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September 29, 2022 at 9:35 am
Day of Purification
Though we generally associate Yom Kippur with atonement, the Torah defines taharah (purification) as the day’s goal:
(כי ביום הזה יכפר עליכם לטהר אתכם מכל חטאתכם לפני ה' תטהרו (ויקרא טז:ל
On Yom Kippur, Hashem atones for our sins in order to purify us.
The purification relates to both the Beit HaMikdash and the Jewish People.[1] This is why the Yom Kippur Torah readings detail purification of both the Beit Mikdash (in the morning reading[2]) and the Jewish people (in the afternoon reading[3]).
The Damage of Sin
We are, of course, familiar with how the concept of taharah applies to the context of ritual purity. We are not as familiar with its relevance to the non-ritual sense. What does t...
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September 29, 2022 at 9:23 am
A Project Baltimore investigation has found fewer and fewer students are attending public school in Maryland on a regular basis. Alarming new data show attendance is down, and chronic absenteeism is up, especially in one local district.
Chronic Absenteeism is defined by the state as a student who misses more than 10 percent of school, or 19 days, over an entire school year. It’s not just a barrier to student learning. It can also be illegal.
“Our goal is to get the kids in school. Our goal isn't necessarily to criminalize anyone, but sometimes to get the kids in school, you got to go to a courtroom,” said Baltimore County State’s Attorney Scott Shellenberger.
According to state law, a student is considered truant when they miss more than 20 percent of the sc...
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September 29, 2022 at 8:00 am
DAILY DVAR HALACHA. Sep 29 . Tishrei 4. Yahrzeit candle for havdalah at the end of Yom Kippur?.mp4 from Yitzchok Dinovitzer on Vimeo.
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September 28, 2022 at 10:38 pm
Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration proposed updated criteria for when foods can be labeled with the nutrient content claim “healthy” on their packaging. This proposed rule would align the definition of the “healthy” claim with current nutrition science, the updated Nutrition Facts label and the current Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
More than 80% of people in the U.S. aren’t eating enough vegetables, fruit and dairy. And most people consume too much added sugars, saturated fat and sodium. The proposed rule is part of the agency’s ongoing commitment to helping consumers improve nutrition and dietary patterns to help reduce the burden of chronic disease and advance health equity.
The proposed rule comes o...
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September 28, 2022 at 10:19 pm
Jerusalem, Israel - Sept. 28, 2022 - Wednesday night, September 28, 2022 / 3 Tishrei 5783, Israeli President Isaac Herzog hosted Rav Benny Lau and the 929 Tanach study program for the annual selichot in the Beit Hanasi gardens next to the synagogue. IDF soldiers and members of the regular minyan in the Beit Hanasi Shul were also seated in the audience.
The program which was broadcast live on Facebook began with the President's remarks. “Ladies and gentlemen, tonight’s traditional Selichot service at the President’s Residence takes place at the end of the Fast of Gedaliah, a tragic day in Jewish history, commemorating a terrible political murder etched in our nation’s history. Only yesterday, we asked in synagogues: ‘Our Father, our King&helli...
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September 28, 2022 at 10:07 pm
Hurricane Ian was barreling through central Florida as a Category 3 storm with maximum winds of 115 mph Wednesday night. It had made landfall as a Category 4 storm, with maximum sustained winds near 150 mph, just after 3 p.m. ET Wednesday near the island of Cayo Costa, off the coast of Fort Myers, the National Hurricane Center said.
Storm Surge: The hurricane center warned of storm surge of up to 18 feet in some coastal areas of southwest Florida. Hurricane conditions were expected along the east-central Florida coast overnight Wednesday and early Thursday.
Rain: Central and northeast Florida are projected to see 12 to 20 inches of rain, with some areas receiving as much as 30 inches. Parts of Georgia and South Carolina are also bracing for heavy rains in the 4- to 8-inch ...
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September 28, 2022 at 10:02 pm
Hurricane Ian weakened to a Category 2 hurricane on Wednesday evening, hours after making landfall in Florida as a Category 4 storm.
The National Hurricane Center said at around 8 p.m. winds decreased to 115 mph. By 9 p.m., Ian lost more wind power to 110 mph.
Ian made landfall on the mainland just south of Punta Gorda near Pirate Harbor with winds of 145 mph. That's in the middle of Category 4 range of 130-156 mph.
Hurricane Ian continues to wreak havoc across parts of southwestern Florida. Multiple storm surge warning have been in effect, as well as strong winds and major flooding. Ian strengthened into an extremely dangerous hurricane with maximum winds of 155 mph — just 1 mph away from Category 5 status — and hurricane conditions spread over southwestern...
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September 28, 2022 at 10:02 pm
It may sound strange, but it's already Wednesday. Here are five things to keep in mind through Yom Kippur.1. How do we greet each other between now and Yom Kippur? With either "Chatima tova" or "Gemar chatima tova" -- May you be inscribed or May you be sealed (in the Book of Life).2. Today is the Fast of Gedaliah. This fast day commemorates the murder of Gedaliah ben Ahikam by a Jew named Yishmael ben Netanyah. Gedaliah had been appointed governor over the remnant of Jews who remained in Eretz Yisrael after the destruction of the First Temple by Nebuchadnezzar. This tragic murder marked the end of Jewish settlement in the Land of Israel during the First Temple period and the exile of the last remaining Jews from their homeland.3. Today is the third day of the Ten Days of T...
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September 28, 2022 at 9:46 pm
Maryland residents may soon recognize some local phone numbers starting with a 227 area code.
That's because the remaining available lines starting with area codes 240 and 301 are expected to run out sometime in 2023.
The 227 code will begin getting assigned to residents and businesses once that happens.
Impacted counties could include Allegany, Anne Arundel, Charles, Frederick, Garrett, Howard, Montgomery, Prince George’s, St. Mary’s, and Washington.
Those already with a 240 or 301 area code will not see any change to their phone number.
The process for dialing or making outgoing calls will also remain the same. As usual, just punch in all 10 numbers including the area code to connect.
There are only a couple exceptions — for toll calls you would hit one befor...
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September 28, 2022 at 8:50 pm
Donald Trump’s suggestion over the weekend that the US would lose a war to Russia because the country is being run by “stupid people” prompted Matt Drudge’s news aggregation site to label the former president “Dementing Don.”
The lead story on Drudge’s news site the Drudge Report over the weekend included an unflattering image of the 45th president.
“Dementing Don: USA would lose war against Russia!” read the top headline on the Drudge Report over the weekend.
The headline linked to a DailyMail.com report that covered Trump’s recent appearance at a rally in Wilmington, North Carolina, where the former president stumped for Ted Budd, the Republican congressman who is running to represent the Tar Heel State in the US Se...
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September 28, 2022 at 8:43 pm
Hurricane Ian was set to produce significant damage to much of Florida's citrus crop as it tore through the central-southwest part of the state, threatening to send the price of orange juice higher.
November orange juice futures contracts were trading as high as $1.92 per pound Wednesday before falling back to $1.87.
Orange crops had already suffered production declines this year, with further declines expected, thanks to a so-called greening disease.
The storm will only add to those woes, said Jack Scoville, vice president at PRICE Futures Group, a trading firm in Chicago.
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September 28, 2022 at 6:33 pm
During a quarterly crime data update, members of the Baltimore City Council got a glimpse of the Baltimore Police Department’s summer deployment strategy results and demanded more proactive efforts are done to curb the violence.
The Public Safety and Government Operations Committee hearing, chaired by Councilman Mark Conway, peppered Deputy Commissioner Richard Worley with questions during the nearly two-hour hearing. Worley started by walking through some statistics from the summer deployment strategy; Worley said 560 warrants were served during the summer, including 15 homicide warrants and 18 non-fatal shooting warrants.
The hearing Wednesday came just a few months after several of the same council members, led by Councilman Eric Costello, demanded a short-term deployment strate...
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September 28, 2022 at 6:20 pm
Hatzalah of Baltimore ambulance seen en-route to Florida this afternoon
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September 28, 2022 at 6:14 pm
Wednesday, the Maryland State Board of Elections (SBE) announced new information regarding the 2022 general election.
Mail-in ballots were sent to requesting military and overseas voters by the federally mandated Sept. 24 deadline. The mailing of ballot packets to other voters will begin Thursday, Sept. 29.
This is how the ballot packets will be mailed in the following areas:
September 29: Allegany, Caroline, Carroll, Dorchester, Somerset and Worcester counties
September 30: Anne Arundel, Calvert, Cecil and Charles counties
October 1: Frederick, Garrett and Montgomery counties
October 3: Harford, Howard, Kent, Queen Anne's and Prince George's counties
October 4: Baltimore City and St. Mary's, Talbot, Washington and Wicomico counties
October 5: Baltimore County
T...
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September 28, 2022 at 5:10 pm
Floridians are beginning to lose power, with outages topping 1 million as the Category 4 Hurricane Ian made landfall Wednesday afternoon.
In the morning — around 5 a.m. — reported outages totaled approximately 35,000, according to PowerOutage.us.
The majority of the outages so far are in Lee, Collier and Sarasota counties.
People look out as clouds from the approaching Hurricane Ian darken the sky on Tuesday in St Petersburg, Florida. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images / Getty Images)
Ian is just shy of a Category 5 storm — and Gov. Ron DeSantis told residents Wednesday that the time has passed to evacuate.
"If you are in any of those counties, it's no longer possible to safely evacuate. It's time to hunker down and prepare for this stor...
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September 28, 2022 at 4:57 pm
Baltimore, MD - Sept. 28, 2022 - Picture of the Day: HaRav Yaakov Hopfer and Rav Nosson Newman Rosh Hayeshiva of Kesser Torah Checking Daled Minim
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September 28, 2022 at 4:24 pm
Beginning October 1, Baltimore city will be transitioning to a new customer portal for online bill payments.
The new website is hosted through Paymentus and includes enhanced customer service features designed to improve the overall customer experience for residents seeking online bill payments.
Features with the new system will include:
Improved security;
More payment options; (Amazon Pay, Apple Pay, Google Pay, PayPal, and Venmo)
Enhanced customer experience through a customer payment portal;
and
Additional planned walk-in service locations in Baltimore neighborhoods, starting in December 2022.
Customers with future or recurring payments scheduled through the City's current portal will need to reschedule their payments through the new website.
The city has c...
