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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PLEASE SHARE THIS URGENT TZEDAKA OPPORTUNITY WITH AT LEAST ONE PERSONURGENT TZEDAKA CAMPAIGN FOR BALTIMORE CHOLEH
Goli is a single, quadriplegic woman in our community, who has not been able to move for over 30 years r"l.
NOW SHE CAN’T EVEN SPEAK r"l! She needs YOUR help NOW!
Please take a minute to read the heartfelt letter from Rabbi Hopfer and Rabbi Hauer below and make a generous tax deductible donation here. If you'd like to donate with a check, please email brochie26@gmail.com
Every contribution makes a difference and is greatly appreciated. Please also pass along to other community members or anyone else who might be able to help. Thank you and Tizku L’Mitzvos!
*Please daven for Golnaz R...
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Baltimore, MD - Feb. 6, 2019 - BGE will soon begin work on Reisterstown Road at Hooks Lane, near the north of the I-695 interchange, as part of BGE Electric Investments.
The project will begin February 11 and be complete in late-April, weather permitting.
BGE will begin underground electric utility work in the center of Reisterstown Road at Hooks Lane and will continue working 24 hours a day.
BGE will close and detour that left-turn lane from southbound Reisterstown Road to eastbound Hooks Lane, and close one lane of northbound Reisterstown Road between the I-695 interchange and north of Hooks Lane.
Around 55,000 vehicles travel on this section of MD 140 each day, motorists should plan extra travel time, BGE says.
MDOT SHA will assist BGE by providing this detour route: Motorists trav...
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Updated as of 3:37 PM - Sources say the cause of the fire was an electric blanket that short circuited.Updated as of 1:42 PM - Baltimore Chaverim reports that Park Heights at Clarks is now OpenUpdated as of 12:11 PM - (Citizens App) A firefighter on scene says that all residents of the building are safely sheltering in place or have been safely evacuated.Special Kudos to Chaverim who worked so well together with the Baltimore City Fire Dept.
Above: Female firefighter injured while fighting the fire was moved on the stretcher by Chaverim units 68 & 52 from inside the building. The units lifted the stretcher over the hoses and brought it down to Park Heights Ave to a waiting ambulance where she was then transported to Mercy Hospital for treatment for her non-life threating injuries
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WASHINGTON (AP) — A Coast Guard lieutenant who was arrested last week is a "domestic terrorist" who drafted an email discussing biological attacks and had what appeared to be a hit list that included prominent Democrats and media figures, prosecutors said in court papers.
Christopher Paul Hasson is due to appear Thursday in federal court in Maryland after his arrest on gun and drug offenses, but prosecutors say those charges are the "proverbial tip of the iceberg."
"The defendant is a domestic terrorist, bent on committing acts dangerous to human life that are intended to affect governmental conduct," prosecutors wrote in court papers .
Hasson, who works at the Coast Guard's headquarters in Washington, has espoused extremist views for years, according to prosecutors...
Washington - Sen. Susan Collins said Wednesday that she would vote for a congressional resolution disapproving of President Donald Trump’s emergency declaration to build a wall on the southern border, becoming the first Republican senator to publicly express support for such a measure.
The lawmaker from Maine said she would vote for a resolution as long as it focused only on the declaration.
The president’s action “completely undermines” the role of Congress and is of “dubious constitutionality,” she said, while attending a Coast Guard ceremony.
“If it’s a ‘clean’ disapproval resolution, I will support it,” she said.
Trump declared an emergency last week to obtain funding for the wall beyond the $1.4 billion Congre...
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.
An attorney running for the DA position in Rockland County announced his campaign by releasing a 2-page tirade where he writes “the most significant problem facing the County [is] the insularity and exponential growth of the Hasidic community.”
Mike Diederich, a civil rights lawyer and a former Lieutenant Colonel in US Army, released a statement to the Haverstraw Democratic Committee where he calls the Chassidishe system an “intellectual cage” and called the Chassidshe leadership an “abusive organization.”
Read his letter below:
A driver in Brooklyn who had enough of the traffic took to the sidewalks to save time – and almost hit a child.
In the video below, taken by a security camera in front of a school, a car is seen edging its way forward on a sidewalk as the street seems to be completely backed up by buses. The car is forced to make a shortstop during his off road route, when a child walks right in front of his path. The child seems shocked by the appearance of the car but continues to walk towards the school building unharmed.
The car then moves forward and out of the cameras view, seemingly without causing any further damage.
One report came to the defense of the rule breaking driver, explaining that the car passenger was a woman who was in labor and needed to get to the hospital as soon as possibl...
Vladimir Putin has threatened to target the U.S. if the Trump administration deploys intermediate-range nuclear weapons in Europe, Reuters reports. The two countries this month tore up a Cold War agreement that banned ground-launched cruise missiles with a range between 500 kilometers and 5,000 kilometers since 1987. But, in his annual address to the Russian parliament Wednesday, Putin warned that he’d respond to any deployment of nukes in Europe by targeting the U.S. and the countries where the missiles are stationed.
However, he added that Russia didn’t want confrontation and wouldn’t take the first step to deploy missiles after the end of the Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty. “It’s their right to think how they want. But can they count? I&rsq...
A tragedy was averted in Monsey, NY, Wednesday afternoon, where a school bus with children on board slammed into a tree.
The accident took place near College Road, where the bus driver lost control of the vehicle and careened off the road and into a tree. The entire front of the bus was smashed in but b’chasdei Hashem no one was injured.
Police and Hatzolah came to the scene to survey the damage and ensure the children were able to get home safely. It is believed the snowy weather caused the bus to lose its grip of the wet roads.
An Arab ostracized for selling land to Jews was buried at a special section of Har Hamenuchos cemetery reserved for people who profess no religion after his body was barred from all Muslims cemeteries.
When Alah Kirsh recently died in a car collision, his body was barred from Har Habayis where dead Muslims are customarily taken, and a fatwa (religious decree) ruled that he “should not receive a Muslim burial.” His family was even prevented from setting up a mourning tent.
Rav Aryeh Stern, Yerushalayim’s Chief Ashkenazi rabbi, agreed to have him buried at Har Menuchos, explaining that one should have a “very positive attitude to an upright non-Jew” who in this case “showed good will and was even willing to endange...
Last night, the Lakewood Planning Board, at its meeting, approved an extension to the Yeshiva Toras Menachem school building on Swarthmore Avenue in Lakewood, NJ, that will include a new wedding hall, Hefker Velt reports.
In order to have sufficient parking, the school leased an adjacent 2.5-acre parcel from the Lakewood Industrial Commission (LIC) at a cost of $25,000 a year.
The board insisted that it be a fifty-year lease and use of the hall will be contingent on the lease.
The extension is a two-story, 30,623-square-foot addition to the school building, including a new in-ground pool.
New York - Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is getting some negative reviews in her home city.
Fresh off helping drive Amazon’s planned headquarters out of New York City, the rising Democratic star has inspired a billboard in Times Square.
“Amazon Pullout, Thanks for Nothing, AOC,” the billboard, located on 42nd street near 8th Avenue, reads.
The high-visibility blast is funded by the Job Creators Network and will be up for all to see until next Wednesday.
“The Amazon pullout is a perfect example of what we’ve been saying: socialism takes and capitalism creates,” Alfredo Ortiz, JCN president and CEO said in a release on Wednesday.
“The economic consequences of the HQ2 termination gives America a small taste of the harm that is to come if Ocasio-Cortez...
RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) — Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Wednesday said he will not accept regular monthly tax transfers from Israel if it carries out its decision to deduct amounts the Palestinians pay to the families of prisoners and people killed in fighting with Israel.
Abbas accused Israel of trying to put political pressure on him and violating longstanding economic agreements. He said it would be the "final nail in the coffin" of those agreements and said he would not accept the funds if even "one penny" is deducted.
The monthly tax transfers cover about two-thirds of the Palestinian budget. Without those funds, Abbas' autonomy government will fall into a crisis and not be able to pay full salaries to its tens of thousands of employees.
Abbas appears to be hop...
Sacramento, CA - Disputes over President Donald Trump’s border wall and California’s bullet train are intensifying the feud between the White House and the nation’s most populous state.
The Trump administration on Tuesday said it plans to cancel or claw back $3.5 billion in federal dollars allocated to California’s high-speed rail project, seizing on Gov. Gavin Newsom’s recent decision to scale back plans for a San Francisco-to-Los Angeles route.
Newsom branded the move “political retribution” for the state’s lawsuit against Trump’s declaration of a national emergency. California led a 16-state coalition in filing the suit Monday, challenging Trump’s power to declare an emergency to earn more money to build a wall along the U.S....
Hanoi, Vietnam - At a barbershop tucked away in a Hanoi alley, Le Phuc Hai patiently waits for the dye to turn his black hair the orange shade of President Donald Trump’s locks.
On a chair next to him, 9-year-old To Gia Huy emerges as the spitting image of a miniature Kim Jong Un.
“Many people say that I look like Kim Jong Un, especially when I have this hairstyle,” said Huy, who is nicknamed “Un” for his likeness to the North Korean leader.
He was unable to hide his excitement that Kim is coming to the Vietnamese capital next week for his second summit with the American president, and hopes for a chance to see Kim in person.
As the summit frenzy grips Hanoi, hairdresser Le Tuan Duong has joined in, offering free Trump or Kim hairstyles to about a dozen cu...
Vienna - A group representing Austrian Holocaust survivors voiced outrage on Wednesday over staffing shortages in a government department dealing with Nazi-related crimes, calling on Chancellor Sebastian Kurz to take action.
Kurz, a conservative governing in coalition with a far-right party founded by ex-Nazis, has repeatedly denounced anti-Semitism and the Holocaust since taking office just over a year ago. His government has pledged to offer citizenship to the descendants of Austrians who fled the country under Nazi rule.
But a department at the main domestic intelligence agency that handles reports of Nazi-related crimes is understaffed to the point of having a large backlog, according to the Mauthausen Committee, which represents survivors of Austria’s biggest Nazi-era concentr...
Google said Wednesday it forgot to mention that it included a microphone in its Nest Secure home alarm system, the latest privacy flub by one of the tech industry's leading collectors of personal information.
The company said earlier this month that its voice assistant feature would be available on the system's Nest Guard, which controls home alarm sensors.
But Google hadn't told consumers about the device's built-in microphone when it began selling the hubs in the fall of 2017. As recently as January , the product specs for the device made no mention of a microphone.
Google said in a statement that the omission was a mistake. "The on-device microphone was never intended to be a secret and should have been listed in the tech specs," it said.
The microphone...
Baltimore, MD - Feb. 20, 2019 - Rabbi Tzvi Goode on Parshas Ki Sisa - The Aigel HaZahav
Click below to listen
After presenting his Knesset slate for the upcoming elections on Tuesday night, Israel Resilience party chief Benny Gantz was set Wednesday morning to meet fellow centrist leader Yair Lapid in a last-ditch effort to reach a merger deal with Lapid’s Yesh Atid party.
Gantz, formally presenting his party’s slate for the coming elections, announced Tuesday his intention to call Lapid and propose an immediate meeting in order to join forces with Yesh Atid.
“As soon as the conference is over, I will call my friend Lapid, and I will propose to meet with him this evening. I will again propose to him to set all other considerations aside, and together we will put Israel before everything else,” Gantz said in his speech.
Gantz and Lapid indeed ended up talking after the sp...