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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Baltimore, MD – May 19, 2019 - It is with deep sadness that BaltimoreJewishLife.com informs the community of the petirah Mr. Sirous Golfeiz, Z’L, brother of Mr. Oriel Golfeiz, Rabbi Daniel Golfeiz, Mr. Gavriel Golfeiz, Mrs. Vida Attar (Golfeiz), and Mrs. Zhila Zarabian (Golfeiz).
The levayah took place this morning.
Kevura to take place in Har HaMenuchos on Monday, May 20. Gavriel Golfeiz will return to Baltimore on Tuesday.
Shiva is currently being observed at 3206 Hatton Road, Baltimore, MD, 21208. Visiting times: 10A-1P and 3P-9P
Shacharis 7:00 AM
Mincha/Maariv: 8:00 PM (Mincha Erev Shabbos: 3:00 PM )
Bila HaMaves LaNetzach...
On Sunday, May 19, the Department for Diaspora Activity of the World Zionist Organization inaugurated "Beit Ha'Am - Marom" a unique community center in Uganda. The center is named after Yoni Netanyahu z"l, H'yd, who died July 4,1976, during "Operation Entebbe." Also known as, the Israel Defense Force's "Operation Thunderbolt," the mission was to rescue 106 hostages held in the Uganda airport. The mostly Israeli hostages were in danger, separated from other passengers and detained, from the Air France plane hijacked by PFLP terrorists. Yoni Netanyahu z"l was the only military fatality, during the daring night time raid on enemy territory 2,500 miles from Israel, during which 102 hostages were saved.
"Beit Ha'Am - Marom" was built in Uganda's capital, Kam...
The powerful Lebanese Hezbollah militia has thrived for decades on generous cash handouts from Iran, spending lavishly on benefits for its fighters, funding social services for its constituents and accumulating a formidable arsenal that has helped make the group a significant regional force, with troops in Syria and Iraq.
But since President Donald Trump introduced sweeping new restrictions on trade with Iran last year, raising tensions with Tehran that reached a crescendo in recent days, Iran’s ability to finance allies like Hezbollah has been curtailed. Hezbollah, the best funded and most senior of Tehran’s proxies, has seen a sharp fall in its revenue and is being forced to make draconian cuts to its spending, according to Hezbollah officials, members and supporters.
Fight...
A massive load of more than 1,000 polished Yemenite Shofaros or antelope horns were stolen from a Brooklyn home, police said Friday.
A 70-year-old Crown Heights man was inside his garage at Montgomery Street and Albany Avenue on Thursday at around 3:45 p.m. Thursday when he discovered that a thief had forcibly busted through his front garage door and swiped about 32 boxes containing 1,250 pieces of the ancient musical horns made from the Kudu antelope in Africa.
The crook remains on-the-lam. Read more at NY Post
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.
A partial crane collapse took place at a construction site in Yavneh. The site located on Jabotinsky Street in the city saw, numerous people critically injured after pieces of the crane fell to the ground. United Hatzalah EMT Avi Babbai who was one of the first responders at the scene said that currently, United Hatzalah volunteers are treating four people four critical injuries as a result of the accident. Firefighters are active at the scene and working to extricate the injured.
United Hatzalah EMT Yoni Uziyahu reported from the scene that four people have been confirmed dead at the scene of the crane collapse on Jabotinsky Street in Yavneh. Firefighters are still working to rescue a fifth person stuck on the crane itself.
Baltimore, MD – May 14, 2019 - It is with deep sadness that BaltimoreJewishLife.com informs the community of the petirah Rabbi Yaakov Pollak, Z’L, husband of Mrs. Rhoda (Steinberg) Pollak.
The levaya will take place at 12PM, Sunday, May 19, 2019 at Rabbi Pollak’s shul, Cong. Shomrei Emunah 5202 14th Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11219
Bila HaMaves LaNetzach...
Baltimore, MD - May 18, 2019 - The Baltimore Jewish community wishes to thank County Councilman Izzy Patoka for his critical assistance ensuring that necessary modifications to the Baltimore Eruv could be implemented.
Izzy posted the following on his Facebook page:
On Wednesday, our office was alerted that modifications to the fence at Druid Ridge Cemetery distributed the eruv line in a way that caused significant and urgent issues as it relates to Shabbos. An eruv line allows members of the Jewish faith to carry babies with them, strollers and other items within its borders on Shabbos. The line forms a nearly invisible enclosure and can be comprised of a series of pre-existing structures (walls, fences, electrical poles and wires) and/or structures created expressly for ...
Baltimore, MD - May 18, 2019 - 10:38 PM - Now is an ideal time to recite Kiddush Levana. Last time is 2:11 AM Sunday.
A cluster of balloons attached to an explosive device landed in an IDF base in southern Israel this morning
Israel Police sappers, who were called in to neutralize the Gazan explosive device, said that no one was injured and no damage was caused.
“If you see a suspicious object, report it immediately to the police,” a police statement warned.
Read more at Arutz Sheva.
WASHINGTON (AP) — A Republican congressman from Michigan on Saturday became the first member of President Donald Trump’s party on Capitol Hill to accuse him of engaging in “impeachable conduct” stemming from special counsel Robert Mueller’s lengthy investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election.
But Rep. Justin Amash stopped short of calling on Congress to begin impeachment proceedings against Trump, which many Democrats have been agitating for.
Often a lone GOP voice in Congress, Amash sent a series of tweets Saturday faulting both Trump and Attorney General William Barr over Mueller’s report. Mueller wrapped the investigation and submitted his report to Barr in late March. Barr then released a summary of Mueller’s “...
Police open investigation after vandals spray paint swastika on donkey.
A swastika was on Saturday found spray painted on a donkey in the southern city of Be'er Sheva.
Police have opened an investigation. A 40-year-old resident of the nearby town of Tel Sheva, believed the be the owner of several swastika-marked donkeys, was detained.
The "Let the Animals Live" association responded harshly to the reports, calling on authorities to prosecute those responsible to the fullest extent of the law.
"We hope that the police handle with severity those who made fun of the Holocaust and tortured an animal," Let the Animals Live founder Eti Altman told News 12.
"As the daughter of a Holocaust survivor, I was shocked. Justice must be done and these criminals must punished very severely."
Uh, oh. Problems with the base?
A Fox News poll released Thursday had some surprising takeaways regarding respondents’ thoughts on the the handling of the Russia investigation.
The 52-page-long survey, which was conducted by a bipartisan group of pollsters between May 11 and May 14, asked people’s opinions on a variety of subjects, such as President Trump’s likability, the economy, the White House’s relationship with North Korea and the handling of the Russia investigation by special counsel Robert Mueller and by Attorney General William Barr.
The Fox News poll found that more people (50%) oppose the impeachment of the president than support it (42%). It also concluded that more people think that Mueller did a good job with t...
Loud blasts echoed across Damascus late on Friday, residents said, as Syrian state media reported “enemy targets” coming from the direction of Israel, which has previously acknowledged conducting repeated strikes inside Syria.
The state television channel showed footage of the night sky with a point of light firing up into it and the sound of shooting, and reported that air defenses had brought down some objects. It did not immediately report casualties or material damage.
There was no immediate comment from Israel, but it has been increasingly open in recent months about targeting sites in Syria that it says are connected to Damascus’ close allies Iran and Hezbollah.
Israel regards Iran as its biggest enemy and the Lebanese Shi’ite group Hezbollah as the main th...
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Commercial airliners flying over the Persian Gulf risk being targeted by “miscalculation or misidentification” from the Iranian military amid heightened tensions between the Islamic Republic and the U.S., American diplomats warned Saturday, even as both Washington and Tehran say they don’t seek war.
The warning relayed by U.S. diplomatic posts from the Federal Aviation Administration, though dismissed by Iran, underscored the risks the current tensions pose to a region critical to both global air travel and trade. Oil tankers allegedly have faced sabotage and Yemen rebel drones attacked a crucial Saudi oil pipeline over the last week.
Meanwhile on Saturday, Iraqi officials said ExxonMobil Corp. began evacuating staff from Basra, ...
House Judiciary Committee chairman Nadler demands Attorney General Barr reveal grand jury information from Mueller report.
President Donald Trump warned Friday of the possibility of “long jail sentences” for law-enforcement and intelligence officials involved in the early stages of the investigation into possible coordination between Russia and members of his 2016 campaign.
“My Campaign for President was conclusively spied on,” Trump claimed in a morning tweet. “Nothing like this has ever happened in American Politics. A really bad situation. TREASON means long jail sentences, and this was TREASON!”
His claims come as Attorney General William Barr has taken steps to review the origins of the Russia probe, including the appointment of a senior prosecutor to examine the roles of the FBI and the CIA.
Trump has long claimed that his campaign was subject to illegal surveillanc...
New York - Firefighters have responded to the scene of digital billboard on fire in Times Square.
Flames stated to shoot out of the LED billboard just after 3 p.m. Saturday.
The Fire Department says no injuries have been reported and there was no damage to the building the sign is attached to.
A department spokesman says firefighters are working to turn the billboard’s power off.
Over 2000 people showed up to demonstrate against the chillul Shabbos taking place at the rehearsals and preparations for the international singing competition, the Eurovision, held this year in Tel Aviv in one of the largest hafganos Yerushalayim has seen in a few years.
The protest, which began on Kikar Shabbos and marched toward the city center, was led by theToldos Ahron Rebbe, who joined the protest to deliver a fiery schmooze against chillul Shabbos.
Riots broke out with the police, who arrested several demonstrators for disturbing the peace and attacking police. Damage was also caused to one of the storefronts that was found to be open and operating while the protesters were marching.
The police spokesman said that two police officers...