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 – Jan. 28, 2021 - BJL wishes a hearty Mazel Tov to Rabbi and Mrs. Yosef Ifrah on the birth of a son.
יה"ר שיזכו לגדל בנם לתורה, לחופה, ולמעשים טובים. אמן!
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Are you looking for a career opportunity that will add meaning and purpose to your life? Are you a highly organized person and have strong attention to detail? Do you have excellent written and verbal communication skills? Do you want to be involved in many of today’s high-profile marketing campaigns? Do you want to work hand in hand with our community’s largest and most influential organizations? This is your chance to fill the role of Executive Assistant to the CEO. You will provide high-level administrative support as the ‘right-hand’ of the CEO by handling everything from personal schedules to executive board meetings.Your job will include performing clerical tasks, like accepting and making phone calls, maintaining files, scheduling meetings, sending memos, dra...
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For decades after its liberation, Jews of all affiliations – or no affiliation – prayed at the Kotel in accordance with the 1,500-year-old prayer tradition at the site.
Recently, the Reform movement orchestrated a crisis in “Diaspora-Israel relations” and convinced Israeli politicians that a “Kotel Compromise” is necessary. Following negotiations between the Israeli government, Women of the Wall, and Reform and Conservative movements, the Israeli government’s solution – the Kotel Compromise – would partition the Kotel into two plazas – the “traditional” Kotel Plaza, and a heterodox plaza for mixed prayer. This, said the Reform and Conservative movements, would mend the rift between Diaspora Jews and Israel.
With the ...
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Updated as of 9:15AM - Baltimore, MD - Jan. 27, 2022 - Moshe (Miki) Rosenfeld will be concluding shiva in Baltimore from Thursday 12pm through Sunday morning at his home, 6512 Baythorne Road, Baltimore, MD, 21209.Please wear a mask at all times.Minyanim:Thurs.: Mincha/Maariv 5:05pmFriday: Shacharis 7:00amFriday: Mincha 3:00pmSunday: Shacharis 7:30amShiva times:Thursday Noon - 10:30pmFriday 7:45am - 3:00pmMotzaei Shabbos 6:45pm - 10:30pm ***Baltimore, MD – Jan. 23, 2022 - It is with reg...
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.
So, there I was, when all of a sudden, I received a phone call from my wife. “You want to hear something crazy?” she asked. A bit nervous, I asked her, “What do you mean? What happened?” She told me something I will never forget, “Our car has heated seats!”
My wife happened to have been giving a ride to my brother-in-law in our car, and he was kind enough to point out that the car had heated seats that were not being utilized.
You see, my wife and I got a new car in the summer, and we had absolutely no idea that there was an option to heat the seats. It wasn’t on our radar; it wasn’t on our minds. Little did we know that there was a simple button right next to the seat that would turn on the heated seats. Oh, and did I mention, this story t...
Parshas Mishpatim teaches us a great deal of the Mitzvos needed for a functioning society. Included among them are many of the dinei mamanos (laws of money) as well as the Torah principle of an eye for an eye. There are however, a couple of prohibitions listed which seem either out of order or attached to a particularly harsh punishment. We are told that if a person strikes their parent, they are to be put to death. (21:15) In the next pasuk, we are told that the punishment for kidnapping is also death (21:16) Then, to complete the trifecta, the next pasuk comes back to a person who earns capital punishment for cursing their parent. (21:17) What is special about these seemingly non capital crimes that earn them the harshest of punishments? Why do we interrupt two pr...
The Nor'easter that will hit the East Coast this weekend has moved closer to Maryland, which means more snow than was initially in the forecast.
UPDATE* (1/28, 2 p.m.) Gov. Larry Hogan declared a state of emergency and mobilized members of the Maryland National Guard ahead of the storm.
The emergency declaration includes Caroline, Cecil, Dorchester, Kent, Queen Anne's, Somerset, Talbot, Wicomico and Worcester counties.
In addition, the governor has directed the Maryland National Guard to stage 125 soldiers on state active duty at armories in Southern Maryland and on the Eastern Shore. These soldiers will be ready to assist state and local agencies in responding to potential impacts from heavy snowfall with 50 tactical vehicles for evacuation transportation.
"...
Antisemitic flyers that were recently found in three Florida cities have been discovered in Melbourne Beach, Florida.
The flyers, previously dropped in Miami Beach, Surfside and Fort Lauderdale, include antisemitic statements and accuse the Jewish people of being behind the pandemic.
Residents in two neighbourhoods of Melbourne Beach said that the flyers were dumped in their front yards and driveways, WFLA reported.
They described driveways that were covered with flyers.
The flyers were placed in plastic bags weighed down with rocks, similar to the previous flyers.
In response to incidents over the weekend, Miami Beach and Surfside police increased patrols in neighborhoods and at synagogues on Monday.
Baltimore, MD – Jan. 28, 2022 – 1:48PM – An accident and police activity on Reisterstown Road at the corner of Old Court Road is blocking the left turn on to Old Court Road towards TA.
Israel faces threats like no other country—among them an Iranian regime developing nuclear weapons and supplying proxies such as Hezbollah with hundreds of thousands of rockets. The terrorists behind these threats view Israel’s destruction as the only solution to their problems.
The current, ongoing negotiations in Vienna between the United States, and European countries and Iran over the latter’s return to the 2015 nuclear deal officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), hit a new snag this week as three American negotiators quit, allegedly over U.S. Special Envoy for Iran Robert Malley’s soft approach to Iran’s belligerence.
While people like Malley appear to be untroubled by the idea of a nuclear Iran, Israel remains worried. Efrai...
HARRISBURG — An appellate court has ruled that Pennsylvania’s mail voting law is unconstitutional, but the decision is not likely to have an immediate impact as the Wolf administration plans to appeal to the state’s highest court.
The ruling by Commonwealth Court comes in response to suits filed by Bradford County Commissioner Doug McLinko and a group of Republican state representatives — many of whom voted for Act 77, the 2019 law that expanded no-excuse mail voting in Pennsylvania.
In a 3-2 decision along party lines, the Republican judges — citing extensively from past state Supreme Court rulings — said such a change would need to be made through an amendment to the Pennsylvania Constitution.
Friday’s decision sets the stage for the...
Over the past year, 15,324 Holocaust survivors died in Israel, according to data published on Wednesday by the country’s Social Equality Ministry.
According to the report, published by the ministry’s Holocaust Survivors’ Rights Authority on the eve of International Holocaust Remembrance Day, there are currently 165,800 survivors in Israel, 90% of whom are 80 or older. The average age of survivors is 85. Some 31,000, or 19%, are over 90, and over 950 are over 100. Sixty percent of the survivors known to the Authority are women, with the average age among this group being 85.4.
Nearly two-thirds (64%) of known survivors were born in Europe. The largest group, 36% or 59,900, were born in the former Soviet Union, followed by 19,100 born in Romania, 8,900 in Poland, 4,500 in...
Baltimore, MD – Jan. 28, 2022 – 12:58PM - BGE has blocked off the corner of Szold and Marnat so that one cannot turn left on to Szold from Marnat nor turn right on to Marnat from Szold.
Traffic is however moving though the area.
Her choice for Congress president is Luis Redondo, who was at the center of a rivalry within Castro's party
Honduras swore in its first female president, Xiomara Castro, on Thursday, with United States Vice President Kamala Harris in attendance.
"I promise to be faithful to the Republic, to comply with and enforce the Constitution and its laws," 62-year-old Castro said at a ceremony attended by international dignitaries and her choice for Congress president, Luis Redondo.
Redondo was at the center of a disruptive rivalry within Castro's Libre Party, which is in a majority alliance in Congress.
Castro was sworn in at an open-air soccer stadium, smiling widely as the blue and white presidential sash was draped across her chest.
The crowd danced and shouted as she...
Novavax is not an mRNA vaccine; early data shows it to be effective against omicron
Israel on Friday inked a deal to purchase 5 million doses of a Covid vaccine produced by the American drug manufacturer Novavax Inc.
Novavax's two-dose, protein-based vaccine can provide an alternative to those Israelis hesitate to be vaccinated with an mRNA vaccine or cannot do so for medical reasons.
Israel's Health Ministry said this would provide an element of "technological diversity" to the country's coronavirus strategy.
The vaccine will be given in two doses and will be subject to regulatory approval in Israel. It is expected to serve as another
Based on early research data, Novavax's vaccine is effective in generating an immune response against the omicron variant.
...
During an interview with West Virginia MetroNews’ “Talkline with Hoppy Kercheval” on Thursday, Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) said that while coronavirus is “still dangerous,” and “you’ve got to be very, very careful” he also thinks that, to a certain degree, everyone is going to “get some kind of a strain” of the virus.
While discussing host Hoppy Kercheval recovering from having coronavirus, Kercheval said he “never felt that bad” with the virus.
Kercheval added that he just felt like he had a cold and he would have worked through being sick if it hadn’t been the coronavirus.
Manchin stated, “I think, to some extent, everybody will get some kind of a strain of that, just like — it’s like a flu-typ...
Baltimore, MD – Jan. 26, 2022 - It is with regret that BaltimoreJewishLife.com informs the community of the petira of Joshua Goldman, Z’L, brother of Dr. Emanuel (Manny) (Noa) Goldman.
Shiva is being observed through Tuesday morning at 2902 Terry Drive, Apt B, Baltimore, MD, 21209.
Visiting times: 10:30 AM - 12:30 PM 3:00 PM - 5:00 PM 7:00 PM - 8:00 PM Please, no visitors past 8:00 PM Please wear a mask when visiting.Dr. Goldman can be reached at 410-375-0748.
Minyanim:
Mincha/Maariv: Erev Shabbos: 2:00PM, Sunday, and Monday 5:05 pm No Shacharis minyan.
Bila HaMaves LaNetzach…