“And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, Speak to the children of Israel and say to them: When a man expresses a vow, [pledging the] value of lives to the Lord … (Vayikra 26:1-2)” The Book of Vayikra ends with a discussion of “erech” (valuation) vows. A person has the ability to pledge their “value” to the Temple. The Torah provides a framework based on age and gender, irrespective of a person’s abilities, profession, or skill set. Yet, we find a fascinating detail. The verses state: “The [fixed] value of a male shall be as follows: From twenty years old until sixty years old, the value is fifty silver shekels, according to the holy shekel … And if [the person is] sixty years old or over, if it is a male, the value shall be fift...
Many communities in Ukraine are struggling to survive, revive, and resurrect themselves, as illustrated in the following letter I received last night. "Shalom Sivan, This is Miriam Moskovtiz, Chabad emissary in Kharkov, the second largest city in Ukraine. The war began three months ago and we understood after a week of artillery bombardment that we had to leave. Between missiles and tanks, a broad humanitarian rescue effort was launched. My husband Rabbi Moshe, with the din of shells exploding in the background, opened the ark in our synagogue, kissed the curtain and left with a prayer. On the bus, we recited Tefilat HaDerech (Traveler's Prayer) with the children and wept with hope in our hearts when uttering the words 'return us in peace.'Since then the Ukrainian emissaries...
Good evening and welcome to The Real World. Chazal tell us that before Shavuos and Rosh Hashana, we read parshios about curses and tochacha because תכלה שנה וקללותיה, let the old year be finished with its curses. This week, we read the tochacha of Parshas Bechukosai because Shavuos, like Rosh Hashana, ushers in a new year. Every pasuk in the Torah is laden with meaning, hope, and relevance. One of the pesukim of tochacha warns: you shall flee, but none pursue. You will be running away from nothing. This is the curse of rustling of the leaves sending a person into a panic, but in reality, nothing is even there. This appears to be a bracha! Running away from nothing is definitely better than running away from something. To visualize this, sometimes a person runs away from a...
Baltimore, MD – May 26, 2022 - BJL wishes a hearty Mazel Tov to Mr. and Mrs. Gershon Ward on the birth of a son. Mazal Tov grandparents Mr. and Mrs. Marc Ward יה"ר שיזכו לגדל בנם לתורה, לחופה, ולמעשים טובים. אמן
Baltimore, MD – May 26, 2022 - BJL wishes a hearty Mazel Tov to Mr. and Mrs. Eli Gottlieb on the birth of a daughter. יה"ר שיזכו לגדל בתם לתורה, לחופה, ולמעשים טובים. אמן
Baltimore, MD – May 26, 2022 - BJL wishes a hearty Mazel Tov to Mr. and Mrs. Reuven Blitman on the birth of a daughter. יה"ר שיזכו לגדל בתם לתורה, לחופה, ולמעשים טובים. אמן
A very special Weekly Shtikle mazal tov to our dear daughter, Michal, who will be celebrating her Bas Mitzvah this Sunday. This past Tuesday was the 12th yahrtzeit of my great aunt, Lady Amélie Jakobovits, a"h. The shtikle is dedicated le'iluy nishmasah, Mayla bas Eliyahu. Today, the 25th of Iyar, was the 21th yahrtzeit of my mother, a"h. The shtikle is dedicated le'iluy nishmasah, Tzirel Nechamah bas Tovia Yehudah. The Weekly Shtikle is dedicated le'iluy nishmas my father, Reuven Pinchas ben Chaim Yaakov, a"h. This week's parsha contains the strong rebuke for those who do not follow HaShem's laws, known as the tochachah. There is a word which features prominently as the pesu...
Baltimore, MD – May 26, 2022 - BJL wishes a hearty Mazel Tov to Yitzchak Shlomo Goldman (Baltimore) and Shoshana Ar0novitch (Passaic) on their engagement. Mazel Tov to parents Rabbi & Mrs. Eden Goldman and Mrs. Sara Devora (nee Blumberg) Aronovitch and Grandparents Dr. & Mrs. Emanuel Goldman, Rabbi and Mrs. Moshe Sauer and Mrs. Bailke Blumberg יה"ר שיזכו לבנות בית נאמן בישראל. אמן
Baltimore, MD – May 26, 2022 - BJL wishes a hearty Mazel Tov to Mr. and Mrs. Doniel Radzner on the birth of a daughter. יה"ר שיזכו לגדל בתם לתורה, לחופה, ולמעשים טובים. אמן
Baltimore, MD – May 26, 2022 - BJL wishes a hearty Mazel Tov to Shmuel Sauer and Bracha Eisenstadt on their engagement. Mazel Tov parents Rabbi YehoShua and Yaffa Sauer and grandparents Rabbi and Mrs. Moshe Sauer יה"ר שיזכו לבנות בית נאמן בישראל. אמן!
Suspect planned to launch fireworks at the light rail and bring fireworks to the Temple Mount, police said A 25-year-old man from eastern Jerusalem's Shu'afat neighborhood was arrested for allegedly planning to attack the city's light rail system, police said Thursday. Israel Police and the Shin Bet internal security service conducted the joint investigation that led to the suspect's arrest. The investigation revealed that the suspect planned to launch fireworks at the light rail and bring fireworks up to the Temple Mount in the Old City for use during violent clashes between Palestinian rioters and Israeli security forces. The statement described him as a member of a terrorist organization but did not specify which one. The suspect was also i...
Baltimore, MD – May 26, 2022 - BJL wishes a hearty Mazel Tov to Mr. & Mrs. Yonason Zakem on the birth of a son. יה"ר שיזכו לגדל בנם לתורה, לחופה, ולמעשים טובים. אמן
The list of products affected by a salmonella outbreak connected to a Jif peanut butter plant in Kentucky continued to grow this week. Ten companies, including big names such as Walmart, Del Monte, Albertsons and Wawa, have recalled products that used the peanut butter as an ingredient or repackaged it. So far 14 people in 12 states have fallen ill due to the outbreak, two of whom have been hospitalized, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Genome sequencing tied the strain of salmonella to a J.M. Smucker Co. facility in Lexington. The company has recalled certain Jif peanut butter products made at the facility.
Security officials in Israel are reportedly livid and demanding explanations from the United States about a leaked New York Times report regarding the recent assassination of Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps Colonel Hassan Sayyad Khodaei. The report cited an intelligence official briefed on the communications said to be a secret channel through which Israel updates the Americans on its operations in the Islamic Republic. Israeli officials are fearful that the leak will increase Iran's desire to stage a revenge operation. According to the report, the Israelis told their American counterparts that the killing was meant as a warning to Iran to halt the operations of a covert group within the IRGC’s Quds Force known as Unit 840, tasked with abductions and ass...
Jerusalem, Israel - May 26, 2022 - On the eve of Yom Yerushalayim, the 55th year of the reunification of Jerusalem, Brig. Gen. (Res.) Amir Avivi, the founder and CEO of Israel Defense and Security Forum (IDSF) Habithonistim, presented an award to the Republic of Kosovo Charge d'Affaires Ines Demiri in recognition of the Kosovo Embassy opening in Jerusalem, Israel. Invited guests gathered on the roof of the Aish Global building in the Old City with its magnificent view, as the sun was setting on Tuesday evening. According to their mission statement, IDSF consists of 3,000 reserve officers and operatives from all branches of the Israeli security forces dedicated to guiding the narrative of Israel’s national security needs and ensuring that Is...
Towson, MD – May 26, 2022 -  On Monday, May 30, trash, single stream recyclables and yard materials will not be collected in Baltimore County, and all drop-off centers will be closed. This holiday marks the first use of the County’s new “slide” schedule for make-up collection days. All trash, recycling and yard material curbside collections scheduled on or after Monday, May 30, will shift and occur one day later that week: Monday collections shift to Tuesday Tuesday collections shift to Wednesday Wednesday collections shift to Thursday Thursday collections shift to Friday Friday collections shift to Saturday For addresses on a twice-per-week trash schedule, the first trash collection during the holiday week will occur one da...
Shiva information and livestream to the funeral of Rabbi Pinchas Stolper zt"l Click here to see a replay of the funeral Mrs. Elaine Stolper, the wife of Rabbi Stolper zt"l, has already begun sitting shiva. She will sit until Wednesday morning. She is sitting shiva through Sunday at her apartment at Park Plaza in Chicago, 6840 N. Sacramento Avenue, apartment 103. On Monday, she will move to sitting shiva with her daughter Michal at the home of Rabbi and Mrs. Zev and Michal Cohen, 2949 W. Coyle Ave., Chicago.  Mrs. Michal Cohen, daughter of Rabbi Stolper zt"l, will begin sitting shiva in Israel following the kevura at Har Hamenuchos on Friday. She will continue on Sunday in Brooklyn at the home of her brother and sister-in-law, Rabbi and Mrs. Akiva and Channa Lee Stolper,&nb...
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