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.
PINNED
Scroll for more news
Baltimore, MD - Aug. 26, 2021 - Baltimore Jewish Community Covid Testing Schedule for the Upcoming Yomim Tovim Season:
Aseres Yimei Teshuva:
Thursday Sept. 9 - Tuesday Sept.14 - Regular Testing Schedule.
Motzaei Shabbos Sept. 11- 9:30pm-10pm
Wed., Sept.15 - Erev Yom Kippur - 9:30AM -11:00 AM
Motzaei Yom Kippur – Sept. 16 - No Testing
Friday Sept. 17 - Regular Testing Schedule
Motzaei Shabbos Sept.18 - 9:30PM -10:00PM
Sunday Sept.19 Regular Testing Schedule
Sukkos:
Monday, Sept. 20 Erev Sukkos - 9:30AM-11:00AM
Wed. night Sept. 22 - Motzaei 1st days 930PM -10:00pm
Thurs., Sept. 23 - Chol Hamoed 9:30AM -11:30AM- No night testing
Fri., Sept. 24 - Chol Hamoed 930AM – 11:00AM
Motzaei Shabbos Sept. 25 - Chol Hamoed 9:30PM -10:00PM
Sunday Sept. 26 - C...
A federal advisory panel said Friday the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) should not approve a third booster dose of Pfizer and BioNTech's COVID-19 vaccine for everyone 16 or older, but indicated it would be open to boosters for older people.
The panel voted overwhelmingly against the recommendation, 16 to 2.
Friday's vote from the FDA's vaccine advisory committee deals a major blow to the Biden administration's plan to administer booster doses beginning Monday.
The increasingly contentious issue of boosters has divided outside scientists as well as some inside the FDA.
The panel's vote is not binding, so FDA doesn't have to accept the results. But if the agency doesn't, it will raise significant questions of political interference and pit agen...
Did you know that the first person ever convicted of speeding was driving a whopping 8 mph?! According to the Guinness World Records, on January 28, 1896, an English man named Walter Arnold drove his ‘horse-less carriage’ through the village of Paddock Wood, Kent, at more than four times the speed limit – a reckless 8 mph. He was ultimately charged and found guilty on four counts: using a vehicle without a horse on a public road, allowing the vehicle to be operated by fewer than three persons, failing to display name and address on the vehicle, and travelling at a greater rate than two miles per hour.
It’s hard to imagine that not too long ago, driving 8 mph was considered speeding. Today, if someone were to drive 8 mph on a regular street, they would get pul...
PINNED
Scroll for more news
Baltimore, MD - Sept.13, 2021 - Everyone in Baltimore recognizes that when Sukkos arrives they'll meet people they may not have seen in ages. And, where will they usually meet up? Home Depot at the Reisterstown Road Plaza, of course. Through the efforts of the managers and associates, the hub of so many last minute Sukkah needs will be open until 10:30pm on Sunday evening, September 19, 2021. As long as you are in the store and shopping before 10:30pm they will stay open. Through the efforts of the managers and associates, the hub of so many last minute Sukkah needs will be open until 10:30pm Sunday night, September 19, 2021. As long as you are in the store and shopping before 10:30pm they will stay open. Thank you to the store manager Aisha Y...
BaltimoreJewishLife.com (BJL) is proud to partner with STAR-K CERTIFICATION that realizes that there is no substitute for a person’s own Rav. In an effort to offer a possible solution, it has launched its Institute of Halachah as a public service. Over the years, the agency’s Kashrus Hotline has answered generic halachic questions from kosher consumers the world over, including inquiries regarding the kosher status of foods and certified Sabbath mode appliances. The formation of a separate official division within STAR-K testifies to the need for addressing these issues.
The Institute of Halachah is directed by HaRav Mordechai Frankel, under the guidance of HaRav Moshe Heinemann, STAR-K’s Rabbinic Administrator. It is an invaluable resource for a diverse array of rabbis to discuss general halachic matters, as well as gain access to source materials for shiurim and answers to congregants’ questions.
Shailos for regular or Kashrus shailos may emailed or discussed using this widget.
The Israeli cyber-surveillance company NSO Group developed a tool to break into Apple iPhones using novel ways to hack the phone since at least February, according to the Internet security watchdog Citizen Lab.
The watchdog said that while analyzing the phone of a Saudi activist infected with NSO Group’s Pegasus spyware, it found infiltration into iMessage. This could occur without the targetted person clicking anything for the spyware to work.
Apple released a software update on Monday to fix the hole in its security system.
“After identifying the vulnerability used by this exploit for iMessage, Apple rapidly developed and deployed a fix in iOS 14.8 to protect our users,” said Ivan Krstić, head of Apple Security Engineering and Architecture, reported Reuters.
H...
The Pentagon on Friday confirmed it mistook a civilian vehicle for an ISIS-K threat when it launched a drone strike on Aug. 29 in Kabul that killed 10 civilians.
“I am now convinced that as many as 10 civilians, including up to seven children were tragically killed in that strike,” U.S. Central Command head Gen. Frank McKenzie told reports at the Pentagon. “Moreover, we analyzed that it is unlikely that the vehicle and those who died or associated with ISIS-K or were a direct threat to US forces.”
"Our investigation now concludes that the strike was a tragic mistake," he said.McKenzie also offered his "profound condolences to the family and friends of those who were killed."
McKenzie also offered his "profound condolences to the family and fri...
Agudath Israel of America commends Governor Phil Murphy and the State of New Jersey for taking swift and formal action against Unilever, the parent company of Ben & Jerry’s, in response to Ben & Jerry’s decision to stop all sales in Judea, Samaria, and East Jerusalem, in violation of New Jersey state law.
In a letter to Unilever, Shoaib Khan, acting director and chief investment officer at New Jersey’s Division of Investment, wrote that New Jersey’s annuity and pension funds will longer invest in Unilever, and that New Jersey will take action to divest and withdraw any investment in the company, amounting to some $182 million.
New Jersey is the second state to take formal action against Unilever and Ben & Jerry’s for Ben & Jerry’s boyco...
A study shows the third dose offers a much higher levels of immunity than first two
Upward of 3,000,000 Israelis have received the third shot of the coronavirus vaccine, Israel's Health Ministry announced on Friday.
Israel, a world leader in vaccination, was the first country to recommend Covid-19 booster doses in July and several European nations have since followed suit, targeting high-risk groups.
Despite a swift and effective vaccination rollout in early 2021, Israel in recent months has been struggling to contain the spread of the highly contagious delta variant of the virus.
However, a new Israeli study published in the The New England Journal of Medicine on Wednesday said that a Pfizer booster shot lowers the likelihood of developing a serious co...
New Jersey has threatened to divest pension funds invested in Ben & Jerry’s and its parent company Unilever, as the state reached a preliminary conclusion that the ice-cream maker’s decision to stop sales to the West Bank and areas of eastern Jerusalem constitutes a boycott of Israel.State law prohibits New Jersey from investing or entering in contracts with businesses or people that participate in boycotts of Israel. Earlier this month, New Jersey’s division of investment sent a letter to Unilever CEO Alan Jope to notify the conglomerate of the review and that legal action may be taken to conform with state law.
“Upon final determination, no pension fund assets may be invested in the company, and DOI shall take appropriate action to sell or divest any existing...
Iran calls on body to function as a mechanism to avert sanctions imposed by the West
Members of the China and Russia-led Shanghai Cooperation Organization on Friday endorsed Iran's future membership of the bloc that already includes South Asian rivals India and Pakistan.
The move comes as Moscow and Beijing have moved to assert themselves as key players in the region, after the United States' hasty retreat from Afghanistan and the Taliban's takeover of the country.
"Today we will launch procedures to admit Iran as a member of the SCO," said Chinese President Xi Jinping.
The body, formed in the 2001 as a talking shop for Russia, China and ex-Soviet states in Central Asia, expanded four years ago to include India and Pakistan, with a view to playing a bigger role a...
The virtual event amounted to a full embrace by the Biden admin of the Trump-brokered normalization deals
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken promised Friday to encourage more Arab countries to recognize Israel as he met with top diplomats from the Jewish state and from three Arab countries a year after they began normalization.
The virtual event bringing together top diplomats of Israel, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Morocco amounted to a full embrace by President Joe Biden of the Abraham Accords, which his predecessor Donald Trump considered a key foreign policy legacy.
"This administration will continue to build on the successful efforts of the last administration to keep normalization marching forward," Blinken said. "We will encourage more countries to follow the lead of...
Maryland Department of Labor reports that, as of Friday, the state has reached its lowest unemployment rate since the pandemic began.
The labor department reports that the unemployment rate decreased to 5.9% in August and Maryland gained 11,900 jobs.
Overall in 2021, officials report the state has gained 65,000 jobs.
"The professional and business services sector experienced the most growth with an increase of 3,600 jobs," according to a statement. "Other sectors that experienced growth include: education and health services (2,300); trade, transportation, and utilities (1,900); leisure and hospitality (1,700); other services (900); and mining, logging, and construction (600). Manufacturing jobs growth (1,300) is the largest in over a decade."
They also ...
According to Palestinian news agency Ma’an, al-Arida said that preparations for the escape began in December of last year when the escapees began digging a tunnel out of the prison, and continued until earlier this month.
He also said that the prisoners’ destination was the West Bank, but this proved impossible due to Israel’s heavy deployment of security forces in the area.
Al-Arida claimed that the escapees tried to avoid entering Israeli-Arab villages and that no one alerted police to the prisoners’ presence, though both of these claims have been contradicted by Israeli media reports.
He further said that the prisoners’ arrests happened by chance and not due to any information given to police.
In addition, al-Arida claimed the escapees received no ...
Two parliamentary candidates from Canada’s center-left New Democratic Party (NDP) have resigned over controversies regarding antisemitism just five days before the country heads to the polls for a snap general election.
NDP spokesperson George Soule said on Wednesday morning that Sidney Coles, running in Toronto-St. Paul’s, and Dan Osborne, running in the Nova Scotia riding of Cumberland-Colchester, were resigning by choice, but that the party supports their decisions, CBC News reported.
Both had agreed to learn more about the problem of antisemitism, Soule added.
Coles’ offense was to promote the fabrication that Israel was responsible for doses of the COVID-19 vaccine that allegedly went missing in the US last winter.
The Weekly Shtikle is dedicated le'iluy nishmas my father, Reuven Pinchas ben Chaim Yaakov, a"h.
The Weekly Shtikle is dedicated le'iluy nishmas my Oma, Chaya Sara bas Zecharia Chaim, a"h.
The poetry that makes up most of this week's parsha begins with a call to the heavens and the earth to bear witness to the words of Moshe to follow. Immediately thereafter, Moshe proclaims, (32:2) "ya'arof kamatar likchi, tizal katal imrasi, kis'irim alei deshe, vechirvivim alei eisev." In short, this pasuk compares his words to the rain, the dew, and the wind. I wish to focus only on the last half of the pasuk. Rashi explains se'irim to be winds and revivim as rain drops. He further explains that&n...
Baltimore, MD - Sept. 12, 2021 - In honor of Sukkos Seven Mile Market will be open Motzei Shabbos, Sept. 18, 2021 from 9:30-11:30 P.M.Full service departments will be closed
Research expected to guide FDA decision on approving third Pfizer dose in US
A new Israeli study published in the The New England Journal of Medicine Wednesday says a third Pfizer booster shot lowers the likelihood of developing a serious coronavirus case by almost 20 times.
The study looked at 1.1 million Israelis, and showed that the rate of infection was 11.3 times less in those who received the third vaccine dose than the second dose five months ago.
The Weizmann Institute of Science, the Ministry of Health, the Technion, the Hebrew University, Sheba Medical Center and the KI Institute collaborated for the study.
The group that did not receive boosters had 4,439 infections and 294 severe illnesses, while the much larger booster group had 934 infections and 29 ...
On Thursday night, IDF observation troops spotted a number of suspects attempting to smuggle weapons into Israeli territory in the Jordan Valley area.
IDF troops who were dispatched to scene confiscated 23 weapons and transferred them to Israel Police.
Earlier this year, an IDF reservist was moderately injured as IDF soldiers, Israel Police, and Border Police forces thwarted a weapons smuggling attempt on the Jordanian border in the Arava region.
The soldiers fired at the suspect, who they had identified as approaching the border area from Israeli territory.
The soldiers then seized a number of weapons and arrested several suspects, one of whom sustained injuries.