldbergs Bagels King David Nursing Home Mama Leah’s Pizza Mangal Food Truck Serengeti Steakhouse Taam Thai Asian Fusion The Club Grill Yesh Hummus Grill Yossi’s Falafel
Baltimore, MD -Oct. 16, 2024 - 12:13PM: 1.    Outer Loop at Park Heights: The outer loop of the Baltimore Beltway (I-695) is closed at Park Heights Avenue with traffic building up back to I-83 due to an accident.2.    I-695 South from Exit 22: Bumper-to-bumper traffic on I-695 southbound starting from Exit 22 due to an accident.H/T: Bmore Traffic
Parsha Hashavua
Rabbi Zvi Teichman: Dancing Amid the Darkness

We are about to enter זמן שמחתנו — the time of our gladness. Yet we are still reeling from the horrific events that began nearly a year ago, and are still occurring daily, that make it so difficult to rejoice.


We will soon read over Sukkos from Koheles, where King Solomon speaks of aעת ספוד — time to wail, and a עת רקוד — time to dance. These two periods are contrasted as conflicting with each other, intimating they cannot coexist.


There is a fascinating assertion made by two very diverse schools of thought.


Both the Netziv, the famed Rosh HaYeshivah of Volozhin, and the great Chassidic master, the Holy Kohen of Lublin, Reb Tzadok, teach that on Sukkos there is an injunction to dance!


Although all the holidays are referred in the Torah as חגים — festivals — Chag HaPesach; Chag HaShavuos; Chag HaSukkos, nevertheless Sukkos is the only one where the verse tells us 'For seven days תחג — shall you celebrate', as a directive.


Is this merely a synonym for joy?


The word חוג literally means to encircle, an allusion to dancing which often is expressed by people dancing together in a circle.


King David in Tehillim uses as a metaphor for people on a ship tossed about in a stormy sea:  תחגו — they reeled and staggered like a drunken man, twirling about in his stupor. (107 27)


These great sages both reveal that on Sukkos in addition to שמחה — being joyous, one must also תחג — dance!


There is though a subtle divergence in the approaches of these two giants.


Reb Tzadok sees in the simile of the 'dancing drunkard' the essence of this mitzva.


One who subjects himself completely to the will of G-d, removing inhibition, when sensing joy in one's relationship with G-d will instinctively break out in unbridled and unabashed dancing.


This is our mission on Sukkos, to quash our selfish attitudes and interests and focus purely on honoring G-d.  


The Netziv on the other hand asserts that independent of our being in a state of joy, one must push oneself to dance nevertheless, displaying our confidence in our good fortune in having been victorious in our judgment on Rosh Hashana.


Perhaps the outer expression will arouse within us the inner joy our soul inevitably senses and explode in genuine happiness.


One who can connect to this idea can see even in the worst of times the joy of fulfilling G-d's will even when it may be purposely painful, believing that everything that comes our way is meant for our soul's greater benefit. Something we may not be able to fathom now, but one day it will be revealed how joyous it really is.


The saintly father of the Belzer Rebbe of today, The Rav of Bilguraya, Rav Mordechai Rokeach related what he had observed in the dark days he spent in the Cracow ghetto.


Many had already lost their loved ones. Their lives hung daily by a thread, fearful of what the next moment may bring.


As he was walking through the alleyways of the ghetto he heard singing. He followed the sounds to discover it was emanating from a cellar on the outskirts of the ghetto.


He opens the door and cannot believe his eyes. A group of ten young Chassidim are dancing in a circle with enthusiasm, in what inconceivably appears to be joy amid the darkness outside.


Astounded, he was beside himself. Here he was an adult, the son of a Rebbe, having absorbed much Torah and chassidus over many years, and yet he was broken and shattered from the tragedies around him. Yet these young fellows were exuberant. Where did they draw their strength from, he wondered, to cleave so joyously to G-d under these terrifying and depressing circumstances.


One of the young men, who appeared to be less than thirteen, seeing his distress calls out to the Rav, "Reb Yid, doesn't our Creator want something from us even now, so why not then do His will with joy?"


He reached out for the Rav's hand, bringing him into the circle and danced with them.


The Rav survived the war, and later discovered that these young Gerrer Chassidim subsequently perished amidst their 'dance of joy'.


We have a tough job ahead, but evidently our beloved Father in Heaven believes we are up to the task. Even amid our wailing over the state of the hostages; the fate of those who perished; their loved ones who are suffering; the plight of those wounded; the many families displaced from their homes, we can muster a moment of pure submission to grab each other's hands and dance over our privilege to serve G-d with joy.


May G-d see our struggle to express our closeness to Him and bring us all finally home.


חג שמח


באהבה,


צבי יהודה טייכמאן





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From Ohel Yakov: Baltimore, MD - Oct. 16, 2024  - We regret to inform you that David Bruckner, z'l, a former neighbor of Ohel Yakov, was niftar. There will be a Graveside Levaya today, 2:30 pm, at the Ohel Yakov cemetery. He had no family to speak of so anyone who can participate will be doing a great mitzvah. For further information, please contact Rabbi Akiva Feldman or Tzvi Badian (410-578-1568, hbadian@gmail.com).
SimchasSimchas Simcha
Delta Airlines says it is extending its cancellation of all flights to Israel through at least April 2025. In a statement, the airline says that flights on its JFK-Tel Aviv route “will be paused through March 31, due to ongoing conflict in the region.” The airline canceled its flights to Israel following the October 7 Hamas attack, finally resuming them in June 2024 before canceling them again on July 31 after the targeted assassination of Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran.
Nichum AveilimNichum Aveilim Aveilim
Erev Yom Tov Reminders and Safety Tips Eruv Tavshilin: Remember to make an Eruv Tavshilin today. Halachos of Eruv Tavshilin written by Rabbi Shalom Aryeh Greenfield, reviewed by HaRav Moshe Heinemann, shlita. Trash Collection: If you have trash pickup on Yom Tov, move your cans to the curb before Yom Tov. They cannot be moved once Yom Tov starts. Carbon Monoxide Safety: Ensure proper ventilation when using gas stoves over Yom Tov. Leave a window open or use an exhaust fan to prevent carbon monoxide buildup from burning gas, prioritizing family safety.
Over the past few days, IDF troops located and conducted targeted raids on a large network of underground infrastructure and tunnel shafts that included living quarters, and armories, and found a large quantity of weaponry. According to the IDF, the infrastructure was intended to aid Radwan forces as part of Hezbollah’s “Conquer the Galilee” plan. "The tunnel network was embedded in the heart of a town, beneath the homes of Lebanese civilians that were used by Hezbollah terrorists, who cynically exploited civilian infrastructure in southern Lebanon," the IDF stated. On Wednesday morning, the tunnel network was dismantled by IDF troops. Earlier in the day, with the direction of the IDF Northern Command, the IAF struck dozens of Hezbollah terrorist targets in the Nabati...
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Troops from the Alexandroni Brigade's Battalion 7012 on Wednesday blew up Hezbollah's central operations command center in southern Lebanon. The command center was built across from the Ramim Ridge and the Israeli town of Kiryat Shmona in the Galilee panhandle. In the village of Muhajbib, where the command center was located, troops exposed numerous shafts that led to underground infrastructure consisting of advanced command centers, berthing and planning rooms, communications rooms, and more. During the time that Battalion 7012 operated under the 8th Brigade, the troops seized hundreds of Claymore mines that were ready to be used, advanced shoulder-fired and anti-tank missiles, hundreds of hand grenades, hundreds of RPG grenades, hundreds of anti-tank mines, and ammunition. A...
We are about to enter זמן שמחתנו — the time of our gladness. Yet we are still reeling from the horrific events that began nearly a year ago, and are still occurring daily, that make it so difficult to rejoice. We will soon read over Sukkos from Koheles, where King Solomon speaks of aעת ספוד — time to wail, and a עת רקוד — time to dance. These two periods are contrasted as conflicting with each other, intimating they cannot coexist. There is a fascinating assertion made by two very diverse schools of thought. Both the Netziv, the famed Rosh HaYeshivah of Volozhin, and the great Chassidic master, the Holy Kohen of Lublin, Reb Tzadok, teach that on Sukkos there is an injunction to dance! Although all the holidays are referred in the Torah as חגים...
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Over recent decades, Israel's defense establishment has invested billions in preparing for a potential strike on Iran, developing specialized munitions along the way. Some of these capabilities were only revealed after being sold to foreign air forces. Here’s what can be disclosed amidst these preparations. Last month, Israel conducted another strike in Yemen, deploying F-15 jets from a base 1,800 kilometers away, showcasing its renowned improvisation skills. These aircraft, initially designed for air combat, were modified in Israel for strike missions. The Israeli Air Force also equipped them to carry modern munitions from both American and Israeli manufacturers. However, an attack on Iran presents a far more complex challenge, despite the similar dis...
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