We find two interesting phenomena surrounding Mattan Torah. Firstly, Rashi observes that the Torah describes the people encamped around Har Sinai using the word ‘vayichan’ in singular form. He famously explains that the nation was “k’ish echad b’lev echad – like one person with one heart.” In other words, the use of the singular verb vayichan indicates the unique level of unity the people achieved at this location. Why was it specifically at Har Sinai that the Jewish People achieved this exceptional level of achdus?
Secondly, immediately after enumerating the Ten Commandments, the Torah describes that the people “saw the sounds.” What does it mean to see sound? Is this even possible? What is the Torah trying to convey to us with this c...
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Chai Lifeline Mid-Atlantic, the leading organization providing critical support to families facing pediatric illness in Baltimore, Silver Spring, and the greater Washington, DC, area, is launching its most impactful fundraiser yet: YOU Can Make a Difference.
Running from February 15-17, 2025, this transformative campaign invites the entire community to come together to raise $500,000 to expand Chai Lifeline’s vital services. Thanks to generous benefactors, all funds raised during the campaign will be matched dollar for dollar, doubling the
Every day, Chai Lifeline Mid-Atlantic is there for families navigating the unimaginable challenges of pediatric illness. Parents face overwhelming hospital stays, medical expenses, and emotional strain, while siblings often feel lost ...
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Baltimore, MD - Feb. 11, 2025 - Attention employers and job seekers: MacherUSA.com has expanded to include Baltimore job listings on its platform. You can find local job openings listed under Baltimore in its dropdown menu.MacherUSA.com was already operating in the tristate area as a popular job board when Career360 reached out to MacherUSA to ask to include Baltimore on their site. What developed was a partnership between MacherUSA and Career360. Now that Baltimore is one of the locations on the site, employers are encouraged to post their job openings to attract local community talent. The listing fee is waived for Baltimore employers through Summer 2025.“As a career coach, I saw the need for Baltimore to have a centralized website to connect job seekers with local employers. I hop...
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Baltimore, MD - Feb. 12, 2025 - Yeshivas Toras Simcha, founded in Elul 5755 (1995) by veteran mechanchim and joined by dynamic young mechanchim, provides a unique environment for talmidim from abroad to flourish. Led by HaRav Zusha Solomon, shlita, the yeshiva fosters growth in Torah, yiras shamayim, middos tovos, and joy in avodas Hashem. Located in Yerushalayim's Mattersdorf neighborhood, it offers a vibrant, Torah-rich atmosphere with the Beis HaMedrash, dining room, and dormitories all under one roof. A kollel of former talmidim enhances the learning experience.Toras Simcha is for serious post-high-school students seeking a close Rebbe-talmid relationship. The mechanchim are known for their personal warmth, creating deep bonds with students and supporting their growth in Tor...
Jerusalem, Israel - Feb. 13, 2025 - President Isaac Herzog hosted the Swearing-In Ceremony for Supreme Court President Justice Isaac Amit at Beit Hanasi in Jerusalem, Israel on Thursday evening, 15 Shevat 5785. All the Israeli official judiciary ceremonies are held at the official residence of the President of Israel, including the Supreme Court, the Dayanim, and Sharia Qadis.
What made this ceremony different from past ones, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Justice Minister Yariv Levin, and Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana did not attend the swearing-in ceremony. Opposition leader Yair Lapid, former President Reuven Rivlin, Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara, past Supreme Court Judges, hundreds of judges, and Amit family members filled the large room ...
A prominent Democrat is arguing that "there isn’t a constitutional crisis" happening right now with the Trump administration.
Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., reportedly made the remark to HuffPost on Wednesday, the same day White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt declared that "the real constitutional crisis is taking place within our judicial branch, where district court judges in liberal districts across the country are abusing their power to unilaterally block President Trump's basic executive authority."
Just roughly three weeks back in the Oval Office, Trump's administration has been hit with at least 57 lawsuits working to resist his policies and executive orders.
"When it was [President] Joe Biden, then you [had] a conservative judge j...
Baltimore, MD - Feb. 13, 2025 - Sheriff Sam Cogen has been accused of unauthorized financial decisions that resulted in millions in overpayments to deputies. The City claims he acted without approval and contributed to a budget shortfall, while Cogen maintains that he was addressing deputy pay disparities and that the City’s payroll system errors were the real issue.Cogen said: “It’s unfortunate that this ongoing programmatic error in the City’s Workday system has deprived Sheriff’s Deputies of proper payment of the compensation they have earned under the current labor agreement for over a year now. I will continue working with Mayor Scott’s Finance team to correct the mistakes in their payroll system.
Since I took office, I activated deputy sheriffs to...
President Donald Trump on Thursday signed a presidential memorandum laying out his plan to impose “reciprocal tariffs” on foreign nations.
“They charge us a tax or tariff and we charge them,” Trump said in a press event in Oval Office.
The president said that under the plan, the U.S. will treat other countries’ non-tariff policies as unfair fair trade practices that warrant tariffs in response.
Those include value-added taxes, or VATs, and other practices that the office of the U.S. trade representative deems to be unfair trade limitations.
“We want a level playing field,” Trump said.
He also suggested that additional tariffs, including on auto imports, are on the way, Reuters reported.
The reciprocal tariffs will not go into effect...
The US Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control announced on Thursday that it has added Karim Khan, the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, to its Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List, actively sanctioning him.
Under the sanctions, all of Khan's assets in the US will be frozen.
The move comes one week after US President Donald Trump an executive order imposing sanctions on the ICC.
The executive order states that the ICC “has engaged in illegitimate and baseless actions targeting America and our close ally Israel.”
It notes that “the ICC has, without a legitimate basis, asserted jurisdiction over and opened preliminary investigations concerning personnel of the United States and certain o...
A rocket was fired at Israel from Gaza this evening (Thursday), the IDF announced. The projectile fell short of Israeli territory and landed inside Gaza.
"A few minutes ago, a rocket launch was identified in the Gaza Strip. The rocket fell inside the Gaza Strip," the IDF stated.
Tel Aviv, Israel - Feb. 13, 2025 - "The IDF is committed to fully implementing the conditions of the agreement for the return of the hostages," the military stated.
At the same time, a 14-year-old boy was reportedly killed in what has been described as a rocket explosion in central Gaza.
A rocket was fired at Israel from Gaza this evening (Thursday), the IDF announced. The projectile fell short of Israeli territory and landed inside Gaza.
"A few minutes ago, a rocket launch was identified in the Gaza Strip. Th...
Baltimore, MD - Feb. 13, 2025 - TA 4th and 5th grades had a special Tu B'shvat Tisch this morning with The Zidichover Rebbe, HaRav Eichenstein, shlita 🌾 🍇 🫒
The USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier was involved in a collision Wednesday with a merchant vessel near Port Said, Egypt, in the Mediterranean Sea, the Navy announced.
"The collision did not endanger the Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) as there are no reports of flooding or injuries," it added in a statement.
The Senate on Thursday confirmed Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as Health and Human Services (HHS) secretary in President Donald Trump's cabinet.
The Republican-controlled Senate voted nearly entirely along party lines to confirm Kennedy. The final showdown over his controversial nomination was set in motion hours earlier, after another party line vote on Wednesday afternoon which started the clock ticking toward the confirmation roll call.
Kennedy, the well-known vaccine skeptic and environmental crusader who ran for the White House in 2024 before ending his bid and endorsing Trump, needed a simple majority to be confirmed by the Senate.
Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky was the only Republican to vote against Kennedy's nomination. McConnell, the former longtime GOP Senate leader,...
Baltimore, MD - Feb. 5, 2025 - TU B'Shvat (15 Shvat) 5785 will occur on Wed. Night Feb. 12-Thurs. Feb. 13, 2025.
Refer to the STAR-K Guide for Checking Fruits below for guidance on how to check various produce grown and purchased in the United States. (Checking procedures in other countries may differ.)
Click on the image to download a PDF of this chart.
Click here to download STAR-K's full guide to checking for bugs.
Baltimore, MD - Feb. 13, 2025 - What an amazing Wednesday night! Ahavas Chaim lit up the community with an uplifting and inspiring Tu B’Shvat Peiros Tisch, featuring Rav Amrom Yungreis, shlita, Rav of the Chassidish Kollel. His profound insights about recognizing the niflaos haBorei in everyday life and his vibrant spirit brought a new level of joy and connection as we celebrated the beauty of Tu B’Shvat.
Special thanks to Eli Lax and Yankel Kohn, and to everyone who joined us! Looking forward to many more evenings filled with inspiration and spiritual growth!
Baltimore, MD - Feb. 13, 2025 - Explore the latest issue of Baltimore Jewish Home.
Click on the graphic below:
Baltimore, MD – Feb. 2025 - Every Shabbos table offers every Jewish family an incredible opportunity by which they can share their joy for Shabbos, for Yiddishkeit and for HaShem with their children. Unfortunately, our schedules are hectic and many people don’t have the time to prepare themselves to utilize the Shabbos table to its fullest. Therefore, we at ACHIM created TableTalk as a pre-packaged talking points pamphlet which is attractive, fun and has something for everyone. Limited copies are distributed to many shuls on a weekly basis but they are snatched up very quickly. Get yours ASAP or click on the graphic below and print your own.What’s in it and what’s all the excitement about?TableTalk features:• Weekly halachic dilemma creating l...
