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.
Freshouse II, LLC of Salisbury, NC is recalling the following specific production lots, brands and weights of Valencia Oranges, Lemons, Limes, Organic Limes, and Red B Potatoes because they have the potential to be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes, an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Although healthy individuals may suffer only short-term symptoms such as high fever, severe headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea Listeria infection can cause miscarriages and stillbirths among pregnant women.
The recall was voluntarily initiated after the company’s routine internal testing identified Listeria monocytogenes on a piece of equipment ...
WASHINGTON (JNS) – The U.S. Commission for the Preservation of America’s Heritage Abroad recognized Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and former present Nursultan Nazarbayev for “facilitating the commemoration” of the passing, or yahrtzeit, of Rabbi Levi Yitzchak Schneerson, father of the Lubavitcher Rebbe—Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson—on Monday, the 20th day of the Jewish month of Av.
The rabbi, who was born in 1878, had spent years in exile in Kazakhstan.
Paul Packer, chairman of the U.S. Commission for the Preservation of America’s Heritage Abroad, said: “On behalf of the United States government, I want to honor Rabbi Schneerson and thank the great people of Kazakhstan for their steadfast support of the rabbi and h...
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Most recent Statements/letters/etc. from the Baltimore Vaad HaRabbanimVaad HaRabbanim Of Baltimore: "Despite Our Diligent Efforts And Vigilance Locally, We Have Had A Slow Trickle Of New Cases In The Past 2 Weeks That Raises Concern." [July 2, 2020]Vaad HaRabbanim Of Baltimore: "Those Shuls Which Are Able To Open In A Manner Deemed Safe May Do So Already For Shabbos" (June 19) Vaad HaRabbanim of Baltimore: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) About Yesterday’s Vaad Harabanim Letter [June 11, 2020]Vaad HaRabbonim Of Baltimore: A Smorgasbord of Good News (June 10, 2020) Baltimore's Vaad HaRabbanim: Please Make Sure to Vote This Tuesday (May 31, 2020 3:03 PM) Vaad HaRabbonim Of Baltimore: Guidance For Hosting Company for Shavuos 5780 (May 24, 2020)Vaad HaRabbanim Of Baltimo...
Baltimore, MD - Aug. 10, 2020 —A massive gas explosion in a northwest Baltimore neighborhood has left an unknown number of people buried in the rubble of several rowhomes.
The blast was felt as far as several miles away, and leveled three rowhomes on Labyrinth Road behind the Reisterstown Plaza complex, just west of Reisterstown Road.
Officials say now say 7 people have been taken to hospitals and 1 woman has been pronounced dead. Residents were seen cheering as one woman was pulled from the rubble.
The city's Office of Emergency Management says those displaced from their homes can report to the American Red Cross stations behind the Applebee's restaurant (6798 Reisterstown Rd) or at the Milbrook Park Apartments community center (located at 6806 Milbrook Park Dr).
Fire ...
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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.
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Baltimore, MD - June 19, 2020 - N’shei Agudath Israel of Baltimore Summer Lecture Series.Click on the graphic below for a larger, printable copy
There is a “substantial chance” that the nation won’t know on election night what the final results will be, even possibly for the presidential race, but “that’s OK,” as the vote will take time to count accurately, Ellen Weintraub, a commissioner on the Federal Election Commission, said Monday.
“We’re all going to need to take a deep breath and be patient this year,” Weintraub said on CNN’s “New Day.” “If it takes a little bit longer to count all the votes accurately, that’s what we need to do in order to ensure that everyone’s vote counts.”
Read more at NEWSMAX.
President Trump slammed Ben Sasse Monday morning, calling him a “RINO” and claiming he’s “gone rogue” after the GOP senator labeled his coronavirus economic relief executive actions “unconstitutional slop.”
The president’s tweet criticizing Sasse, R-Neb., comes after he issued a statement in response to the executive actions Trump signed over the weekend in an attempt to break the stalemate in negotiations between Republicans and Democrats on Capitol Hill over the fourth coronavirus stimulus relief package.
“The pen-and-phone theory of executive lawmaking is unconstitutional slop,” Sasse said in a statement over the weekend. “President Obama did not have the power to unilaterally rewrite imm...
“No one should be fighting over wearing a mask,” White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said on Monday.
“What we should be doing is … what is patriotic, which is, when you can’t socially distance, wear a mask,” McEnany told “Fox & Friends.”
McEnany said President Trump wears a mask when he cannot socially distance.
“He’s done it several times. That’s where he stands. That is the American people. It’s the right thing to do if you’re standing close to someone, and no one should be fighting over it nevertheless.”
Read more at Fox News.
Fast radio bursts (FRBs) are often mysterious in nature, but not an uncommon observation in deep space. However, researchers have discovered the first FRB to emanate from the Milky Way galaxy, according to a newly published study.
The research details magnetar SGR 1935+2154, which was discovered in 2014, but it wasn’t until April 2020 when scientists saw it become active again, shooting out radio waves and X-rays at random intervals.
“We’ve never seen a burst of radio waves, resembling a Fast Radio Burst, from a magnetar before,” the study’s lead author, Sandro Mereghetti of the National Institute for Astrophysics (INAF–IASF), said in a statement.
This FRB likely comes from a neutron star, approximately 30,000 light-years from Earth in the V...
Multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) has affected almost a dozen kids in Washington state so far this year, according to several reports.
Since the start of the pandemic, a total of 11 children in the state have been diagnosed with the rare condition linked to the novel coronavirus, The Seattle Times reported.
“These kids feel terrible,” Dr. John McGuire, chief of critical care at Seattle Children’s, stated in an interview with the outlet. “They’re tired, weak, and achy, they have pretty high fevers. They feel completely wiped out.”
Fortunately, McGuire said, all of the children have responded well to treatment.
Read more at Fox News.
Israel’s Supreme Court struck down Monday a demolition order for the house of Nizmi Abu Bakr, a 49-year-old Palestinian who confessed to killing IDF First Class Sergeant Amit Ben Yigal, H'yd.
Justices Menachem Mazuz and George Kara cast their votes to overturn the demolition order, resulting in a two-to-one majority.
The justices pointed at the fact that Nizmi’s wife and eight children also lived in the building and had not played any role in Ben-Ygal’s killing.
Thus, they ruled, sealing off Nizmi’s own room should suffice.
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu took to Twitter to condemn the decision and call for a review with an expanded panel. He stressed that demolishing houses of terrorists was part of his policy, and he intended for tho...
New York state over the weekend marked its lowest positivity rate since the start of the coronavirus pandemic just months after the state was considered to be the global epicenter of the outbreak, Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) announced.
Of the 65,812 COVID-19 tests conducted Saturday, 515 people tested positive — or 0.78 percent. The state has been typically averaging around 1 percent.
Read more at The Hill.
One person was killed Monday morning, r'l, after a fire broke out in a building in the Geulah neighborhood of Jerusalem.
The fire was reported in an apartment building on Avodat Yisrael Street Monday morning, in the Geulah neighborhood near Meah Sharim.
Fire and rescue teams were dispatched to the scene along with emergency medical first responders.
A man roughly 30 years of age was found trapped inside the burning building, and was pulled from the building and treated by MDA paramedics.
The man, who was found unconscious, suffering from smoke inhalation and burns across his body.
Paramedics were forced to declare the man dead at the scene. Read more at Arutz-7
Hamas terrorists in the Gaza Strip fired rockets into the sea on Monday after repeated exchanges of fire with Israel in recent days, Gaza security sources and eyewitnesses said.
At least eight rockets were seen in the sky, heading toward the Mediterranean Sea, said AFP journalists in the coastal strip.
The Gaza Strip's interior ministry called the rocket launches "an act of resistance".
The rockets were a "message" to Israel to let it know that terrorist groups in Gaza will not "remain silent" in the face of an Israeli blockade and "aggression", a source close to Hamas told AFP.
The source noted that Monday's rocket fire coincided with the recent launch of incendiary balloons into Israel.
In the past week, such balloons have flown three times from Gaza into Is...
Republican Sen. Ron Johnson said Monday that he has subpoenaed the FBI to produce documents to his committee related to the Trump-Russia investigation.
The Wisconsin senator also defended a separate investigation he is leading into Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden and Ukraine, even as Democrats say the probe has the effect of amplifying Russian propaganda and as U.S. intelligence officials say they have assessed that Russia is working to denigrate Biden ahead of the November election.
Read more at NEWSMAX.
President Donald Trump on Sunday said some states may pay nothing of the additional unemployment benefits he approved in coronavirus executive orders signed Saturday.
The president’s order provides an additional $400 per week in unemployment benefits to help cushion the economic fallout of the pandemic, with states required to cover 25% of the cost.
Some states may not have to pay the $100 — but governors have to apply with the federal government first.
“We have a system where we can do 100% or we can do 75%, they pay 25,” Trump told reporters Sunday, according to CNN.
Read more at NEWSMAX.
U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin on Sunday said they were open to restarting COVID-19 aid talks, after weeks of failed negotiations prompted President Donald Trump to take executive actions that Democrats argued would do little to ease Americans’ financial distress.
Discussions over a fifth bill to address the impact of the coronavirus pandemic crumbled on Friday, a week after a critical boost in unemployment assistance and eviction protections expired, exposing people to a wave of economic pain as infections continue to rise across the country.
Trump on Saturday sought to take matters into his own hands after the talks collapsed, signing executive orders and memorandums aimed at unemployment benefits, evictions, student loans and payroll taxes....