Daily Dvar Halacha -Aug. 1 - 4 Menachem Av - Deodorant on Tisha B’Av?
Rabbi Yitzchok Dinovitzer is a Rebbe in the Middle School of YCC/TA and is the Associate Regional Director of NCSY Atlantic Seaboard Region
PINNED
Scroll for more news
Baltimore, MD - Apr. 30, 2026 - Explore the latest issue of Baltimore Jewish Home.Click on the graphic below:
Congress took a major step toward ending the record-breaking Department of Homeland Security shutdown on Thursday as the White House warned hundreds of thousands of federal employees were on the verge of missing paychecks amid the 75-day funding lapse.
The House of Representatives unanimously approved a Senate-passed spending measure covering most of the department’s appropriations through September.
The vote came after the DHS funding measure had stalled in the lower chamber for more than a month as House Speaker Mike Johnson declined to put the bill on the floor over objections to language he said defunded law enforcement. The speaker's opposition reflected the views of many in his conference, who viewed the bill as a dead letter when the Senate passed it...
Baltimore, MD – Apr. 30, 2026 – BJL regrets to inform the community of the petira of Rabbi Yehuda Fleischmann, z’l, father of Ayala (Don) Greenberg, Dovid (Chava Zehava) Fleischmann, Batya (Yisroel) Luwish, Michoel (Essie) Fleischmann, and Bracha (Levi) Mark
The Levayah will be held on Friday morning (May 1) 10:00 am at Levinson's. Kevurah will take place at Shearith Israel Cemetery - Bowleys Lane.
Shiva will be observed at 2535 Smith Avenue, Baltimore, MD 21209.Details to followבלע המות לנצח
Baltimore, MD - April 30, 2026 - The following letter was sent yesterday to the Bais Yaakov parent body:
Dear Parents, As the school year draws to a close, we take this opportunity to be thankful for the past and look to the future. We have immense hakaras hatov to Rabbi Yechezkel Zweig for leading our High School for close to four decades and guiding it through this current transition year. His mark on our students and our school cannot be overstated, and we will be forever grateful to him. Our High School is widely recognized as producing the highest quality Bnos Yisroel, and that is very much to his credit. There will, IY"H, be upcoming opportunities for each of us to express our personal hakaras hatov to Rabbi Zweig. We are grateful that Rabbi Zweig has agreed to be av...
Discovering an Overlooked Quality of Successful Leadership
Baltimore, MD - Apr. 29, 2026 - Leadership touches everyone. Even if we don’t hold a formal position, opportunities to lead arise in everyday roles—for example, every teacher and parent is a leader. Leadership may be assigned in specific scenarios—school, yeshiva, shul, or the workplace. Much has been said and written about what makes a good leader. Here, I want to share one invaluable insight about leadership that, in my experience, is not well understood: A successful leader conveys a message that people can receive.
I recently read biographies about two tremendous talmidei chachamim. Each one was a leader. One succeeded, while the other failed. Both men were great in their own right and much above our level. ...
BaltimoreJewishLife.com (BJL) is proud to partner with STAR-K CERTIFICATION that realizes that there is no substitute for a person’s own Rav. In an effort to offer a possible solution, it has launched its Institute of Halachah as a public service. Over the years, the agency’s Kashrus Hotline has answered generic halachic questions from kosher consumers the world over, including inquiries regarding the kosher status of foods and certified Sabbath mode appliances. The formation of a separate official division within STAR-K testifies to the need for addressing these issues.
The Institute of Halachah is directed by HaRav Mordechai Frankel, under the guidance of HaRav Moshe Heinemann, STAR-K’s Rabbinic Administrator. It is an invaluable resource for a diverse array of rabbis to discuss general halachic matters, as well as gain access to source materials for shiurim and answers to congregants’ questions.
Shailos for regular or Kashrus shailos may emailed or discussed using this widget.
Baltimore, MD – Apr. 29, 2026 - BJL wishes a hearty Mazel Tov to Aharon and Rachelli Stern on the birth of a son.
Mazel Tov to grandparents Ephraim & Sarah Stern and Asher & Dena Sondhelm.
Mazel Tov great-grandparents Rabbi & Mrs. Uri & Aviva Sondhelm and Rabbi & Mrs. Eli &Renee Singer
יה"ר שיזכו לגדל בנם לתורה, לחופה, ולמעשים טובים. אמן!
Baltimore, MD - Apr. 29, 2026 - 4:23 PM (BJL) - Police are blocking the right northbound lane on Reisterstown Road just before the Pikesville Library. Expect delays in the areah/t: BMore Traffic
Baltimore, MD - Apr. 29, 2026 - A Maryland Supreme Court decision vacating a $152 million opioid verdict is not expected to change Baltimore’s immediate budget plans, city officials said Monday, even as the ruling removes a potential source of future funding for overdose response efforts.
The court last week vacated the judgment against drug distributors McKesson and Cencora, eliminating money the city had anticipated but had not yet received for its Opioid Restitution Fund as officials prepare upcoming spending decisions.
A representative with the Mayor’s Office said the city’s upcoming budget should not be affected and that the plan to reduce overdose deaths, using the Opioid Restitution Fund and city agencies, is still on track.
“While the verdict limits local...
Baltimore, MD - Apr. 29, 2026 - Republican candidate for Maryland Governor, Ed Hale, said he hopes to remove a statewide vehicle emissions program that he argues is too expensive.
Hale, in a news conference on Monday in Hyattsville, specifically addressed the fees surrounding the Vehicle Emissions Inspection Program (VEIP). Last year the fee increased from $14 to $30.
He argued that "95%" of emissions were corrected in newer car models, and said the program should be completely eliminated. He argued the fees are outdated and should be removed to relieve families' pockets.
The state program which was established to help protect the environment, has been in place since 1979, and generates more than $50 million for Maryland's Transportation Trust Fund. State ...
Baltimore, MD - Apr. 28, 2026 - As fewer Marylanders qualify for federal tax breaks that used to keep health care costs down, state officials report that higher monthly premiums have led thousands to opt for lower-coverage healthcare plans than in previous years.
Approximately 8,000 Marylanders who previously selected gold plan coverage opted to take on a bronze plan this year, according to healthcare officials. That’s higher than the previous estimate initially reported to lawmakers in January of roughly 5,000 people downgrading their plans.
That said, overall enrollment since last year has not greatly changed, showing that people are willing to take on higher-risk plans if it means they can stay covered, said Johanna Fabian-Marks, deputy executive director for Maryland Health Ben...
Baltimore, MD – Apr. 28, 2026 – (BJL) A beautiful scene unfolded today at The Club when Nesanel Danziger celebrated completing Meseches Succah, which he finished over bein hazmanim, surrounded by four friends.When Yaacov Orlievsky, Star-K mashgiach at The Club, learned of the siyum, he wanted to make sure it was done in the most appropriate way, including reciting the special siyum Kaddish. He went out into the parking lot and found others, bringing them into the eatery to quickly help gather a minyan so Nesanel could make the siyum with a minyan.What followed was a heartwarming kiddush Hashem in broad daylight — with singing and genuine simcha. A simple gathering became a powerful reminder of the beauty of Torah, of the Baltimore community, and the achdus of Klal Yisroel...
Baltimore, MD - Apr. 28, 2026 - On Sunday evening, Beth Tfiloh Congregation hosted Jon and Rachel Goldberg-Polin as the featured speakers for its annual Dahan Lecture, sponsored by the Haron Dahan Foundation. The synagogue’s 1,600-seat sanctuary was filled with people from across the Baltimore Jewish community, representing many congregations and backgrounds, who had come to hear their story and to show respect for a family whose strength and faith have inspired Jews around the world.
The synagogue’s 1,600-seat sanctuary was filled with people from across the Baltimore Jewish community, representing many congregations and backgrounds (Photo Credit: Israel Orange Studios)
The program was conducted with the dignity and kavod the moment required. The thoughtful...
Baltimore, MD - Apr. 28, 2026 - A new UMBC poll reports that Baltimore City and County residents say the amount of local taxes and fees they pay is a key issue for them.
The poll states that in Baltimore City, it's 71% important, and in Baltimore County, it's 69% important.
In this year's budget, Governor Wes Moore vowed no new taxes or fees, which stayed true throughout this legislative session.
Some critics attribute that decision to it being an election year, but the tax and fee increases of 2025 were never taken away, and some are now just starting to kick in.
In 2025, the General Assembly and Governor Moore passed and signed $1.6 billion dollars in new taxes and fee increases, some including:
Vehicle excise tax in Maryland increased from 6% to 6.5...
Baltimore, MD - Apr. 28, 2026 - The average price for regular unleaded fuel in Maryland is 10 cents more Tuesday then to what it was on Monday.
According to AAA, the average price for regular gas in Maryland on Tuesday was $4.11 per gallon. That price was $4.01 on Monday.
The price of regular fuel in Maryland was below the national average. The country’s average on Tuesday was $4.17 per gallon.
Maryland ranked 20th out of the 50 states and Washington, D.C., for the most expensive regular gas prices. California was the most expensive, with its average being $5.96 per gallon.
The average price of regular fuel in Maryland has jumped over $1 per gallon since the war in Iran began on Feb. 28.
The record high-average price for a gallon of regular gas in Maryland was $5....
Annapolis, MD - Apr. 28, 2026 - Maryland’s plan to rebuild the Francis Scott Key Bridge hit a major setback Tuesday, as state officials abruptly canceled a key construction contract, undercutting Gov. Wes Moore’s repeated claim that the project was the nation’s “fastest-moving” large infrastructure effort.
The decision to off-ramp contractor Kiewit Infrastructure Co. from the project’s critical second phase came after its proposals “far exceeded” state estimates, according to U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy.
The move forces Maryland back into the market for a new builder at a pivotal moment, as project costs have surged from roughly $1.8 billion to more than $5.2 billion. It transforms what Moore has framed as a model of speed in...
WASHINGTON, April 28 (Reuters) - The U.S. Department of Justice has indicted former FBI Director James Comey a second time, CNN reported on Tuesday, citing two sources familiar with the case.
The specific charges were not yet clear nor was it clear where the case would be brought, according to CNN.
The indictment would mark the second time the Justice Department under Trump has indicted Comey, a longtime foe of President Donald Trump.
Comey was charged with making a false statement and obstructing Congress in September, but a federal judge dismissed the case after finding that the prosecutor who secured the indictment was not lawfully appointed.
