The beginning of Sefer Bamidbar is truly a magical time. Klal Yisroel has received the Torah. They have been given instructions for and built the Mishkan and its Keilim. They are then counted and have “heads” of all the Shevatim named. The Kohanim and Leviyim are separated out for counting, anointing and are prepared to do the Avodah. Leadership, roles, instructions are all in place. Indeed, Hashem is prepared to bless them when one more set of Halachos are offered – the option of becoming a Nazir. (Naso, 6:1)
The Torah makes it clear that Neziros is not the preferred way for a Jew to live. In fact, the very first verb used to describe the act is “Yafli” – to disassociate or separate. Moreover at the...
Baltimore, MD - June 1, 2023 – 3:42PM - Traffic has come to a standstill due to an accident on 795 just before Exit 4. This incident is causing significant backups extending to I-95.
If you're in the vicinity, expect considerable delays.
Use alternate routes.
Baltimore, MD – June 1, 2023 – Due to a flooding issue at the DoubleTree, the Epstein-Norman Chasuna to take place tonight has been moved to Valley Mansion - 594 Cranbrook Road, Cockeysville, MD
All of us are familiar with the celebration that is held when a new Torah scroll is brought into a synagogue. But what happens when a Torah scroll is torn or its letters fade and it is no longer fit for use? Yesterday evening an unusual photo was taken at the Kotel (Western Wall): 19 Torah scrolls were displayed in a special ceremony, after which they would be brought for genizah or interment to a respectful burial site.These scrolls served millions of people over the years. It is likely that whoever is reading these words encountered one of these scrolls when visiting the Kotel. They were removed again and again from the holy arks that housed them on Bar MItzvahs, on Shabbatot, at the beginning of each month for Rosh Chodesh, on Simchat Torah when worshippers danced with them, and on othe...
Deadly Italy shipwreck: The Italian Corriere Della Sera news website hypothesizes that the Israeli and Italian intelligence agents met to spy on a Russian money transfer to Iran.
The website states that "Russian figures" have recently transferred their investments from Lake Como to luxury hotels on Lake Maggiore, where the shipwreck occurred.
MK Ram Ben-Barak (Yesh Atid), who in the past served as Vice Mossad Chief, told Reshet Bet about the Mossad agent who was killed in the wreck. "He was not there for a birthday party or vacation. It wasn't an operation, but it was connected to his work."
As previously reported, an Israeli Mossad agent Erez Shimoni was killed when the boat he was on with Italian intelligence agents capsized in Lago Maggiore in Italy. Four peo...
Baltimore, MD - June 1, 2023 - Baltimore's Public Works Director, Jason Mitchell, defended his proposal to substantially increase executive salaries within his agency at a council meeting, according to FOX45. The proposed budget for the fiscal year 2024, $35 million more than the current year's, would raise the pay of the top 50 employees to over $100,000 annually. Mitchell justified this hike stating that the current salaries were not competitive with those in neighboring counties, leading to a significant number of vacancies.
Councilman Yitzy Schleifer opposed the proposal, highlighting the disparity between the high salaries of office personnel and the lower wages of other employees. The discussion also touched on the department's delay in resuming weekly recyclin...
The legal representatives of several Canadian, Canadian-Palestinian, and Jewish organizations have filed a legal brief to bar former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett from Canada.
Bennett is set to address the Simon Wiesenthal Center's annual event in Toronto next month.
According to the representatives, Canada should bar entry from Bennett according to the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act. The complaint states, "The federal government has the domestic and international legal obligations to exclude perpetrators of atrocities."
The complaint explains that Bennett has been "deeply involved in the development of illegal Israeli settlements in the Palestinian West Bank." It cites a Peace Now report according to which Bennett's government increased the development of "se...
Federal prosecutors have obtained an audio recording of a summer 2021 meeting in which former US President Donald Trump acknowledges he held onto a classified Pentagon document about a potential attack on Iran, multiple sources told CNN on Wednesday.
The recording indicates Trump understood he retained classified material after leaving the White House, according to multiple sources familiar with the investigation.
In the recording, Trump’s comments suggest he would like to share the information but he’s aware of limitations on his ability post-presidency to declassify records, two of the sources said.
CNN has not listened to the recording, but multiple sources described it. One source said the relevant portion on the Iran document is about two minutes long, an...
Chana Nachenberg, who was seriously injured in the suicide bombing attack at the Sbarro restaurant in Jerusalem in 2001 and had been in a coma ever since, has succumbed to her injuries.
She was pronounced dead at Ichilov Hospital in Tel Aviv on Wednesday evening.
With that, the death toll in the attack now stands at 16.
Her father, Yitzhak, said after his daughter's death, "Our daughter, Chana Tova Feiner Nachenberg, died after almost 22 years of heroism. She was supposed to turn 53 years old in one month. 21 years and nine months have passed since the attack, with my daughter unconscious, in a coma, at Reut Hospital in Tel Aviv. About three weeks ago, she was transferred to Ichilov Hospital, where she died this evening."
Chana Nachenberg was 31 years old at the time of the attack...
The House on Wednesday night passed a bipartisan bill to suspend the debt ceiling, overcoming vocal opposition from conservative and liberal lawmakers and bringing the country one step closer to avoiding an economy-rattling default ahead of next week’s deadline.
The legislation — which was crafted through negotiations between President Biden, Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) and their designees — cleared the chamber in a bipartisan 314-117 vote and now heads to the Senate, where leaders are hoping for swift consideration as the default deadline looms.
Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has warned that the U.S. could run out of cash to pay its bills by June 5, a situation that would plunge the country into its first-ever default — w...
Baltimore, MD - May 31, 2023 - Giant Food, a grocery store chain with 165 locations in Maryland, Virginia, Delaware, and Washington D.C., is taking protective measures in response to a significant increase in theft and violence, according to FOX45. Measures include limiting store entrances, hiring security guards, reducing the availability of high-cost items, restricting the quantity of items taken to self-checkout stands, and using secure containers for certain items. President Ira Kress stated theft has grown tenfold in five years and violence has increased exponentially, prompting these safety measures. Despite the potential inconvenience to customers, Kress insists these steps are necessary for the business to operate safely and profitably.
This reflects a broader problem in ret...
Maryland drivers filling up at the pumps could feel a bigger pinch on their wallets when the state's gas tax increases in July.
On July 1, the state tax rate on a gallon of gas will increase to 47 cents per gallon, according to a report published on the state comptroller's website last week. The spike marks a 10 percent increase compared to the current rate, according to a report by Maryland Matters, and is expected to add about 65 cents to the total cost of filling a 15-gallon gas tank.
On Wednesday, the average price for a gallon of gas in Maryland was $3.49. A year ago the state average was $4.59 per gallon.
Owners of diesel-powered vehicles will also see a similar spike on July 1 when the state tax increases from nearly 43.5 cents per gallon to alm...
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, today (Wednesday, 31 May 2023), paid a condolence call in Bnei Brak to the family of the late Rabbi Gershon Edelstein, ZT'L, the leader of the Lithuanian public, President of the Degel Hatorah Council of Torah Sages, and President of the Vaad Hayeshivot.Prime Minister Netanyahu told the family and students of Rabbi Edelstein:"This is a very great loss. He made a very great impression on me. This is not lip service on my part; he spoke from the depths of his heart about his commitment to education. I think he saw it as the basis for everything."The Prime Minister added:"A man of his stature, it was a privilege to talk with him. Every minute you, his students, were with him was a great privilege. With G-d's help, you should not know any more sorro...
Baltimore, MD - May 31, 2023 - During the first round of budget hearings, the Baltimore City Council reviewed spending from the American Rescue Plan. City leaders testified that the over $600 million received has been fully allocated, with some agencies, like the fire department, receiving no funding, a fact Councilman Isaac "Yitzy" Schleifer found disturbing, reports WBAL. Questions were also raised regarding the Department of Public Works (DPW), especially why weekly recycling hasn't resumed and why new groups like Clean Corps are receiving $15 million in funding. The DPW will hold a budget meeting on Wednesday night to address these issues.
It was her brother’s active faith that inspired Carol Black to recommit as an adult to being a practicing Jew several years ago, and their shared commitment brought them to the Tree of Life synagogue on the October 2018 day it was attacked.
Testifying on the second day of the trial of the man who carried out the deadliest antisemitic attack in US history, Black told jurors Wednesday about how she and others in her New Light congregation heard loud noises as they started Sabbath services. They soon realized it was gunfire, so some of them hid in a storage room.
“I just remained calm…I thought by remaining calm, I would not give my position away,” she testified in the Pittsburgh federal courtroom.
Black, 71, recalled how she remained hidden even as she sa...
Baltimore, MD - May 31, 2023 - Starting July 1, recreational marijuana will be legal in Maryland, prompting Baltimore County to adjust its systems accordingly, according to WBALTV. The existing Medical Cannabis Act will be updated to apply to recreational sales, entailing adjustments to county code and zoning regulations. As part of these changes, the term 'medical' will be removed from current code and zoning regulations. Restrictions remain in place for dispensaries near schools or daycares and the required distance between dispensaries will be reduced from 2,500 to 1,000 feet, following new state regulations. The bill awaits its final reading and vote on June 5, with council members expressing concerns over the rapid pace of changes.
“Naso es rosh bnei Gershon – Count (lift) the sons of Gershon” (Bamidbar 4:22). In a sense, we are all the Bnei Gershon. Rav Gershon Edelstein, the manhig hador, was niftar, leaving Klal Yisroel utterly bereft. We all need to be lifted.
It is nearly impossible to fathom Rav Gershon‘s uninterrupted decades of learning, from the time he was ten. Nor can we comprehend how he taught and disseminated Torah every day for the past 80 years, including the day before he was niftar. Of this, we have no concept. However, there is one aspect of his life from which we may be able to glean. He knew the secret of the Bnei Gershon. Passed over by the family of Kehos, who spearheaded the avodah of the Mishkon, the family of Gershon, the firstborn of Levi, refused to be denied. The...
Baltimore, MD - May 31, 2023 - Maryland's Department of Transportation is facing network problems, affecting real-time MTA bus and mobility services as well as causing system issues at the MVA. For missed or scheduled Mobility trips, call 410-591-5611 and leave a voicemail.
