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.
PINNED
Scroll for more news
Baltimore County Police Robbery Unit is currently investigating an incident that occurred in
your neighborhood.
We are searching for residents that have video surveillance near these commercial
businesses;
Subway Restaurant located at 110 Reisterstown Rd.
Shoppers Market located at 2801 Smith Ave.
Americas Best Wings located at 8039 Liberty Rd.
Please contact Detective McCord or Robbery Unit Detectives to let us know:
1- If you do have exterior video cameras
2- How/when we would be able to meet you to get this video
We are specifically looking for vehicles that are passing your location in the timeframe. **it’s ok if we cannot even make out the make/model/color, we have some ideas of what we are
looking for and any/all video will be extremely helpful.
Thank you in a...
In Meseches Shabbos, daf kuf yud zayin, amud bais it says that a person may save food for three meals on Shabbos from an active fire. One is permitted to save food for humans as well as for his animals. The gemara clarifies this by saying if the fire takes place at night one may save for three meals. If the fire takes place in the morning, one may save for two meals. If the fire takes place during the time of mincha on Shabbos afternoon, one is permitted to save food for only one meal. The gemara explains that a person needs to eat three meals on Shabbos. Rav Chidka says a person needs to eat four meals on Shabbos. They both learn it from the posuk where Moshe commanded Bnei Yisroel&nbs...
Randallstwon, MD — Baltimore County's new police chief was addressing public safety concerns at town hall in Randallstown Wednesday night.
Melissa Hyatt was joined by Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski at the first in a series of listening sessions regarding safety.
Hyatt will holding a number of these events in Baltimore County.
Hyatt told residents she's been visiting various police precincts, meeting with the police officers. She's also studying the different communities as part of a process of building trust between cops and the communities they serve.
Hyatt also stressed her leadership style will feature a commitment to collaboration.
"I think that I bring the ability to really engage with people different communities, everyone from police offic...
U.S. Special Envoy for Monitoring and Combating Anti-Semitism Elan Carr said on Wednesday that Jewish institutions, including shuls, should have armed security.
“We live in a time of danger,” Carr told Jerusalem Post editor-in-chief Yaakov Katz in an interview at the Global Coalition 4 Israel Conference. “Any synagogue, every JCC should have guards. God willing, may they never be needed, but they should be there.”
Carr, 50, emphasized U.S. President Donald Trump’s commitment to fighting anti-Semitism.
“The rhetoric of the president couldn’t be clearer. Every time the president speaks on this issue, he calls it [anti-Semitism] a vile poison that must be rooted out,” said Carr.
He also remarked that the president has clearly said that &ldqu...
Nearly four months after being nominated, Kelly Craft—U.S. President Donald Trump’s pick to replace Nikki Haley as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations—vowed on Wednesday to fight the international body’s anti-Israel bias, in addition to calling out anti-Semitism.
“Without U.S. leadership, our partners and allies would be vulnerable to bad actors at the U.N. This is particularly true in the case of Israel, which is the subject of unrelenting bias and hostility in U.N. venues,” she said in her opening testimony to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. “The United States will never accept such bias. If confirmed, I commit to seizing every opportunity to shine a light on this conduct, call it what it is, and demand that these outrageous practices ...
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.
As the Bayit Yehudi party central committee voted on Wednesday to retain Knesset member Rabbi Rafi Peretz as their leader and not to hold new internal elections, its partner in the Union of Right-Wing Parties Otzma Yehudit accused it of reneging on a pre-election agreement and breaking off contact.
Prior to Israel’s April election, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu orchestrated an agreement between Otzma Yehudit and the Bayit Yehudi -Leumi alliance which led to the three parties running on a joint slate called the Union of Right-Wing Parties (URWP). The group went on to win five seats in the election.
However, according to Otzma Yehudit, part of the agreement was that if any of the party leaders were appointed as ministers, they would resign as Knesset members, which would enable I...
Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer on Wednesday called for an investigation into the Trump administration’s decision to delay an updated $20 bill featuring Harriet Tubman.
After Obama-era Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew announced in 2016 that such a re-design would be released in 2020, current Secretary Steven Mnuchin revealed last moth that it would be delayed until 2028.
“I ask that you conduct an investigation into decisions made at the Treasury since January of 2018 regarding the delay of the redesign of the $20 note,” Schumer wrote in a letter to Treasury Department Inspector General Eric Thorson.
Read more at The Hill.
Prime Minister Netanyahu warned Israel’s enemies “not to test” the Israeli military amid growing tensions with Iran in the region.
“I hear our neighbors to the north, south and east threatening to destroy us. I say to our enemies: The IDF has an immense destructive power. Do not test us,” Netanyahu said.
Israel’s air force is currently in the middle of a four day drill, simulating war on multiple fronts. The drill includes, the first time ever, the advanced F-35 fighter jet, as well as helicopters and drones.
Read more at i24NEWS.
The White House on Wednesday blocked President Donald Trump’s former aide Hope Hicks from answering dozens of questions from a House committee, an impasse that hands pro-impeachment Democrats another argument to start proceedings, even as Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., pushed back.
During a closed-door interview with the House Judiciary Committee, a White House attorney and Justice Department lawyer argued that Hicks had immunity from questions about her West Wing tenure – although Hicks is a private citizen. The standoff – and the White House assertion of an exemption that Democrats said simply does not exist – immediately raised the prospect of the House asking a court to force her to testify.
The latest clash between House Democrats and the Trump administratio...
A huge tuna was caught off the coast of Ashdod by Israeli fishermen.
The gigantic fish was reportedly sold to the Yakimono restaurant in Tel Aviv for 48,000 shekels, or about 13 thousand US dollars.
Baltimore County school administrators and local law enforcement officials work together to make a safety a priority in a two-day conference set to address issues ranging from social media threats to dangerous weather conditions.
After several school-related incidents testing the school system's safety plan, officials worked to address concerns involving social media threats to schools.
Officials say it is not an easy task to track down safety threats in posts on social media.
"Because if there is a threat on social media, every time someone sends it to someone else, it makes it more difficult for police to track down where that threat originated," April Lewis, executive director of the Department of School Safety told WBAL-TV 11.
School administrators were reminded of safet...
Stephen Schwarzman, the billionaire founder of investment firm Blackstone (BX), has given the University of Oxford its largest single donation in hundreds of years to help fund research into the ethics of artificial intelligence.
The Stephen A. Schwarzman Centre for the Humanities will house a new Institute for Ethics in AI, which will focus on studying the ethical implications of artificial intelligence and other new technology. The institute is expected to open by 2024.
“For nearly 1,000 years, the study of the Humanities at Oxford has been core to western civilization and scholarship,” Schwarzman said in a statement. “We need to ensure that its insights and principles can be adapted to today’s dynamic world.”
The $188 million contribution will fund an ac...
Washington - Hope Hicks, a once close aide to President Donald Trump, told the House Judiciary Committee that Trump was serious in saying there was nothing wrong in accepting derogatory information about political opponents from a foreign government, panel Chairman Jerrold Nadler said on Thursday.
“Ms. Hicks made clear that she understood the president to be serious when he said that he would accept foreign interference in our elections,” Nadler said in a statement for a hearing on former Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s report on Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.
“She also made clear that even she knew that such foreign assistance should be rejected and reported to the FBI,” he said.
Hicks, who was Trump’s campaign press secreta...
Queens, NY - A Nashville man who is believed to be the first person released under President Donald Trump’s First Step Act visited Cambria Heights this week to express his gratitude to the Lubavitcher Rebbe who spoke publicly decades ago about the importance of using prison as a vehicle for rehabilitation, not punishment.
A career offender with multiple convictions on various charges, Matthew Charles was sentenced to 35 years in prison in 1996 after being found guilty of selling crack cocaine and illegal possession of a firearm, reported NBC News .
During his time in prison, Charles devoted himself to bible study, took college classes and mentored other prisoners, earning early release in 2016. But two years later, Charles was ordered to serve out the remaining nine y...
Baltimore, MD – June 19, 2019 - It is with deep sadness that BaltimoreJewishLife.com informs the community of the petirah of Shira Saperstein, a'h, beloved wife of Perry Saperstein, daughter of Philip and Beth Weinberg, daughter-in-law of Ray & Risha Saperstein and granddaughter-in law of Mrs. Ruth Saperstein.
The levaya will be held tomorrow morning (Thursday 6/20) at 9:00 am at Sol Levinson followed by kevurah at the Bonaventure Cemetery, Savannah Georgia and will be available online.
Shiva will be observed in Savannah until Sunday night and continue in Baltimore through Thursday morning. More details to follow.
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran’s Revolutionary Guard shot down a U.S. drone on Thursday amid heightened tensions between Tehran and Washington over its collapsing nuclear deal with world powers, American and Iranian officials said, while disputing the circumstances of the incident.
The Guard said it shot down the drone over Iranian airspace, while two U.S. officials told The Associated Press that the downing happened over international airspace in the Strait of Hormuz. The different accounts could not be immediately reconciled.
Previously, the U.S. military alleged that Iran had fired a missile at another drone last week that was responding to the attack on two oil tankers near the Gulf of Oman. The U.S. blames Iran for the attack on the ships; Tehran denies it was involved.
The a...
Philadelphia, PA - Police Commissioner Richard Ross says 72 Philadelphia police officers have been placed on administrative duty amid an initial investigation into a national group’s accusation of officers in at least five states posting racist and anti-Muslim comments on social media.
Ross said he believed at least “several dozen” people would be disciplined and he expects some to be fired. The commissioner said the internal affairs division prioritized posts “clearly advocating violence or death against any protected class such as ethnicity, national origin, sex, religion and race.” An independent law firm had been hired to determine whether posts were constitutionally protected before any discipline is imposed.
“I am not prepared to tell you at this...
Baltimore Mayor Bernard C. "Jack" Young expressed frustration Wednesday with rising violence in the city, and with residents he says do not cooperate with police.
There have been 143 homicides this year, including 19 this month. There have also been 18 nonfatal shootings so far in June.
"People in the African American neighborhoods need to stand up, and say enough is enough, and start turning these folks in," Young told reporters at City Hall. "Everybody knows what's going on, they are in your families, turn them in."
Young said he is "sick and tired" of getting notices of shootings and homicides in the city. He says police and city officials cannot solve crimes on their own, they need the help of residents.
"It takes the community to help us out," Young said. "I mean, eve...