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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Watch the video for the tremendous Bracha given by the Tzadik, HaRav HaGaon R...
Riyadh - Linda Sarsour is an extremist who has “roots in [the] Muslim Brotherhood,” according to an English-language feature on Al-Arabiya, the Saudi Arabia based news channel. The article published in idiomatic English on Sunday accused the Brotherhood of “shaping the thoughts of American activist Linda Sarsour, [which resulted in] her declaring her ‘Jihad’ against US President Donald Trump.”
The unprecedented article linked her to others whom it also labeled extremists, and insinuated that the Brotherhood and groups it is allied with, including Hamas, are seeking to infiltrate the US.
The article comes in the context of Saudi Arabia’s attempt to cement relations with the Trump administration, and its ongoing conflict with Qatar and Islamist gro...
New York - In a speech at an event celebrating the eighth and final night of Hanukkah, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, one of 435 members of the incoming US House of Representative, shared that members of her family were Sephardic Jews who were forced to flee to Puerto Rico during the Spanish Inquisition.
Ocasio-Cortez shared her family’s past at a Hannukah celebration she held together with the Jews for Racial and Economic Justice (JREJ) earlier this evening, and thanked the organization on her social media account for assembling the ‘festivities.’
“So many of our destinies are tied beyond our understanding.” Ocasio-Cortez said regarding her family lineage.
The newly elected congresswoman of New York told a gasping crowd, “That a very long time ago, genera...
Chen Antebi and Meirav Sharvit, 16, who were lightly wounded in Sunday’s shooting attackat the Ofra junction, recalled the moments of the attack from their beds at the Shaare Zedek Hospital in Jerusalem.
Moments before the attack, the two spoke with Shira, the 21-year-old woman who was seriously wounded in the attack and was in the advanced stages of her pregnancy. The hospital's doctors delivered her baby, who is in stable condition at the ward for premature babies. His wounded mother is still fighting for her life.
"Chen and I stood at the hitchhiking stop in Ofra, waiting for the ride that was supposed to pick us up,” recalled Meirav. "Suddenly I saw shrapnel flying, I saw the pregnant woman bleeding on the floor, I began to hear shouts of 'shooting...
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.
Baltimore, MD – Dec. 9, 2018 - It is with sadness that BaltimoreJewishLife.com informs the community of the petirah of Rebbetzin Judith Hager, a'h, wife of Rabbi Shlomo Hager, mother of Steven Hager, Rabbi Isaac Hager, Debbie Hager Katz, and Baruch Hager.
Levayah will take place tomorrow, Monday, December 10 - 11:00am, Shomrei Hadas Chapels
3803 14th Ave, Brooklyn, New York
Kevurah will take place at Old Montefiore Cemetery, 121-83 Springfield Boulevard, Jamaica, New York, 11413
Shiva will be observed in Baltimore Monday Evening, December 10 - Thursday, December 13
at the home of Debbie Hager Katz, 3318 Bancroft Road, Baltimore, Maryland, 21215
Minyanim:
Monday only: Maariv: 8:00pm
Tuesday – Thursday: Shacharis - 8:00am
Mincha/Maariv - 4:30pm
Shi...
The story is as old as our nation’s history:
A Yid in need finds himself at the entrance of Me’aras Hamachpeilah, our Mother Rochel’s burial place. He pours his heart out, demanding of Hashem to expedite the arrival of Moshiach. This age-old tale finds reprise in the hands of Shira Choir, rising star child soloist Avrumy Genuth, and an expanded iteration of the Freilach Band. The simplistic lyrics—passages of prayer that stood the passage of time—crescendo to a fever pitch. There is no doubt the heavens are as ear-bound as you’ll be.
Credits:Composed by: Rabbi Menachem Davidowitz, Rosh Yeshiva of Rochester. Originally recorded by Yakov Shweky on Leshem Shamayim album.
Performed by: Avrumy GenuthChoir by: The Shira Choir conducted by Yoily HorowitzMu...
On Sunday, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) implored President Trump not to pardon former campaign chairman Paul Manafort.
“It would be a mistake. And I would strongly counsel against it,” Rubio told CNN’s Jake Tapper.
The Florida Republican explained that he didn’t believe the presidential pardon power was created to use for these types of purposes.
“I think it would be the wrong thing to do and I think it would be a huge political mistake as well,” Rubio said on “State of the Union.” “I hope that doesn’t happen.”
Read more at NY POST.
Jerusalem - ll companies listed on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange should be allowed to report in English to help them to attract more international investment, Israel’s market regulator proposed on Sunday.
Most companies in Tel Aviv must currently report in Hebrew, with the exception of high-tech and dual-listed firms that are permitted to use English. The new proposal offers the option to all businesses and is meant to bring Tel Aviv in line with leading global exchanges, where English is commonly accepted.
“Giving the option to report in English is expected to remove the language barrier and further open the Israeli market to the world,” said Anat Guetta, chair of the Israel Securities Authority (ISA).
Israel has been taking steps over the past few years to boost tradin...
Jerusalem - Shaare Zedek Hospital in Jerusalem delivered the baby of the young woman who was critically injured in the drive-by shooting attack in Ofra, according to Israeli media.
The baby was taken to the premature hospital ward and is in stable condition. The 21-year-old mother is currently being operated on in critical condition.
Seven people, including a young couple, were injured in a drive-by Palestinian shooting attack by the Ofra settlement in the Binyamin region of the West Bank, according to Magen David Adom.
According to initial reporters the woman, who is pregnant, was seriously wounded and her husband was lightly injured.
The shooter shot at a hitchhiking station and bus stop on Route 60 from a car that immediately fled the scene, according to the IDF.
Soldiers at the sc...
Haifa, Israel - The appointment of Raja Za’atra as deputy mayor of Haifa has kicked up a storm with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Interior Minister Aryeh Deri, who are among those calling for the appointment to be cancelled due to comment’s by the former Joint Arab List spokesman in which he compared the Islamic State to the Zionist movement and claimed Hamas was not a terrorist organization.
In 2015, the head of the Hadash list in the city said at a panel at Bar Ilan University that the Islamic State had learned from the Zionist movement in 1948 “the rape, the looting, the murder.”
In a subsequent interview with Army Radio, he repeated the comments about ISIS and said that Hamas was not a terrorist organization because “every people under occupation...
Beirut - Israel’s military chief has met with the head of the U.N. peacekeeping force in Lebanon to discuss the discovery of a series of tunnels Israel says was built by Hezbollah to carry out attacks.
Last week, Israel began an open-ended operation to destroy the tunnels.
The Israeli military says that during Sunday’s meeting, Lt. Gen. Gadi Eisenkot told UNIFIL’s commander, Maj. Gen. Stefano Del Col, that the tunnels are a “blatant violation” of a U.N. cease-fire resolution that ended the 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah.
It says Eisenkot expressed the importance of the peacekeepers in enforcing the resolution and working to neutralize the tunnels on the Lebanese side of the border.
alkut Yosef, the halachic work based on the rulings of former Sephardic Chief Rabbi and spiritual leader of the Shas political movement Ovadia Yosef, will be "the first halachic work written in the Amharic language" for the members of the Ethiopian community.
The translation was initiated by the Ministry of Religious Services and is aimed at making halachic rulings available to a wider audience,ab including Amharic-speaking Jews.
The collection is comprised of 40 volumes written by Yosef's son and current Sephardi Chief Rabbi of Israel (Rishon LeZion) Yitzhak Yosef. The translation, covering the first portion of Yalkut Yosef, was written by Rabbi Israel Belachau under the careful supervision of the Chief Rabbi of Ethiopian Jewry, Rabbi Reuven Wobst.The Ethiopian Jewish communit...
Warsaw - Polish President Andrzej Duda and Jewish community members have lit a menorah at the Presidential Palace to jointly mark Hanukkah.
A part of democratic Poland’s tradition is highlighting the long history and role of the Jewish nation in Poland. Hanukkah candles are lit each year at the palace in Warsaw.
Duda, former Israeli ambassador to Poland, Shevah Weiss, along with the leaders and young members of Warsaw’s Jewish community lit the marble-and-crystal menorah.
Accompanied by first lady Agata Kornhauser-Duda, the president told the gathering of a few dozen people that he was happy at the joint meeting of a “community of people who jointly build up the Polish society, who want to be together.”
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s top pick to replace chief of staff John Kelly, Nick Ayers, is no longer expected to fill the role.
Ayers, who is chief of staff to Vice President Mike Pence, was seen as the favorite for the job when Trump announced Saturday that Kelly would leave around year’s end. But a White House official said Sunday that Trump and Ayers could not reach agreement on Ayers’ length of service and that he would instead assist the president from outside the administration.
Ayers confirmed the decision in a tweet Sunday, thanking Trump and Pence for giving him the opportunity to work in the White House. “I will be departing at the end of the year but will work with the #MAGA team to advance the cause,” he said.
It was not imme...
President Trump’s adviser and son-in-law, Jared Kushner, reportedly offered advice to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman about how to “weather the storm” after the death of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
The New York Times reported Saturday that Kushner and the crown prince, who have long been known to have an informal relationship, continued to chat after Khashoggi’s killing inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, despite formal White House procedures for contacts with foreign leaders.
One Saudi said that Kushner offered “advice about how to weather the storm, urging him to resolve his conflicts around the region and avoid further embarrassments,” according to the Times.
Read more at The Hill.
MDA EMT Benzi Glick and MDA Paramedic Betzalel Ben Hamu who were in the MDA station nearby heard the shooting: "We heard shooting and immediately ran to the Intensive Care Unit, we reached the scene and saw a 21 year old female lying on the pavement, conscious with a gun shot and a 21 year old male with a number of gun shots to his lower body. We provided them with lifesaving medical treatment and evacuated them to hospital whilst managing the bleeding, giving fluids and medications. The woman's condition was critical and unstable and the man's condition moderate and stable. Together with the IDF Medical team we treated an additional injured male in moderate condition."
MDA Paramedic Shalom Galil: "Two 16 year old girls, fully conscious with wounds to their limbs and two 1...
Pregnant woman seriously wounded after terrorists open fire on Israelis at bus stop next to Ofra, north of Jerusalem.
At least six people were wounded Sunday night in a shooting attack north of Jerusalem on Highway 60.
Terrorists opened fire on a group of Israelis at a bus stop outside of the town of Ofra in the Binyamin district of Samaria, along Highway 60.
According to initial reports, the terrorists opened fire from a moving vehicle in a drive-by shooting. The terrorists fled the scene immediately after the attack.
One of the two victims is said to be in serious condition. She has been identified as a pregnant 30-year-old woman.
A second person, 21-year-old man, was shot in the leg and is listed in light moderate condition.
One other victim is listed in moderate condition, while ...
Syrian media reports air defenses are engaged over Damascus International airport and are firing on air-born targets, Channel 10 reporter Or Heller tweeted on Sunday evening.
The airport is being hit by airstrikes, tweeted Kann reporter Amichai Stein.
Syrian air defenses intercepted enemy targets around Damascus international airport on Sunday, the state-run Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) said."Our air defenses intercepted enemy aerial targets in the vicinity of Damascus international airport in southern Damascus," SANA added. Read more at JPost