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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Baltimore, MD - Oct. 6, 2024 - The Baltimore Esrog Center is proud to partner with Shearith Israel Congregation, the renowned Glen Avenue Shul in Baltimore. As a historic Orthodox synagogue with deep roots in Northwest Baltimore, Shearith Israel has long served as a beacon of tradition, guided over the years by esteemed leaders such as Rabbi Shimon Schwab and now Rabbi Yaakov Hopfer. This revered congregation, integral to the fabric of Baltimore's Jewish community, has played a key role in the establishment of the Baltimore Esrog Center.
In collaboration with Shearith Israel, the Baltimore Esrog Center is dedicated to offering the finest Arbah Minim, upholding the highest standards of quality and authenticity. Our boutique is a celebration of heritage and excellence, and we are hon...
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As Yom Kippur approaches, the Frid family humbly stands before the community with a heartfelt plea for help.
Rochel Frid has been fighting a battle that no one should face alone. Her husband, a kind and loving father, is battling life with ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis), a cruel disease that has robbed him of his ability to move, speak, and live independently. Despite the tremendous physical and emotional challenges, Rochel remains steadfast in her love and care.
ALS is not only devastating because of its impact on health, but it also brings overwhelming financial burden. The cost of specialized equipment, full-time care and at-home medical treatments is immense, leaving Rochel struggling to keep her husband at home where he feels safe and loved, while at the same ti...
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Shomrei Emunah's Annual Sukkos Sale!
Extraordinary Arba Minim!Lulav Holders!Support Shomrei’s Youth Department!
Sale Hours:
Thursday, October 10: 8:00PM – 10:30PM
Friday, October 11: 9:00AM – 12:00PM
Motzei Shabbos/Yom Kippur, October 12: 9:00PM – 11:00PM
Sunday, October 13: 10:00AM – 10:00PM
Monday & Tuesday, October 14-15: 9:00AM – 12:00PM & 7:00PM – 10:00PM
Wednesday, Erev Sukkos, October 16: 9:00AM – 12:00PM
Location:Shomrei Emunah6221 Greenspring Ave, 21209
For more information:Email: office@shomreiemunah.org
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As the new year arrives, we often reflect on our blessings and challenges. For many Israeli families, the struggle to make ends meet and overcome financial difficulties is a daily reality. The question remains: Can we truly call it a "Happy New Year" if our neighbors and fellow citizens are struggling?
At Paamonim, we believe in "The Responsible Way." We help Israeli families take control of their financial situations and regain stability. But we can't do it alone.
This New Year, help us help others. Your donation can make a real difference in helping as many Israeli families as possible overcome their financial hardships.
By donating to Paamonim, you're giving families the tools to succeed and create a better, brighter future.
We need your donation. Together, we can make thi...
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Baltimore, MD - Sept. 22, 2024 - As always, Shabsi's Judaica looks forward to assisting you with all your Yom Tov needs.
Click on the graphic below for a larger, printable version of Shabsi's Judaica Yom Tov season schedule!
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.
Baltimore, MD – Oct. 13, 2024 - BJL wishes a hearty Mazel Tov to Mr. and Mrs. Chaim Baumgarten on the birth of a daughter.
יה"ר שיזכו לגדל בתם לתורה, לחופה, ולמעשים טובים. אמן!
Baltimore, MD - Oct. 13, 2024 - Lane closures on the Baltimore Beltway will now take place during the day.
| MAP: Check our traffic map here
Here’s the deal:
Starting Monday, crews will start to intermittently close a left lane of the Beltway in each direction between Interstate 70 in Woodlawn and the Stevenson Road overpass. The closures will take place during off-peak daytime hours, according to the Maryland State Highway Administration.
The off-peak lane closures will continue through spring 2025, weather permitting.
Crews will also work on the Beltway between the Interstate 83 interchanges for the Jones Falls Expressway and the Baltimore-Harrisburg Expressway.
Starting Monday, motorists should expect heavy traffic during off-peak daytime hours on the west an...
Baltimore, MD – Oct. 13, 2024 - BJL wishes a hearty Mazel Tov to Mr. and Mrs. Yedidya Rosenbluth on the birth of a son.
Mazel Tov Grandparents Rabbi & Mrs. Dov Rosenbluth and Rabbi & Mrs. Shaul Englesberg
Baltimore, Md - Oct. 13, 2024 - The fire that killed two firefighters in Northwest Baltimore has been ruled an accident, investigators say.
Back in October 2023, firefighters battled a blaze in the 5200 block of Linden Heights Avenue. The fire spread to multiple rowhomes in the area.
Firefighters Rodney Pitts III and Lt. Dillion Rinaldo were killed. Three other people were also injured.
Based on fire scene examination, physical evidence, witness statements, digital media, and a review of data, ATF determined the fire started on the first floor.
In determining what caused the fire, ATF investigators were unable to eliminate two things: an electrical system failure and improperly discarded smoking materials.
This led to the accidental classification.
ATF classifies an accidental ...
Waterbury, CT - Oct. 13, 2024 - Dear Reader,
Thank you for taking the time to read my articles. I hope that you had an uplifting Yomim Noraim. Below is a practical idea that I hope could help you propel some of the growth that you had. It’s an idea that was originally published in Hamodia Magazine during Elul and I hope it could inspire others as well. Please feel free to share feedback with me mdheber@ykwaterbury.org
A Life Changing Siddur
As a sixth grade rebbe who teaches seventh and eighth grade in the afternoon, I have a unique vantage point in the growth of my talmidim over these three crucial years. Middle school is a bridge between childhood and adulthood. The boys come in as children just beginning to learn gemara and leave as yeshiva bochurim ready for a mesivta. D...
Iran sent a message to Israel, via European countries, regarding the expected Israeli retaliation for Iran's massive missile attack earlier this month, Saudi Arabian Asharq Al-Awsat reported.
"The Iranian message to Israel, sent mostly indirectly, is that it will ignore a limited Israeli attack, and will not respond to it as it is threatening to do," the report said.
According to the sources, "Iran will not have any choice but to respond to the crossing of red lines, if it is subjected to an attack on its oil facilities or nuclear facilities."
Earlier this week, three US and Israeli officials told Axios that US President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have inched closer to an agreement regarding Israel's planned retaliation agains...
In the years before the October 7, 2023 , attack on Israel, Hamas leaders planned a "far deadlier" wave of terror attacks, potentially including a September 11th-style attack on a Tel Aviv skyscraper, the Washington Post reported.
The report said that plans included using trains, boats, and potentially horse-drawn chariots, as well as parallel attacks by allied terror groups for a simultaneous assault on Israel's northern, southern, and eastern borders.
The report, based on 59 pages of letters and planning documents in Arabic, are a "fraction" of what the IDF has confiscated since Israel began its ground invasion into Gaza on October 27, 2023.
Iran is extremely anxious to prevent an Israeli attack on its territory, sources told CNN.
According to the sources, Tehran is "extremely nervous and has been engaging in urgent diplomatic efforts with countries in the Middle East" to determine whether it is possible to either reduce the scope of Israel's response, or to garner aid in protecting Tehran.
The source added that Iran's worries stem from "uncertainty about whether the US can convince Israel not to strike Iranian nuclear sites and oil facilities," as well as from the blows that Hezbollah, Iran's most powerful proxy in the Middle East, has sustained in Israel's operation in southern Lebanon.
Meanwhile, according to CNN, an official confirmed that the US has been urging Tehran, through "backchannel...
CNN reports that the United States will be giving THAAD air defense batteries to Israel to assist in intercepting ballistic missiles, effective immediately.
The THAAD system to be deployed in Israel can intercept missiles outside the atmosphere and is considered one of the best air defense systems the Americans have. The transfer of the batteries is done at Israel's request, as part of preparations for a potential Iranian response to the expected Israeli strike.
In recent days, the United States has made it clear to Israel that it does not want to see an attack on strategic sites in Iran on the eve of the presidential elections that will take place at the beginning of next month. Qatar, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates, along with Saudi Arabia, have clarified that they wil...
The scene is bustling with young and old. From knitted kippot to sable fur streimlach. Excitement is palpable and contagious. The majestic scent of esrogim and hadassim permeates the air. Treasured melodies of the upcoming Chag emanate from every street corner. Your heart whispers to you: “grab a fellow Yid and start dancing…”
Hands down, the highlight of our Succos Trip to Yerushalayim, over twenty years ago, was joining the honorable ranks at the famous Zupnik Daled Minim Shuk. Coming on the heels of the inspiring and tearful tefillos of the Yomim Noraim, now it was time to act. To bring out those noble aspirations, brewing since the start of Elul. To stand shoulder to shoulder amongst Acheinu Kol Beis Yisroe...
Baltimore, MD - Oct. 11, 2024 - Former Governor Larry Hogan and Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks faced off in the first, and only, Maryland Senate debate at Maryland Public Television on Thursday.
Chuck Todd was the moderator, with MPT’s Jeff Salkin, NBC Washington’s Tracee Wilkins and WBAL’s Deborah Weiner as the panelists.
Alsobrooks began her opening statements by introducing herself to the voters. Hogan started saying he “likes and respects” Alsobrooks.
During his introduction, Hogan started to talk about the reason he decided to run for governor, before quickly correcting himself by saying he’s running for senate.
Abortion
The first question of the night focused on abortion and control of the Senate.
Alsobrooks res...
A Jewish school in Toronto was hit by gunfire Saturday for the second time this year, local police say, amid a rise in antisemitic attacks in Canada in the wake of the war in the Middle East.
No one was injured after shots were fired from a vehicle at around 4 a.m. local time at the Bais Chaya Mushka girls school, with the only damage being a broken window, according to authorities.
The school in the North York area of Toronto was targeted in a similar incident in May, and police believe the two shootings are connected.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he is “very disturbed” by the incident, which comes as Jewish people celebrate Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the year in Judaism.
“As we wait for more details, my heart goes out to the students, st...
Baltimore, MD - Oct. 11, 2024 - As the יום הדין approaches, Suburban Orthodox prepares for כל נדרי with an עמוד draped in a beautiful covering, bearing the names of all the hostages from the October 7th tragedy. With their names prominently placed before us, we beseech השם with broken hearts, filled with hope and תפילה. May it be His will that before the final תקיעה גדולה after נעילה, these holy נשמות will be reunited with their families, and that we may all see the גאולה and peace for כלל ישראל, swiftly and in our days.