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 – Oct. 2, 2024 – Councilman Isaac ‘Yitzy’ Schleifer addresses the first of two roll calls for the high holiday deployments. Over 25 Police and Sheriffs are assigned to our community thanks to our Councilman’s efforts.
Councilman Isaac ‘Yitzy’ Schleifer addresses the first of two roll calls for the high holiday deployments.
Charlotte, N.C. - Oct. 2, 2024 - Reports about a problem at Bank of America spiked around 12:45 pm ET on Downdetector, which collects data on outages.
Many customers complained they could not see their account balances. Some who could access their accounts were startled to see zero balances.
Bank of America did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Multiple CNN employees with Bank of America accounts could not log into their accounts online. A message displayed for one Bank of America customer said the current balance amount for one or multiple accounts “may be temporarily unavailable.”
“Five accounts show zero balance, over 20K,” one Bank of America customer on Downdetector wrote.
Another said he can’t log in but his wife can and h...
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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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Baltimore, MD - Sept. 27, 2024 - The Board of Directors and Ladies Auxiliary of O’Fishel’s Mitzvah Motivators is proud to announce the reinstatement, rejuvenation, re-establishment, revival and bringing back of the Tehillim in Tishrei program, which was on a brief hiatus since about 18 years ago! Join us in davening for the Cholim, Chayalim, Chatufim and Acheinu Kol Bais Yisrael in harm's way. Say a Perek of Tehillim a day and get great prizes, including a souvenir Mitzvah Motivators emblazoned hardcovered Artscroll Tefilla L'Moshe Tehillim, personalized with your name!Program begins Rosh Hashana.Forms can be picked up from all finer Shuls,Mitzvah Motivators World Headquarters - 7000 Rockland Hills Drive,2601 Smith Ave, 6313 Winner Ave, 2714 Bartol, and To...
Israel's foreign minister declared UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres 'persona non grata' and was henceforth banning him from entering Israel, according to a post on X/Twitter on Wednesday.
The ban on entry, said FM Israel Katz, was due to Guterres's failure to "unequivocally condemn" Iran's massive missile attack on Israel.
"Anyone who cannot unequivocally condemn Iran's heinous attack on Israel, as almost every country in the world has done, does not deserve to step foot on Israeli soil," Katz wrote.
He added that Guterres is yet to denounce the October 7 massacre, which is approaching its one year anniversary, or condemn Hamas's use of sexual violence.
Katz also criticized the Guterres for not leading "any efforts to declare [Hamas] a ...
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.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday, September 13, ordered that the safe return of northern Israel's residents to their homes be added to the war's objectives. In the week that followed, dozens of Hezbollah terrorists were killed and thousands were maimed when their communication devices exploded. Israel did not claim responsibility for the explosions, but foreign media reported that the Mossad was behind them.
The following weekend, Hezbollah responded to the elimination of Radwan Force commander Ibrahim Aqil by expanding the range of fire and increasing rocket and UAV launches, targeting the lower Galilee, Haifa Bay, and Jezreel Valley areas. At the same time, the IDF increased its strikes on Hezbollah targets, striking buildings used to store long-range missiles. On M...
Baltimore, MD – Oct. 2, 2024 - BJL wishes a hearty Mazel Tov to Mr. and Mrs. Yosef Backer on the birth of a son.
Mazel Tov grandparents Mr. and Mrs. Efraim Backer
יה"ר שיזכו לגדל בנם לתורה, לחופה, ולמעשים טובים. אמן!
US President Joe Biden says he does not support a retaliatory strike by Israel on Iran’s nuclear program.
“The answer is no,” Biden tells reporters when asked whether he backs such a prospect.
Biden says Israel has a right to respond to yesterday’s Iranian missile attack but that it should do so proportionally.
“We’ll be discussing with the Israelis what they’re going to do,” he adds.
The president says that the US will also be rolling out new sanctions against Iran over the attack.
US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said yesterday that the Iran will face “severe consequences” and that the US will work with Israel to ensure as much, without elaborating.
Some 31,000 immigrants arrived in Israel under the shadow of war over the past Hebrew year, government figures released on Sunday show.
The wartime wave of aliyah from more than 100 countries comes at a time of surging antisemitism around the world.
The great majority of the immigrants came from Russia, followed by the U.S. and Canada, according to the data from the Ministry of Aliyah and Integration and the quasi-governmental Jewish Agency released ahead of Rosh Hashana, which begins on Wednesday evening.
Nearly 20,000 olim arrived from Russia, and about 3,350 came from the U.S. and Canada. There were more than 1,820 from France, 980 from Ukraine, 975 from Belarus, 560 from Great Britain, more than 450 from Argentina, more than 300 from Georgia, 280 from South Afric...
On the eve of the Jewish year 5785, the Jewish population worldwide numbers 15.8 million, an increase of about 100,000 compared to 5784, according to data published by The Jewish Agency.
Israel is home to 7.3 million Jews, compared to 7.2 million at the beginning of 5784, while 8.5 million Jews live outside of Israel—including 6.3 million in the United States and 2.2 million in other countries, according to the data based on research by demographer professor Sergio Della Pergola from the Hebrew University.
“The existential relationship between the Jewish communities around the world and the State of Israel has strengthened in the past year. We are witnessing unprecedented support that provides us the strength and hope to carry on,” said Maj. Gen. Doron Almog, chairman o...
Baltimore, MD - Oct. 1, 2024 - Boruch Hashem, Bikur Cholim of Baltimore has now added another jewel to the crown of services it provides to the Baltimore community.
As we come into this Yom Tov season, Bikur Cholim is proud to announce the opening of a new Bikur Cholim Kosher Hospitality Room at MedStar Union Memorial Hospital.
As our community expands and needs have grown, people have been regularly utilizing more of the numerous medical institutions in town. In recognition of this, MedStar Union Memorial Hospital worked with Bikur Cholim of Baltimore to see how they could better accommodate our community. The Bikur Cholim Kosher Hospitality Room has been designed to provide a warm and inviting atmosphere for those in need, It is stocked with kosher meals and...
I assume that I'm not the only one who, more than once, while itching for the end of mussaf on Rosh HaShanah, has read Artscroll's explanation of the symbolism behind the 100 shofar blasts. The source is Eliyahu Ki Tov's Sefer HaToda'ah, wherein he explains that Devorah, in her song following the defeat of Sisera and his Canaanite army, states (Shofetim 5:28-30) that Sisera's mother whimpered and groaned while she awaited her sons return. She did so 101 times, according to the midrash. We sound the shofar 100 "whimpers" to express our opposition to the barbarism Sisera's mother supported but we fall short by one blast to show the smallest inkling of sympathy for her pain.
Surely, there must be more behind this conn...
Annapolis, MD - Oct. 2, 2024 - Maryland Gov. Wes Moore signed an executive order Tuesday that aims to transform 5,000 vacant properties in Baltimore into homeownership or other positive outcomes in five years.
The order creates a program called Reinvest Baltimore. It will coordinate state, city, nonprofit and for-profit partners’ efforts to eliminate concentrations of vacant properties and revitalize neighborhoods.
“Baltimore’s vacant property crisis is an issue that cannot wait — because in order to have a strong state, you must have a strong housing market, where people own more than they owe,” Moore, a Democrat, said in a statement. “I want to thank all the partners who raised their hand to be a part of this work that will open paths to work, ...
Baltimore, MD – Oct. 2, 2024 - BJL wishes a hearty Mazel Tov to Meir & Elisheva Eidensohn on the birth of a daughter.
Mazel tov to grandparents Dr. Alan & Malka Eidensohn and Chaim Tuvia & Sharmaine Palmer
יה"ר שיזכו לגדל בתם לתורה, לחופה, ולמעשים טובים. אמן!
Recently, our downstairs storage room went dark. All four lights – those long fluorescent tube lights – went out. To try and resolve this, I did what most people would do and headed on over to the local Home Depot store.I walked straight to the back left of the store where I knew they had electric supplies and lights. I saw so many lights: round lights, square lights, big lights, small lights (sounds like the beginning of a Dr. Seuss book!). Then, excitedly, I found the aisle that carried these fluorescent tub lights. I needed the six-foot (72 inch) lights for my basement and started to look at the various size options in stock. They had two-foot, four-foot, eight-foot, and even sixteen-foot options. I scratched my head, confused. There were no six-foot lights. They had all the...
Baltimore, MD – Oct. 2, 2024 – Darchei Tzedek just sent this notice to their membership:
1. Remember to make an Eruv Tavshilin today.
2. If you have trash pickup on Yom Tov, take your cans to the curb before Yom Tov! Note that trash cans cannot be moved to the curb once Yom Tov begins, so if needed, empty cans should be moved to the curb beforehand so that they can be filled. All cans taken to curb should remain there until after Shabbos.
The Israel Police has revealed that about a month ago it foiled an attempt to carry out a terrorist attack in one of the cities in the south of the country.
An illegal resident, a 17-year-old from Hebron, was arrested on suspicion of intending to carry out a stabbing attack in a synagogue after the police received intelligence information to that effect.
The police began a search of the area, located the suspect who attempted to flee, and arrested him after a foot chase and the firing of shots into the air by the police.
Chief Superintendent Baruch Honig said "We are acting with all the might of the Israel Police against anyone who employs, houses, or transports illegal residents and thereby aids our enemies and harms the security of the state. We will not allow economic considerations ...