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.
United Hatzala EMS volunteers treated a young boy who was hit by a bus on HaChozeh M’Lublin Street in Beitar Illit. Volunteers attempted to resuscitate three-year-old Boruch Eisenberg, z'l, from Monsey, New York, and initiated CPR. Unfortunately, after lengthy efforts, the boy was pronounced at the scene.
Members of United Hatzalah’s Psychotrauma and Crisis Response Unit are currently treating family members and bystanders who witnessed the accident.
The family had come to Israel for Yom Tov and had traveled to Beitar Illit to visit family. The levayah will take place tonight at 10:15 PM from Shamgar to Har HaMenuchos.
Warsaw, Poland - The U.S. ambassador to Poland wished Jews a happy Passover in Polish, and the reaction was a wave of angry comments on Twitter.
Ambassador Georgette Mosbacher also wished Poles a happy Easter on Sunday. By then, Mosbacher had been accused of offending Poland with her Passover tweet and reminded she is serving in a predominantly Roman Catholic country.
Krystyna Pawlowicz, a lawmaker with Poland’s right-wing ruling party, called the ambassador’s tweet, which was posted Friday along with a colorful illustration of items for a Passover Seder, a “provocation.”
Some came to Mosbacher’s defense, recalling that Poland also has a small Jewish population. Poland was home to Europe’s largest Jewish population before the Holocaust.
Michal Szczer...
Washington - Two months before special counsel Robert Mueller was appointed in the spring of 2017, President Donald Trump picked up the phone and called the head of the largest U.S. intelligence agency. Trump told Mike Rogers, director of the National Security Agency, that news stories alleging that Trump’s 2016 White House campaign had ties to Russia were false and the president asked whether Rogers could do anything to counter them.
Rogers and his deputy Richard Ledgett, who was present for the call, were taken aback.
Afterward, Ledgett wrote a memo about the conversation and Trump’s request. He and Rogers signed it and stashed it in a safe. Ledgett said it was the “most unusual thing he had experienced in 40 years of government service.”
Trump’s ou...
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Baltimore, MD - Apr. 9, 2019 - Reposted upon popular request:Baltimore, MD - April 14, 2015 - 24 Nissan - The following bracha is said only once a year, during the month of Nisan, on fruit trees in blossom.
Baruch ato Ado...Elo...Melech haolam shelo chisar b’olamo klum u’vara vo b’riyos tovos v’elanos tovim l’hanos bahem b’nay adam.
The G’ra in his siddur substitutes the word davar instead of klum.
The ideal time to recite the bracha on ilanos/trees is during the month of Nissan, however, once the buds fall out and the fruits emerge, it is too late to recite the bracha.This year Nissan 5779, the last day of Nissan will be May 5 – a relatively late day. Depending on the upcoming weather, by the end of Ni...
Jerusalem - A hospitalized Palestinian teen said Monday he was shot in his thighs by Israeli soldiers while he was handcuffed and blindfolded — the latest in what a leading rights group portrayed as a series of unjustified shootings of Palestinians by Israeli soldiers.
The military said it was investigating last week’s incident, which it said took place as Palestinian youths were throwing stones at Israeli soldiers.
Osama Hajahjeh, 16, said he was trying to run from soldiers when he was shot Thursday. He said the incident began after a funeral for a school teacher in his village of Tekoa, who had been hit by a car driven by an Israeli while walking at a busy intersection.
Hajahjeh said school was let out early for students to attend the funeral. After the burial, he sa...
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.
Colombo - Sri Lankan officials failed to heed warnings from intelligence agencies about the threat of an attack by a domestic radical Muslim group that officials blame for Easter Sunday bombings that killed more than 200 people, the country’s health minister said Monday.
The coordinated bombings that ripped through churches and luxury hotels were carried out by seven suicide bombers from a militant group named National Thowfeek Jamaath, Health Minister Rajitha Senaratne said.
International intelligence agencies warned of the attacks several times starting April 4, Senaratne said. On April 9, the defense ministry wrote to the police chief with intelligence that included the group’s name, he said. On April 11, police wrote to the heads of security of the judiciary and diplomati...
Warsaw - The Catholic Church in Poland poured scorn Monday on an anti-Semitic ritual enacted over the Easter holiday that involved an effigy of Judas represented by a stereotypical Jew being hanged, burned and beaten.
Residents, among them children, beat and burned the effigy in Pruchnik, a small town in southeast Poland, on Good Friday. The figure represented Judas, the disciple of Christ who betrayed him according to the New Testament.
“The Catholic Church will never tolerate manifestations of contempt towards members of any nation, including the Jewish people,” Bishop Rafal Markowski, chairman of the church’s Committee for Dialogue with Judaism, said, describing his view as the church’s position.
After the church statement, Interior Minister Joachim Brudzinski...
Jerusalem - Is the two-state solution for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict dead?
After Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu coasted to another victory in this month’s Israeli election, it sure seems that way.
On the campaign trail, Netanyahu ruled out Palestinian statehood and for the first time, pledged to begin annexing Jewish settlements in the West Bank. His expected coalition partners, a collection of religious and nationalist parties, also reject Palestinian independence.
Even his chief rivals, led by a trio of respected former military chiefs and a charismatic former TV anchorman, barely mentioned the Palestinian issue on the campaign trail and presented a vision of “separation” that falls far short of Palestinian territorial demands.
The two Jewish parties that d...
The mother of the Pupa Rebbe, Rebbetzin Miriam Greenwald, wife of the previous rebbe of Pupa, Rav Yosef Greenwald, author of the Vayechi Yosef, is in serious condition and in need of rachamei Shomayim.
The first day of Yom Tov, the news reached Williamsburg that the 100-year-old rebbetzin was rushed to the hospital.
On Motzoei Shabbos, following the Seder, which ended at 5 a.m., news arrived that the situation of the rebbetzin was critical and that a quick decision had to be made as to whether to perform an emergency operation or not. The rebbe, Rav Yaakov Yechezkiya Greenwald, traveled together with his brother, Rav Aharon Greenwald, dayan of Pupa, to the hospital and returned before davening. They were driven by...
President Donald Trump and his business organization sued the Democratic chairman of the House oversight committee on Monday to block a subpoena that seeks years of the president’s financial records.
The complaint, filed in federal court in Washington, says the subpoena from Rep. Elijah Cummings “has no legitimate legislative purpose” and accuses Democrats of harassing Trump and wielding their new majority in Congress to try to stain the president’s standing.
“Instead of working with the President to pass bipartisan legislation that would actually benefit Americans, House Democrats are singularly obsessed with finding something they can use to damage the President politically,” the lawsuit states.
Cummings, a Maryland Democrat and chairman of th...
Comedian Volodymyr Zelensky swept to victory in Ukraine’s presidential election Sunday, an exit poll showed, as millions of voters weary of war and economic hardship rebuked the ruling elites and ushered in fresh uncertainty for their geopolitically pivotal nation.
Zelensky, a 41-year-old TV star with no political experience, won 73% of the vote in the runoff election, according to national exit poll results broadcast by Ukrainian television. President Petro Poroshenko, who was running for his second five-year term, accepted defeat in a speech soon after the polls closed.
Zelensky walked onstage at his election-night celebration to the theme song from “Servant of the People” – the popular sitcom in which he plays the president of Ukraine..
“To all Ukrainian...
Columbia, SC - Democrat Elizabeth Warren is proposing the elimination of existing student loan debt for millions of Americans, part of a sweeping set of education funding proposals announced as she and other presidential candidates seek to differentiate themselves in a sprawling field.
The Massachusetts senator says the proposal unveiled Monday would eliminate almost all student loan debt for 42 million Americans, canceling $50,000 in debt for each person with household income under $100,000. According to Warren’s description of the plan in a piece to be posted on Medium, the debt cancellation proposal would create a one-time cost to the federal government of $640 billion.
Many in the growing field of Democratic candidates have proposed reforming the nation’s student loan pro...
Jerusalem, Israel - Apr. 22, 2019 - Unseasonably cold weather, with wind and rain, thunder and hail, was experienced in Israel, and in Yerushalayim, over the first days of Pesach 5779.
In spite of grey skies and cool temperatures, tens of thousands of visitors crowded into the Old City in Yerushalayim, as every year on Pesach, for the Birkas Kohenim on the third morning of yom tov, with the Chief Rabbis in attendance. The Old City and adjacent roads are closed to traffic. Pedestrians are allowed one-way only walking routes to enter and leave the Rova, the Jewish Quarter and the Kossel Plaza.
In anticipation of Pesach and large crowds, BJL prepared a photo essay, from Jaffa Gate to Zion Gate and around, to views of Yemin Moshe and David's Village. On the sunny, ple...
Avidgor Liberman’s Yisrael Beytenu party is in secret talks with the Likud as the two parties weigh a full merger, Kan reported Sunday night.
The report cites senior Likud officials, who confirmed that the two parties are discussing the possible merger of Yisrael Beytenu and the Likud.
Last week, the Central Elections Committee announced the final results for the April 9th election, giving the Likud 35 seats and Yisrael Beytenu 5. Yisrael Beytenu, led by former Defense Minister Avidgor Liberman, has recommended Netanyahu for Prime Minister, and the two parties have been in talks for the formation of a new coalition government.
Read more at Arutz Sheva.
The Kaliver Rebbe, Rav Menachem Mendel Taub, is in need of rachamei Shomayim, as he is very ill and weak.
The 96-year-old rebbe has not been taken to the hospital, but is at his home.
The Rebbe is the seventh in a direct paternal line to the founder of the Kaliver dynasty, Rav Yitzchok Isaac of Kaliv, a disciple of Rav Elimelech of Lizensk.
Seven years ago, at age 89, the rebbe married Mrs. Shaindel Malnick, then 55, from Kiryat Herzog in Bnei Brak.
The Rebbe is a son of the Rozler Rov. His first wife, Rebbetzin Chana Sara Shifra, passed away about eight years ago at the age of 94. She was a daughter of Rav Pinchas Shapiro of Kechnia and was a descendant of Rav Meir Premishlaner.
In 1944, the Rebbe was put on a transport to Auschwitz by the Nazis and he arrive...
Sheriff’s Offices, Transportation Officials Launch Seat Belt & Distracted Driving Initiative
Waldorf, Md. (April 22, 2019) – The Maryland Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Administration (MDOT MVA) and sheriff’s offices from St. Mary’s, Calvert and Charles counties today announced a partnership focused on enhancing driver safety.
“More than 120 unbelted drivers and passengers are killed every year in Maryland” said Chrissy Nizer, MDOT MVA Administrator and Governor Hogan’s Highway Safety Representative. “Not being belted can cause passengers to become projectiles in the event of a crash, causing serious injuries or death to other people in the car. To ensure you arrive at your destination safely, everyone in a vehicle should bu...
Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu offered Kulanu Chairman Moshe Kahlon the Foreign Ministry, News 13 reported.
According to the report, Kahlon insisted on remaining in his position as Finance Minister, and he may be allowed to do so.
Netanyahu and Kahlon are scheduled to meet on Thursday for coalition negotiations. Meanwhile, the sides are believed to be discussing the option of integrating Kulanu into the larger Likud party.
Read more at Arutz Sheva.
WASHINGTON — Rep. Seth Moulton, D-Mass., became the latest Democrat to enter the 2020 presidential race Monday, launching a presidential campaign focused on national security.
"I'm running because I'm a patriot. Because I believe in this country. And because I've never wanted to sit on the sidelines when it comes to serving it," Moulton said on ABC News' "Good Morning America.""I'm going talk about patriotism, about security, about service. These are issues Democrats too long have ceded to Republicans."
A 40-year-old Marine combat veteran who earned a Bronze Star in Iraq, Moulton's stature has been rising since he won a seat in Congress in 2014 by defeating a long-time Democratic incumbent in a primary.
“Decades of divis...
