Baltimore, MD – August 26, 2026 - BJL wishes a hearty Mazel Tov to Mr. and Mrs. Yanky Weinberger on the birth of a daughter.
!יה"ר שיזכו לגדל בתם לתורה, לחופה, ולמעשים טובים. אמן
Baltimore, MD – August 26, 2026 - BJL regrets to inform the community of the petira of Reb Aron Gertz, a"h, a longtime mechanech who served as a rebbi at Yeshiva Karlin Stolin of Boro Park for more than 30 years, and father of Yankie Gertz.
The levaya will take place today, Wednesday (8/26/26), at 11:00 a.m. at Congregation Sons of Israel Lakewood Chapel, 613 Ramsey Avenue.
Additional shiva and minyan details to follow.
בלע המות לנצח
Baltimore, MD – August 25, 2026 - BJL wishes a hearty Mazel Tov to Zechariah Zaslow (Baltimore) and Abi Keslassy (Toronto) on their engagement.
Mazel Tov to the parents Levi & Shoshana Zaslow.
!יה"ר שיזכו לבנות בית נאמן בישראל. אמן
Baltimore, MD - Aug. 25, 2026 - If you or someone you know is unable to attend shul to hear the shofar, please email BaltimoreShofar+Shomea@gmail.com with your name, phone number, and address.
Additionally, if you are available to blow shofar for someone who cannot make it to shul, please email BaltimoreShofar+Tokea@gmail.com with your name, address, and area of availability.
This initiative is dedicated in loving memory of HaRav Moshe Shlomo ben Yosef Eliezer Juravel, zt'l, who worked tirelessly to ensure the shofar was heard by all those in need.
Baltimore, MD – August 25, 2026 - BJL regrets to inform the community of the petira of Tamara Marder a"h, mother of Rochel Yablonovsky.
The levaya will take place today, August 25th, at 3:30 p.m. at Sol Levinson, 8900 Reisterstown Rd, Pikesville, MD 21208.
Additional shiva and minyan details to follow.
בלע המות לנצח
Yehuda Katz, of Blessed Memory, and Us
After forty-four years, Yehuda Katz, who had been missing since the First Lebanon War, was finally laid to rest in Israel.
That is a sentence worth reading twice.
And in the very week when Yehuda, the last missing soldier from the Battle of Sultan Yacoub, was brought to burial, the Torah portion spoke about the mitzvah of hashavat aveidah, returning a lost object. Our commentators explain that the basic obligation is to return something that has been lost to its owner. But there is a broader idea here as well: to restore what is missing to its proper place — in the body, in the soul, in our people. To bring back what has been lost, in every sense.
The Torah expresses this in three profound words: “You may not ignore it.&r...
In two of Rabbi Reisman’s shiurim, citing Rabbi Isaac Sher as the source, he develops the theme of what it means to establish a relationship with Hashem as our King. The following is a summary of his discussion.
Rosh Hashana is the day that we proclaim Hashem as our King. Elul is the time of preparation for Rosh Hashana. Yet Elul emphasizes an intimate relationship with Hashem—ani l’dodi v’dodi li, not what one thinks of when thinking about a subject’s relationship to his King. But it is precisely this close relationship to our King that we are trying to capture.
The justice meted out by a court of law, a bais din, is straightforward. If someone steals something, there is a specified punishment. It does not...
Baltimore, MD – August 24, 2026 - BJL wishes a hearty Mazel Tov to Yosef Samson (Cherry Hill) and Eeta Travis (Baltimore) on their engagement.
!יה"ר שיזכו לבנות בית נאמן בישראל. אמן
Baltimore, MD – Aug. 23, 2026 - BJL wishes a hearty Mazel Tov to Ephraim & Meira Rosen on the birth of a daughter.Mazel Tov as well to the grandparents Mr. & Mrs. Mendel Rosen!
יה"ר שיזכו לגדל בנם לתורה, לחופה, ולמעשים טובים. אמן!
Baltimore, MD – August 21, 2026 - After a busy summer of site preparation, the campus of Torah Institute of Baltimore is beginning to take on a dramatically different look as the school prepares to move forward with construction of its historic $25 million expansion.
Throughout the summer, significant work has been taking place across the TI campus, laying the groundwork for the major construction project ahead. Crews have been focused on the extensive infrastructure and site work necessary to prepare the property for the next phase of construction.
As students return for the new school year, they will arrive to a campus already visibly transformed. One of the most noticeable changes will be the brand-new parking lot going into use, marking an exciting milestone in the overall proj...
Baltimore, MD – Aug. 21, 2026 – Bais Yaakov School for Girls has announced that longtime CEO Rabbi Zalman Nissel will retire after 22 years of dedicated service to the school. His final day at Bais Yaakov will be November 30.In a letter to parents and staff, Bais Yaakov President Moshe Dov Shurin expressed the school’s deep hakaras hatov to Rabbi Nissel for his decades of leadership, highlighting his vision, integrity, strategic planning, and steadfast commitment to the school and its mission.Bais Yaakov will launch a national search for Rabbi Nissel’s successor. Rabbi Doniel Meltzer will continue supporting the school’s operational needs during the transition.Please read the accompanying letter here from Bais Yaakov President Moshe Dov Shurin for the complete...
Bnei Yisroel were given specific instructions on who is eligible and who may serve as a soldier in the conquest of Eretz Yisroel. Exemptions were given for those who were preparing for marriage (Shoftim, 20:7), had built a new house (20:5) or if they had recently planted a vineyard (20:6). Moreover, even one who was afraid of war could not participate (20:8). In fact, the Gemarah explains that only Tzadikim were left to fight and that is exactly what was intended.
How then does one understand the Torah’s significant discussion of the Yifas To’ar? This woman, a gentile captured at war is permitted to marry the soldier who captured her, once the procedures, albeit extensive ones, are followed. Rashi (21:11), citing the Gemarah in Kiddushin (21b...
Baltimore, MD – August 21, 2026 - BJL wishes a hearty Mazel Tov to Akiva Lehmann and Rivka Krancer (New York) on their engagement.
Mazel Tov to the parents Mr. and Mrs. Moshe Lehmann. Mazel Tov to grandfather Rabbi Bentzion Cohen shlita.
!יה"ר שיזכו לבנות בית נאמן בישראל. אמן
