During the Second Temple, the Greek empire reigned (over Israel),1 and they (the Greeks) passed decrees against the Jews and (tried) to erase their religion, and did not allow them to carry out Torah (study) or the commandments. They put their hands on their property and their daughters. They entered the Temple, destroyed and made the pure unclean. The Jews were in great distress because of them and were much oppressed, until the G-d of their fathers had mercy on them, delivering them from their hands and saving them. Then overcame, the sons of the Hasmonean High Priest, (the Greeks) and killed them and saved the Jews from their hands. They appointed a king from the Priests, and the kingdom of Israel was restored for more than 200 years until the destruction of (the) second (Temple). When the Jews overcame their enemies and destroyed them, it was the 25th of Kislev2 when they entered the Sanctuary (inner room) and did not find pure (olive) oil in the Temple, except one jar sealed with seal of the High Priest, and it did not contain enough to light except for one day only. But they lit from it the lamps of the Menorah3 for eight days, until they could crush olives and produce a (new quantity) of pure oil. For these reasons, decreed the Sages of that generation that these eight days that begin on the 25th Kislev, will be days of joy and praise. One lights on them lamps at evening at the entrance to the houses, every evening of the eight nights to show off and demonstrate the miracle. These days are called ''Hanukah'' that is to say ''they rested'' (chanu) on the ''25'' ('th of the month) because on the 25th they rested from their enemies. and also because of those days they (re)-dedicated the house (Temple) which their foes had defiled. Also some say that it is a commandment to increase slightly the festive meals on Hanukah. Another reason is because the work of (building) the Sanctuary (in the desert) was completed in these days. One should tell one's children the story of the miracles that were done for our fore-fathers in those days, (see Josephus) However, these meals are not considered as part of the commandment unless one says at the meal songs of praise. One should increase charity in these Hanukah days, for this can help mend any defects in our souls. This charity, should be given particularly to poor Torah scholars. (KSA 139:1)
1) 352 BCE until 70 CE
2) 139 BCE
3) The Menorah was made of gold and had seven branches.
Baltimore, MD - Jan. 13, 2025 - Baltimore City Mayor Brandon Scott spent time in Annapolis on Wednesday for the start of the 2025 legislative session. He explained on The C4 and Bryan Nehman show how he plans to advocate for the city.
The mayor said he plans to continue to address the opioid overdoses, keeping with an executive order established in August 2024 to manage the city’s opioid settlement funds.
He says he is putting a board together.
“We’ll be doing tours, right, listening tours, and not just your typical town hall,” Scott said. “We’ll be doing those kind of focus groups with those who have been impacted by by the overdose epidemic and going specifically also to those people and hearing from them.”
The mayor says it will continue to ...
US President-elect Donald Trump spoke to Fox News on Monday evening and commented on the talks for a hostage release deal, amid reports that a deal is close.
"We're very close to getting it done - and they have to get it done. If they don't get it done, there's going to be a lot of trouble out there - a lot of trouble like they have never seen before," said Trump.
He added, “They will get it done. I understand there’s been a handshake and they’re getting it finished and maybe by the end of the week. But it has to take place.”
Earlier on Monday, US President Joe Biden said there has been progress in the talks between Israel and Hamas on a ceasefire and hostage release deal.
"I have learned in many years in public service to neve...
Baltimore, MD - Jan. 10, 2025 - For the fourth consecutive year, Bais Yaakov Middle School’s 8th-grade students have secured their spot at the top in the CIJE Girls Middle School Robotics Tournament!!This year’s competition, hosted at Bnos Aliyah in Manhattan, brought together fierce competition, featuring 9 schools and 43 robots. Yet, even with new team members and fresh challenges, our talented students dominated the event, winning both first and second place.Traveling by Amtrak and bus to the competition, our students arrived ready to compete with creativity, determination, and teamwork. While the competition was tough, the Bais Yaakov teams proved they were up to the challenge. Guided by our incredible coaches, Mrs. Rochelle Goldberg and Miss Chana Grier, high school assist...
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The Saudi outlet Al-Hadath reports that Hamas is demanding the body of slain leader Yahya Sinwar in the first stage of the hostage deal.
Israel is expected to swap hundreds of Palestinian security prisoners in exchange for some 33 hostages in the emerging deal.
Israeli troops killed Sinwar, the mastermind of the October 7, 2023 assault, in southern Gaza in October.
A hostage deal is "closer than we've ever been," Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a Monday afternoon interview with MSNBC's Andrea Mitchell, carefully noting the deal's been close before but fell through.
Blinken reiterated the deal's framework is based on the agreement President Biden put forward in May, though he declined to discuss any of the specifics.
When Biden put out the framework, according to Blinken, he made clear that during the first six weeks of the phased agreement, the conflict will stop, and Israel will pull back its forces and release some hostages in exchange for the release of hostages.
During this time, humanitarian assistance will surge into Gaza, and partners will try to finalize an agree...
Five soldiers were killed in northern Gaza, the IDF announced Monday evening.
The soldiers have been named as Captain Yair Yakov Shushan, Staff Sergeant Yahav Hadar, Staff Sergeant Guy Karmiel, Staff Sergeant Yoav Feffer, and Staff Sergeant Aviel Wiseman.
The IDF added that eight other soldiers from the Reconnaissance Battalion of the Nahal Brigade were also wounded in the same incident, which is still being investigated.
Staff Sergeant Yoav Feffer, 19, from Herzliya
Yariv Fisher, the mayor of Herzliya, said, "Yoav Feffer was not just a neighbor; he was an integral part of our community – a young man of values."
"It is difficult to digest the loss. Our city and our community have lost a true hero."
His funeral will take place on Tuesday at the old ...
Baltimore, MD - Jan. 13, 2025 - The Baltimore City Democratic State Central Committee is currently accepting resumes for the position of Maryland State Senator for the 41st Legislative District, following the resignation of Senator Jill P. Carter, effective January 3, 2025. Interested individuals must submit their applications by 5 p.m. on Wednesday, January 15.
The Baltimore City Democratic State Central Committee is currently accepting resumes for the position of Maryland State Senator for the 41st Legislative District, following the resignation of Senator Jill P. Carter, effective January 3, 2025. Interested individuals must submit their applications by 5 p.m. on Wednesday, January 15.
...
Highly Popular Program That Makes Torah Learning Cool, Fun, and Accessible Has Quadrupled in Size in Three Years
With myriad extra-curricular activities to choose from, one Torah-learning program is overwhelmingly popular among middle schoolers across the U.S: The Orthodox Union’s All Mishnah Jr. (AMJ) is inspiring over 2,100 students in sixth through eighth grade to learn two Mishnayot daily during their free time.
“All Mishnah Jr. reflects the OU's commitment to making Torah learning accessible, engaging, and meaningful for all ages,” says OU Executive Vice President Rabbi Moshe Hauer. “By cultivating a love and excitement for Torah learning among young students, this program lays the foundation for a lifelong and consistent commitment to limud Torah.&rdq...
U.S. District Court Judge Aileen Cannon on Monday allowed the release of the volume of special counsel Jack Smith’s report dealing with President-elect Trump’s efforts to block the peaceful transfer of power.
In a five-page ruling, Cannon denied an effort by Trump and his two co-defendants in the Mar-a-Lago documents case to block the release of both volumes of the report, noting that prosecutors argued the election inference report has little to do with the ongoing trial against the two men.
“Based on these representations, the Court sees an insufficient basis to grant emergency injunctive relief as to Volume I,” Cannon wrote.
However, Cannon ordered a Jan. 17 hearing on whether to release the Mar-a-Lago report, something Attorney General Merrick ...
Israel and Hamas are close to a possible hostage, ceasefire deal in which 33 hostages will be released during the first phase, with a staged withdrawal of IDF forces from Gaza other than an undefined security perimeter.
The sources noted that on the 16th day of the ceasefire, negotiations would start regarding the later stages of the hostage exchange with the goal of releasing all the hostages and regarding IDF withdrawals, but did not mention a definite time frame, though some sources expect the first phase of the deal to last 42 days.
In terms of when the ceasefire deal would be signed and if it would be signed, there was still uncertainty if it was hours away, days away, or could still unravel.
Diplomatic sources said a cabinet vote and an expected Hig...
Have you heard of PTG?
This week we are starting to read Sefer Shemot. Whereas Sefer Bereishit tells the story of a family, Shemot tells the story of how this family becomes a nation, the Jewish people.
In our Torah portion it is written: “But as much as they would afflict them, so did they multiply and so did they gain strength.” In other words, the more the Egyptians abused us and subjected us to hard labor with the goal of breaking our spirit, the more we grew and gained strength. By clinging to our identity and to one another, we were not only able to survive— but to flourish.
There is a psychological term that I first heard from Rav Aharon Darmon, which I believe is especially relevant for us today: PTG, Post-Traumatic Growth — a positive change that o...
Member of the security cabinet and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich is sharply criticizing the emerging deal with Hamas.
"This deal is a catastrophe for Israel’s national security. We will not support a surrender deal that includes the release of arch-terrorists, stops the war and undermines achievements that we obtained with much blood, as well as abandoning many hostages," declared Smotrich.
He added, "Now is the time to fight on with full force, to conquer and cleanse the entire Gaza Strip, to finally take control of humanitarian aid from Hamas, and to open the gates of hell on Gaza until the complete surrender of Hamas and the return of all hostages."
Baltimore, MD - Jan. 13, 2025 - GasBuddy's survey of Baltimore gas stations reveals that average prices have fallen 3.1 cents per gallon in the last week, averaging $3.09 per gallon on Monday.
According to GasBuddy, prices in Baltimore are 20.8 cents per gallon higher than a month ago and 6.2 cents higher than a year ago. The national average diesel price has risen 3.7 cents in the last week and stands at 3.525 per gallon.
The national average gas price has fallen 1.1 cents per gallon in the last week, averaging $3.02 per gallon today. The national average is up 0.9 cents per gallon from a month ago and stands 3.2 cents per gallon lower than a year ago, according to GasBuddy data compiled from more than 11 million weekly price reports covering over 150,000 gas stations across ...
Israel's Transportation Ministry is expected to announce the suspension of Jerusalem's light rail train for a period of approximately one week, Walla! reported.
According to the report, the suspension will take place at the end of January. During the five-day period, the trains will appear to operate as usual, but will not transport passengers, instead testing the new operating system installed by the operator, Kfir, along the entire length of the line, from Neve Yaakov to Hadassah Ein Kerem Medical Center.
Following this test period, the light rail will operate for the first time along its entire length, and the "red" line will officially increase in length from 14 kilometers to 22 kilometers, and from 23 stations to 35 stations.
The extended route was scheduled to ...
Ten members of Israel's coalition, alongside the Hagvura Forum for families of those killed in the war and the Tikva Forum for families of hostages, wrote a harsh letter to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and government ministers, urging them to oppose the proposed ceasefire-prisoner swap deal with the Hamas terror group.
"Do not cross the most, most basic ethical lines. Do not endanger Israel's security," the MKs and forum members wrote. "No one can replace the IDF soldiers at the Rafah Crossing and along the Netzarim Corridor. Do not agree to a deal in which we will lose assets without receiving all of the hostages."
According to foreign reports, during the first stage of the proposed deal, 33 hostages will be released in exchange for a six-week ceasefire ...
In a significant milestone for foreign residents navigating Israel’s complex healthcare system, Chaim V’Chessed announced that it successfully registered 601 newborns with Bituach Leumi in 2024. This critical service ensures that these infants gain immediate access to Israel’s universal healthcare system, sidestepping bureaucratic delays that often leave families in limbo.
For foreign residents, the process of enrolling a newborn in Bituach Leumi is notoriously challenging. Parents must first secure an Israeli birth certificate, followed by a foreign passport and visa for their child before health coverage can be initiated. This drawn-out procedure leaves many families, particularly those dealing with medical issues, vulnerable during the crucial earl...
Baltimore, MD – Jan. 12, 2025 - BJL wishes a hearty Mazel Tov to Yoni Zigelboum (Yoni Z) (New York) & Ashely Aden (Mexico City) on their engagement!
יה"ר שיזכו לבנות בית נאמן בישראל. אמן!