DAILY DVAR HALACHA. Aug 15 . Av 18. Bracha on Melba Toast?.mp4 from Yitzchok Dinovitzer on Vimeo.
Jerusalem, Israel - Aug. 15, 2022 - The chairman of the Eretz Hakodesh party in the WZO, Rabbi Pesach Lerner, has appealed for an immediate freeze of the transfer of funds to a joint venture of the Ministry of Diaspora and the Panim organization to establish a so-called “Office of Jewish Renewal,” which was approved in the amount of NIS 60 million from coalition funds of the Labor Party. An investigation has revealed that MK Gilad Kariv served concurrently with his tenure in the Knesset as a member of Panim’s executive board, and that the Diaspora Ministry's engagement with Panim raises serious questions and concerns of conflict of interest. Rabbi Lerner pointed out that since Eretz Hakodesh is a global Jewish movement which operates to strengthen Jewish identity a...
 Prosecutors in Atlanta on Monday told lawyers for Rudy Giuliani he's a target of their criminal investigation into possible illegal attempts by then-President Donald Trump and others to interfere in the 2020 general election in Georgia, one of Giuliani's lawyers said Monday. Special prosecutor Nathan Wade alerted Giuliani's local attorney in Atlanta that the former New York City mayor could face criminal charges, another Giuliani attorney, Bob Costello said. News of the disclosure was first reported by The New York Times. Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis opened the investigation last year, and a special grand jury was seated in May at her request. County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney, who's overseeing the special grand jury, has instructed Giul...
At the Hadassah Mount Scopus Hospital in Jerusalem, 19-year-old Elazar, who was hit in the shoulder by a gunshot in the attack that happened last night near the Western Wall, has been hospitalized since last night. Dr. Assaf Kedar, director of the trauma unit at the hospital, reports that his injuries are mild. He was diagnosed with a fractured shoulder and will be left for treatment in the next day. Elazar has five siblings, with one of whom he was at the bus station last night when the shooting attack began. Yair, the brother of the two, said, "My two brothers were together last night, waiting for the bus at Maale HaShalom. 19-year-old Elazar helped a woman get on the bus and my 16.5-year-old brother Dovi was still at the station when the shooting started. Both were hit in the shoulder...
Some Maryland counties have found themselves under attack by an invasive species that has grown exponentially over the years. The spotted lanternfly has showed up in huge numbers this summer, swarming forests and people's homes. The spotted lanternfly's first discovery in Maryland was in 2018, and now, it's seemingly out of control in a number of counties, according to the Maryland Department of Agriculture. Some are calling it an infestation as millions of lanternflies have appeared in a number of neighborhoods in Harford and Cecil counties, as well as Washington County in Western Maryland. "If I were to show you the map right now about (what) resident reporting looks like online, it's just a blizzard of red points," said Kenton Sumpter, an entomologist with the Dep...
Albert Bourla is currently in isolation Chief Executive Officer of Pfizer, Albert Bourla, said on Monday that he was diagnosed with Covid-19. He is currently isolating with mild symptoms or the virus. Bourla, 60, received four doses of the vaccine developed by US pharmaceutical giant Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech and started treatment with a course of Paxlovid, the company’s oral antiviral treatment.   "I am confident that I will have a speedy recovery," Bourla said on Twitter, adding that he is “feeling well.”
41 people were killed in a fire at a Coptic church in Cairo, Egypt Sunday, church leaders announced. An additional 14 people were injured in the blaze. The fire occurred at the Abu Sefein church in the Imbaba neighborhood while the congregation was gathered for Sunday prayers, Police say an initial investigation suggests that the fire was started due to an electrical short-circuit, though the precise cause remains under investigation. As many as 5,000 worshipers were believed to be gathered at the church at the time of the fire. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi has instructed all relevant government bodies to act in response the fire, and ordered that aid be given to the victims of the fire.
Russian President Vladimir Putin told North Korean leader Kim Jong Un the two countries will "expand the comprehensive and constructive bilateral relations with common efforts," Pyongyang's state media reported on Monday. In a letter to Kim for Korea's liberation day, Putin said closer ties would be in both countries' interests, and would help strengthen the security and stability of the Korean peninsula and the Northeastern Asian region, North Korea's KCNA news agency said. Kim also sent a letter to Putin saying Russian-North Korean friendship had been forged in World War II with victory over Japan, which had occupied the Korean peninsula. The "strategic and tactical cooperation, support and solidarity" between the two countries has since reached a new level is thei...
It is a privilege of mine to be able to pass along stories such as the following, which was sent to me by Yechezkel Lifshitz."A neighbor of mine here in Mitzpeh Yericho (20 kilometers east of Jerusalem in the Judean Desert), Yosef Perl, passed away this week. I went to console his wife and son, and they showed me a special notebook.Yosef's grandfather, Hirsch Libovitch, lived near Moscow at the height of the communist regime. Before he passed away, he took six notebooks and, in identical fashion, wrote down on their pages everything he knew about Judaism. Each of his children received one of the notebooks with the stipulation that it be passed down to the next generation. The family scattered. Yosef eventually made aliyah, learned in a yeshivah, and guarded his grandfather's note...
Israel’s Council for Higher Education has decided to bar foreign students from studying in Israeli medical schools. This move comes due to insufficient slots in local medical schools for Israeli students. Foreign students seeking to study in Israeli medical schools have contacted Chaim V’Chessed decrying the new decree. Last week, Chaim V’Chessed CEO, Rabbi Paysach Freedman, sent a sharply worded missive to Education Minister Dr. Yifat Shasha-Biton protesting the new ruling. In his letter, Freedman avers that, in Chaim V’Chessed’s experience, “there are generally two outcomes from foreign students attending Israeli medical schools: Many subsequently make aliyah and become outstanding contributors to Israeli society. Others ...
Baltimore County, Md - Aug. 15, 2022: The County Executive is hosting a summit at the Sheraton, Baltimore North in Towson for community leaders to learn about the work each department accomplishes and how to connect their community members with county resources. There will be general information sessions, a meeting with the County Executive, and workshops with department staff. This highly informational summit is a great opportunity for community leaders to familiarize themselves with process and policies in areas like code enforcement or road resurfacing, and it’s an opportunity to meet with staff and talk through issues their communities may face.   When: Sept. 19, 2022 (approximately 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m,)   Who Can Sign Up: There are two registration slots open for each c...
Baltimore, MD - Aug. 14, 2022 - So often we perceive ourselves as simply ‘’good’’ rather than ‘’great.’’ This self-imposed limitation undermines our spiritual self-esteem, and negatively informs how we comport ourselves. In truth, Chazal teach that we all can be righteous like Moshe, at least in a relative sense. We must declare to ourselves with conviction, “I’ve got a little bit of Moshe in me,’’and I will act accordingly. Click here to listen
DAILY DVAR HALACHA. Aug 14 . Av 17. Say Boruch Hamavdil in the middle of a Shalosh Seudos that went way long?.mp4 from Yitzchok Dinovitzer on Vimeo.
Baltimore, MD – Aug. 14, 2022 - BJL wishes a hearty Mazel Tov to Yaakov and Reva Sonnenblick on the birth of a son. Mazel Tov Grandparents Yussi & Risa Sonnenblick  and Chaim & Aviva Wealcatch and great grandparents, William and Noemie Wealcatch, Arnold and Leila Abelow and Bubby Solomon יה"ר שיזכו לגדל בנם לתורה, לחופה, ולמעשים טובים. אמן!
What a difference between the news this morning from Jerusalem -- two critically wounded in a terrorist attack in the Old City -- and the haftarah we read about Jerusalem being consoled and comforted only yesterday, on Shabbat. This past Shabbat, known as Shabbat Nachamu (Shabbat of Consolation) is the first in a series of seven Shabbatot of solace and consolation. On each of these Shabbatot, we read a moving, comforting haftarah, with heart-warming words about Jerusalem.We read the following words, spoken by God to the prophet Isaiah, this past Shabbat morning, words that are pertinent to today's news: "'Console, console My people,' says your God. 'Speak to the heart of Jerusalem and call to her.'"But it is not just Jerusalem that needs to be consoled and comforte...
Republican Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan on Sunday said the Department of Justice (DOJ) was justified to search former President Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence, but noted that there are still “a lot of unanswered questions.” “I was happy that they did come out and unseal the documents on the search, and I think it was a step in the right direction. But I think we still have a lot of unanswered questions and we’re gonna continue until people understand more,” Hogan told ABC’s Jonathan Karl on “This Week.”  “The one side is gonna say that this is just politically motivated and weaponization of the Justice Department, but … they have probable cause to come after him for things that could be really importan...
Jerusalem - It is taught to all new United Hatzalah trainees that “A good EMT is one who can improvise in the field when things go wrong.” This saying held true for Shalom Klein, a United Hatzalah EMT who was standing at the bus stop on Shamgar Street on Thursday night with his wife and seven-month-old daughter. An egged bus careened out of control and smashed into the bus stop where he and his wife and their young daughter were standing. Miraculously, Shalom and his family were all okay. Other people were not so lucky.  Shalom quickly took his family to safety across the street and then rushed back to help the injured. “I told my wife to stay here and that I had to go back and help. I didn’t know what the state of those injured in the crash was, but I knew I ...
An unidentified man reportedly set his car on fire and drove into a U.S. Capitol barricade before exiting his vehicle, firing a weapon indiscriminately and then shooting himself late Saturday night.  U.S. Capitol police have yet to confirm the incident, which PBS first reported. There were no reported injuries aside from the driver. The man's motive in the incident is unknown. The incident reportedly lasted only a matter of moments, and officers did not have time to return fire before the man turned his weapon on himself. The incident comes more than a year after another vehicle crashed into a Capitol barricade in 2021, killing one police officer and wounding another. The attack killed officer Billy Evans and sent the Capitol Hill Police Department "r...
Baltimore, MD – Aug. 14, 2022 - BJL wishes a hearty Mazel Tov to Matt & Rishona Lebovits on the birth of a son. יה"ר שיזכו לגדל בנם לתורה, לחופה, ולמעשים טובים. אמן!
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