This week's shtikle is dedicated le'iluy nishmas Dovid Pesach ben Tzvi Hirsh HaLevi whose 5th yahrtzeit is this coming Tuesday, 6 Shevat.
There is much discussion regarding the exact methodology and pattern behind the ten plagues - what the plagues represented individually and as a whole and why they were in their specific order. I would like to focus on a specific subset of the ten plagues. In four out of the ten plagues, Egypt was invaded by animals. This animal invasion seems to have a theme of its own. Rashi (Bereishis 1:26) writes that man was created to rule over the fish, the birds and the animals. However, if man is not worthy, he will become subservient to the animals. This four-pronged attack from the animal kingdom served to prove th...
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Baltimore, MD – Jan. 26, 2025 - BJL is heartbroken to inform the community of the petira of Risa Levi, a’h, wife of Aaron Levi, mother of Eliyahu Levi, Elan Levi, and Adir Levi, daughter of Marilyn and Joseph Bench, sister of David (Drorit) Bench and Felicia Zwebner and daughter-in-law of Phyllis (Barry, z'l) Levi
The levaya will take place Tuesday morning, January 28 at 9:30 am at Sol Levinson. Kevura will follow at Chevras Ahavas Chesed Cemetery (9780 Liberty Rd, Randallstown, MD 21133). Shiva will be observed at 2706 Copperfield Court, through Monday morning, Feb.3. Minyanim:Shacharis: Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Monday- 7:30 amShacharis: Sunday - 8:30 amMincha/Maariv: Tuesday - Thursday and Sunday - 5:05 pmMincha: Friday - 2:00 pmVisiting hours: After ...
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Baltimore, MD – Jan. 25, 2025 - BJL regrets to inform the community of the petira of Mrs Anita Lane, a’h, mother of Mrs. Michele (Abe) Loewenthal.
The levayah will be held Tuesday, 1/28/2025, 12:30 at Congregation B'nai Tzedek, 10621 S. Glen Road, Potomac, MD. Kevurah will take place at Judean Memorial Gardens, 16225 Batchellors Forest Rd, Olney MD.
SHIVA SCHEDULE
Tuesday – Bruce and Leslie Lane (5104 Moorland Lane, Bethesda, MD
6:30PM
Minyan at 7:30PM (Maariv)
Wednesday – Bruce and Leslie Lane (5104 Moorland Lane, Bethesda, MD
1:00 – 4:00PM
6:30PM
Minyan at 7:30PM (Maariv)
Thursday – Michele and Abe Loewenthal (6205 Green Meadow Way, Baltimore, MD)
9am – 12 p...
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Baltimore, MD – Jan. 29, 2025 - BJL regrets to inform the community of the petira in Israel of Mrs. Rochel Eilberg, a’h, mother of Mrs. Yocheved (Eliyahu) Eskanazi and Deena Katz
Baltimore:Shiva in Baltimore is being observed at 3114 Marnat Road, Baltimore, MD , 21208Visiting times: Wed: 7-9 pm Thurs:11-1, 2-5, 7-9 Fri: 10-12 Motzaei Shabbos 7:30-9:30Sun. No hours Mon. 2-5, 7-9 Israel:Deena Katz will be sitting in Beit Tuvei Ha'ir, Room 454. 36 Malchei Yisroel, Yerushalayim
Bila HaMaves LaNetzach…
Baltimore, MD – Jan. 31, 2025 - Jewish Educational Services (JES), an agency of The Associated: Jewish Federation of Baltimore, hosted its 2nd Annual Educator Expo on Sunday, January 26, at Moses Montefiore Anshe Emunah Synagogue in Baltimore. The event provided an invaluable platform for educators to share best practices, showcase their work, and engage in meaningful peer-to-peer collaboration.
Yael Zelinger, Day School Liaison at JES and one of the event’s organizers, emphasized the power of peer-to-peer coaching in professional development. "What energy! What a celebration! Our presenters truly rocked the house with their engaging and well-planned sessions," she expressed. "At JES, we are dedicated to elevating teachers while showing our appreciation. “Our goal is for...
The Pentagon’s intelligence agency has put on hold observances of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Juneteenth, Holocaust Days of Remembrance and other annual historical or cultural events due to President Trump’s ban on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs across the federal government, according to a new internal memo.
The instructions, sent in a Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) memo dated Jan. 28, affect 11 annual events.
“DIA will pause all activities and events related to Agency Special Emphasis Programs effective immediately and until further notice,” the memo said. “Additionally, Special Observances hosted throughout the year … are also paused.”’
Among the “special observances” halted are Martin Luther Ki...
Baltimore, MD – Jan. 31, 2025 - BJL wishes a hearty Mazel Tov to Rabbi & Mrs. Shlomo Eichenstein on the birth of a son.
Mazel Tov to the Zidichover Rebbe and Rebbetzin Eichenstein
Mazel Tov to the great-grandparents the Zidichover Rebbetzin of Chicago and to Moreinu Harav Yaakov Elya Unsdorfer, Av Beis Din Reishis Chochma in Montreal, and the Rebbetzin. Mazel Tov to the mechutan Harav Yaakov Dovid Rabinowitz and his mishpacha.
יה"ר שיזכו לגדל בנם לתורה, לחופה, ולמעשים טובים. אמן!
Baltimore, MD - Jan. 31, 2025 - Yesterday, Rabbi Chesky Tenenbaum, director of the Jewish Uniformed Service Association of Maryland-Chabad (JUSA) and a Federal Law Enforcement Chaplain, visited the site of the plane crash at Reagan National Airport, where he recited Tehillim (Psalms) in memory of the victims. Afterward, he went to the command center to offer support and meet with the first responders who had been on duty since the time of the plane crash. With his colleague and fellow Law Enforcement Chaplain Rabbi Mordechai Newman, Rabbi Tenenbaum spent time with some of the families of the victims, providing them with comfort and support. He said, it was heartbreaking to witness the families of those whose lives were forever changed in an instant by the plane crash.
Every word, every letter in the Torah is used for a specific reason and purpose. We are reminded of this concept often through the teachings of Chazal where they will derive significant meanings from a word missing a letter, which it would customarily have (chaser), or a word having an “extra” letter - one which it normally would not have (maleh). The Gemarah goes even further and teaches us that Hashem told Moshe Rabeinu that not only were nekudos important but that one day, a great man named Rebbi Akiva will learn halachos out of the “crowns” written on top of the letters in the Torah (Menachos 29b). This idea is driven home quite clearly in Parshas Bo.
In this Parsha, we are deep into the maccos brought upon Pharoh for his stubborn ...
Baltimore, MD – Jan. 31, 2025 – 11:15AM - The traffic signal at Cross Country & Clarks Lane is flashing yellow, again.Reminder:Flashing red and yellow lights on a traffic control signal does not mean the light is ‘non-functioning’. Drivers approaching a red flashing light must stop and can only proceed when the intersection is clear, and drivers approaching a yellow flashing light should slow down and use caution but can proceed through the intersection without stopping.
Baltimore, MD - Jan. 31, 2025 - The North Avenue District Courthouse in Baltimore is closed Friday after a shooting.
North Avenue and Hartford Road are closed. Officials ask the public to avoid the area.
Baltimore Police Commissioner Richard Worley said a 35-year-old man entered the Eastside District Court on North Avenue in Baltimore around 8:40 a.m. Friday.
"As he went into the courthouse, he was clearly suffering from behavioral crisis, he was walking back and forth," Worley said. "Sheriff's deputies and the bailiffs tried to interact with him. At some point, he withdrew a firearm from his body, pointed it at his head. The deputies tried to get him to drop his weapon."
Worley said a bailiff is preliminarily believed to have fired two shots, striking the man in the lower extremi...
Baltimore, MD – Jan. 31, 2025 - BJL wishes a hearty Mazel Tov to Dovid Shugarman & Chaya Dobin on their engagement!
Mazel Tov to Laibel & Rita Shugarman and Avi & Sara Dobin and to grandparents David & Renee Bienenstock.
יה"ר שיזכו לבנות בית נאמן בישראל. אמן!
Baltimore, MD – Jan. 30, 2025 - BJL regrets to inform the community of the petira of Yehoshua Betzalel Teitelbaum, z’l, son of Dr. & Mrs. Chuny Teitelbaum, and brother of Shmuel Ovadia Teitelbaum, Yisroel Teitelbaum, Mrs. Shira (Dr. Dovie) Bechhofer, Mrs. Miri (Avi) Mayer and Mrs. Adina (Avi) Abrams.
The Levayah will be this morning, Jan. 30, at 10:45 am at El Al cargo, 123 N Hangar Rd, Jamaica, NY 11430.Click here for Levayah via ZOOM
The Kevurah in Eretz Yisroel will be at 10:00 am Friday morning at the Eretz Hachaim cemetery in Beit Shemesh.
Shiva will be observed in the Teitelbaum home, 1263 East 10th Street Brooklyn, NY 11230.
Dr. & Mrs. Chuny Teitelbaum, Yisroel and Mrs. Shira (Dovie) Bechhofer are in Eretz Yisroel and will return to Brooklyn from...
Baltimore, MD – Jan. 31, 2025 - BJL wishes a hearty Mazel Tov to Yossi Egert (Monsey) & Leeba Gold (Baltimore) on their engagement!
Mazel Tov Isser & Esther Leah Egert and Eli & Aviva Gold and grandparents Mr. & Mrs. Yossi Zoimen
יה"ר שיזכו לבנות בית נאמן בישראל. אמן!
When a large segment of a community is enduring similar challenges, we often borrow and utter a sentiment expressed in this week's portion when the Egyptians realized the full repercussions of the plague of the Firstborn, "There was no house that there was no corpse."
Why do we emphasize the 'house' being affected rather than a more accurate expression that there was simply no person that didn't suffer a loss?
We are taught that it wasn't just a mother's firstborn child that was doomed, but any child who was the first to be spawned by his father — even if his mother had previously given birth to others — was also doomed.
In one of the chapters in Psalms where King David records the marvels that transpired in Egypt, he mentions how, "He sm...
After 482 days in Hamas captivity, Israeli hostages Arbel Yehud, Gadi Moses, and Agam Berger returned home on Thursday, revealing harrowing details of their ordeal—including how they clung to their faith, refusing to eat leavened bread on Passover and attempting to fast on Yom Kippur, despite their captors’ cruelty.
The IDF observers from Nahal Oz, including Agam Berger, made a conscious effort to observe Jewish traditions even while being held underground and in Hamas-controlled apartments in Gaza, Ynet reported.
Despite the dire conditions, they refused to eat chametz (leavened bread) on Passover and attempted to fast on Yom Kippur, a difficult task given the severe malnutrition they suffered.
Berger, the last IDF observer to be released, said that holding o...
