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.
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PLEASE SHARE THIS URGENT TZEDAKA OPPORTUNITY WITH AT LEAST ONE PERSONURGENT TZEDAKA CAMPAIGN FOR BALTIMORE CHOLEH
Goli is a single, quadriplegic woman in our community, who has not been able to move for over 30 years r"l.
NOW SHE CAN’T EVEN SPEAK r"l! She needs YOUR help NOW!
Please take a minute to read the heartfelt letter from Rabbi Hopfer and Rabbi Hauer below and make a generous tax deductible donation here. If you'd like to donate with a check, please email brochie26@gmail.com
Every contribution makes a difference and is greatly appreciated. Please also pass along to other community members or anyone else who might be able to help. Thank you and Tizku L’Mitzvos!
*Please daven for Golnaz R...
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Baltimore, MD - Feb. 6, 2019 - BGE will soon begin work on Reisterstown Road at Hooks Lane, near the north of the I-695 interchange, as part of BGE Electric Investments.
The project will begin February 11 and be complete in late-April, weather permitting.
BGE will begin underground electric utility work in the center of Reisterstown Road at Hooks Lane and will continue working 24 hours a day.
BGE will close and detour that left-turn lane from southbound Reisterstown Road to eastbound Hooks Lane, and close one lane of northbound Reisterstown Road between the I-695 interchange and north of Hooks Lane.
Around 55,000 vehicles travel on this section of MD 140 each day, motorists should plan extra travel time, BGE says.
MDOT SHA will assist BGE by providing this detour route: Motorists trav...
The Rabbinical Alliance of America – Igud Harabbonim, representing nearly one thousand Rabbis serving throughout the United States – declares its unequivocal opposition to physician assisted suicide. The New York State Assembly has once again introduced the “Medical Aid in Dying Act”, a bill that would legalize physician assisted suicide. If enacted, this bill would put into practice a profound disrespect for the sanctity of human life. Rabbi Aaron E. Glatt, MD, states that, “Judaism absolutely forbids the active taking of life, regardless of the 'quality of that life' as perceived by ever changing social and or secular mores."
Jewish medical ethics are based on the eternal divine principles of compassion and mercy, and do indeed sanction forsaking ...
In Shemos, Perek Lamed Alef, posuk tes zayin, the Torah tells us that we should keep the Shabbos. There is a posuk in Yeshaya that discusses that one needs to have onegShabbos. The Yerushalmi on that posuk brings down an argument concerning how a person should carry out the oneg of Shabbos. One opinion is that a person has oneg by sleeping on Shabbos. The other opinion is by learning Torah. The Yerushalmi says that really there is no argument; it just depends upon whom we are dealing with, whether the person is a talmid or a baal habayis.
The Rishonim argue about who has the oneg of sleeping on Shabbos. The Re&rsquo...
Hamas took control of the Palestinian side of Kerem Shalom, the enclave’s main goods crossing with Israel, the strip’s interior ministry and an official news agency said Sunday, after the Palestinian Authority guards left the terminal.
The PA said Sunday that Hamas had “expelled (its) employees and banned them from entering the crossing,” while Hamas asserted that the PA forces left of their own will.
In a statement, Hamas interior ministry spokesman Iyad al-Bozm said its forces are carrying out “necessary security measures” at the crossing, “especially after the recent events in the Gaza Strip.”
Read more at Times of Israel.
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.
An attorney for Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman on Sunday dismissed GOP Sen. Ted Cruz’s (Texas) idea to make the convicted drug lord help pay for a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.
Cruz introduced The Ensuring Lawful Collection of Hidden Assets to Provide Order (EL CHAPO) Act in April 2017 to direct the money forfeited to the U.S. by Guzmán and other drug lords as a result of criminal prosecutions toward “border security assets” and the completion of a wall. The US is currently seeking to confiscate $14 billion from Guzman as part of their prosecution for Guzman’s crimes.
“Sen. Cruz surely knows that the government has seized none — not a penny — of Mr. Guzman’s assets so getting him to pay for the wall is ludicrous...
Facebook group Rise Up Ocean County, a group dedicated to ending the growth of Orthodox Judaism in Ocean County, has repeatedly denied being antisemitic and instead claims they are trying to end “corruption” in the County. This is despite consistently pointing a finger at the Jewish population as the root cause for the problems in the area.
Now, however, the facade has faded away and the group has sunken into open racism. In a recent post, the group calls to attention the brochos made by Jewish men every day where we thank Hashem for not making us a slave (shelo asani eved), a woman (shelo asani isha), or a non Jew (shelo asani goy). Note that this has nothing to do with the County anymore and is a direct challenge to Judaism.
Like many anti semites...
An 11-year-old student was arrested after refusing to stand for the Pledge of Allegiance and allegedly telling a teacher that “the flag is racist and the national anthem is offensive to black people,” according to reports.
The boy, a student at Lawton Chiles Middle Academy in Lakeland, Fla., was charged with disrupting a school function and resisting arrest without violence for the Feb. 4 outburst, according to Bay News 9.
He was also issued a three-day suspension.
Read more at NY POST.
The Israeli military conducted a large-scale exercise over the past week to prepare soldiers for potential future fighting against Hezbollah in Lebanese territory.
The drill involved the 401st Brigade of the IDF’s Armored Corps and took place in the Jordan Valley.
Col. Dudu Sonago, the brigade’s commander, said, “As the situation in Syria stabilizes, Hezbollah is returning its forces to Lebanon. Despite the many casualties it took, the organization is coming back with extensive combat experience. They are no longer a guerrilla group, but a real army. They fought there in companies and battalions, very similar to armies.”
“They operate in civilian areas and are ready to use large quantities of anti-tank missiles,” Sonago noted. “This is a challen...
Dallas - Major U.S. airlines say they will soon change their ticketing process to give passengers the option of identifying themselves as other than male or female.
The gender option on airline sites will soon include choices such “undisclosed” or “unspecified.” There could also be the optional title of “Mx.”
The airlines say they are making the change to be more inclusive in dealing with a diverse population of travelers.
American, Delta and United confirmed Friday that they are in the process of updating their booking tools to add such an option. They said the change will be made in the next several weeks.
“We certainly have a very diverse customer base. This will be well-received, and we’re happy to do it,” American Airline...
Jerusalem - Israel said Sunday it will withhold over $138 million from the Palestinian Authority for payments given to families of Palestinians who carried out attacks against Israelis.
The government’s security Cabinet said it was implementing a law passed last year allowing Israel to withhold funds used to pay stipends to Palestinian attackers and their families from taxes Israel collects on the Palestinian Authority’s behalf.
Israel says the payments encourage violence — a claim the Palestinians reject.
There was no immediate Palestinian reaction, but in the past Palestinian officials have defended the payments by saying those involved in deadly attacks are a small percentage of those aided by the fund, and that the Palestinian Authority has a responsibility to its ...
New York - Amazon’s breakup with New York was still fresh when other cities started sending their own valentines to the online giant.
Officials in Newark, New Jersey, one of the 18 finalists that Amazon rejected in November when it announced plans to put its new headquarters in New York and northern Virginia, sent a giant heart that read, “NJ & Newark Still Love U, Amazon!”
Representatives of other jilted suitors, such as Chicago and suburban Maryland, tried to get Amazon’s attention and say they’re still interested in a relationship, too.
The love notes came even though Amazon said it doesn’t plan to pick a new city to replace New York, where the HQ2 project was supposed to produce 25,000 jobs. Instead, the company said it will spread some of tho...
El Al introduced WiFi to North American flights on Sunday. "We recognize the needs of our customers and are proud to present the best service for our flights," CEO of El Al Gonen Usishkin said. "We have worked hard to provide our customers with the most advanced and innovative WiFi system in the world of aviation."
The service will be offered on transatlantic flights to New York, Toronto, Los Angeles and Miami. The service will also be available for San Francisco and Las Vegas flights in May and June respectively.
The WiFi service will be using KA Band technology, which is reportedly the fastest in-flight WiFi. However, the WiFi will have to be purchased unless the passenger is a Club member. Read more at JPost
New York - Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez returned to her home district in the New York City borough of the Bronx on Saturday to encourage her supporters to keep up the kind of activism that resulted in Amazon rescinding its plan to build a campus in the city.
The freshman Democratic lawmaker did not mention Amazon by name but said, “It’s not just about any job, it’s about dignified jobs in New York City. We do not have to settle for scraps in the greatest city in the world.”
Ocasio-Cortez’s district encompassing parts of the Bronx and Queens adjoins the Long Island City neighborhood where Amazon planned to build its campus, and she was one of the early politicians to voice opposition to the tech giant’s plans.
Amazon, which had promised to bring...
Washington - Nearly a year in space put astronaut Scott Kelly’s immune system on high alert and changed the activity of some of his genes compared to his Earth-bound identical twin, researchers said Friday.
Scientists don’t know if the changes were good or bad but results from a unique NASA twins study are raising new questions for doctors as the space agency aims to send people to MARS — questions on top of already looming issues like how to protect against too high radiation levels.
Tests of the genetic doubles gave scientists a never-before opportunity to track details of human biology, such as how an astronaut’s genes turn on and off in space differently than at home. One puzzling change announced Friday at a science conference: Kelly’s immune system was...
Tehran - Iran’s state TV is reporting that the country’s President Hassan Rouhani has unveiled the first Iranian made semi-heavy submarine.
The Sunday report said the Fateh, “Conqueror” in Persian, is capable of being fitted with cruise missiles.
Since 1992, Iran has developed a homegrown defense industry that produces light and heavy weapons ranging from mortars and torpedoes to tanks and submarines.
The Fateh has subsurface-to-surface missiles with a range of about 2,000 kilometers (1,250 miles), capable of reaching Israel and U.S. military bases in the region.
Tokyo - Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe nominated U.S. President Donald Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize last autumn after receiving a request from the U.S. government to do so, the Asahi newspaper reported on Sunday.
The report follows Trump’s claim on Friday that Abe had nominated him for the Nobel Peace Prize for opening talks and easing tensions with North Korea.
The Japanese leader had given him “the most beautiful copy” of a five-page nomination letter, Trump said at a White House news conference.
The U.S. government had sounded Abe out over the Noble Peace Prize nomination after Trump’s summit in June last year with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, the first meeting between a North Korean leader and a sitting U.S. president, the Asahi said, citing an unn...
Be extra cautious driving and walking outside during the winter weather advisory period, according to the National Weather Service.
Freezing rain in the forecast has prompted the National Weather Service to issue a winter weather advisory for northern and central Maryland. Drivers should expect slippery roads due to freezing rain mixed with sleet and snow Sunday afternoon through Monday morning, weather officials advised.
Baltimore, Carroll, Frederick, Harford, Howard, Montgomery and Washington counties are under the advisory, which is in effect from 3 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 17, to 3 a.m. on Monday, Feb. 18.
Less than an inch of snow and sleet may accumulate, forecasters say, while about 0.1 inch ice is expected.
People should be especially careful outside on sidewalks, driveways and s...
Xinjiang, China - A Chinese surveillance firm is tracking the movements of more than 2.5 million people in the far-western Xinjiang region, according to a data leak flagged by a Dutch internet expert.
An online database containing names, ID card numbers, birth dates and location data was left unprotected for months by Shenzhen-based facial-recognition technology company SenseNets Technology Ltd, according to Victor Gevers, co-founder of non-profit organization GDI.Foundation, who first noted the vulnerability in a series of social media posts last week.
Exposed data also showed about 6.7 million location data points linked to the people which were gathered within 24 hours, tagged with descriptions such as “mosque”, “hotel,” “internet cafe” and other pl...