Parshas Bo has four distinct sections. The beginning of the parsha is the description of the final makkos building up to makkas bechoros. The Rambam writes that the story of Moshe confronting Pharaoh is a historical fact and simultaneously, it illustrates the struggles all human beings have between their yetzer horo and yetzer tov. Pharaoh sees everything in Egypt has crumbled. All ancient societies built their economy on agriculture and animal power to produce wealth. Makkas borod and arbeh destroyed all the crops. In borod, all the animals were killed (besides those who feared Hashem and hid their animals inside shelters). So the economy, the food supply, has totally collapsed. Pharaoh says he is letting the Jews go, but be careful—there are evil powers of the midbor coming to oppose you. Pharaoh doesn’t really have a choice but to capitulate. But when people are desperate to hold on to their sense of control, they use any sliver of a possibility to deny the uncomfortable facts. For instance, when Moshe predicts makkas bechoros to Pharaoh and his court, he is careful to make an imprecise prediction. “At around midnight.” Rashi explains that if the prediction would be precise, and the timekeeping methods of the Egyptians would be a little bit off, they would dismiss the makka as a coincidence and Moshe as a fraud! This is astounding. Rashi is teaching us a deep lesson in human psychology. People who are desperate to avoid changing how they look at the world will use anything to preserve their old way of life. Even though nine makkos have been predicted and came to pass exactly how Moshe said it would, it doesn’t matter. If all the bechoros drop dead—a second before or after Moshe said they would—they now have an excuse to block out the truth and carry on life as usual. It could be the flimsiest of pretexts. It doesn’t matter. The reality is too uncomfortable and nothing will budge them to make them change. The most amazing example of this was the fact that on the night of makkas bechoros, Pharaoh goes to bed. He has been going to bed every night the entire year of the makkos! Just imagine: Moshe has not been wrong for nine makkos—the entire Egyptian infrastructure is in ruins. Moshe now warns Pharaoh that his own son will die. But it doesn’t matter. Pharaoh wants to go through life making believe there is nothing to worry about. Nothing will disturb his fantasy. Then there is a total explosion in Egypt—everyone screaming—and now he wakes up and leaves his bed in the middle of the night. This is the human condition. The next part of the parsha is the korbon Pesach. Where does this korban fit into the scheme of yetzias mitzraim? Hashem has been giving Klal Yisroel a powerful education for an entire year about the reality of the world. There is no other power in the world. All the avodo zoros are false. There is only Hashem’s power which causes everything to exist and causes everything to happen. He showed it with the Nile and with the sun. But these are brand new concepts. For generations, Klal Yisroel had been completely integrated into Egyptian culture and are virtually indistinguishable from the Egyptians. Before they leave Egypt, they have to demonstrate that they are different, that they are worthy of leaving. Before Yaakov went down to Egypt, he was very excited to see Yosef before he dies. But then Yaakov comes to Be’er Shevah. This place is like a hard line between civilization and total midbor all the way to Egypt. He gets nervous about how the golus would progress over the years—perhaps we will never come back? Maybe this is a one-way trip? Hashem appears to Yaakov and reassures him: I will go down with you and guarantee that they will return. But there are no free lunches in this world. Klal Yisroel have to deserve redemption. So Hashem has to give Klal Yisroel a crash-course in the fundamentals of Yiddishkeit for an entire year in the hope that they can extricate themselves from the influence they’ve been under for so long. But despite all this, for 80% of Klal Yisroel, it doesn’t stick. They think that Egypt is their permanent home and somehow justify everything going on around them. It was too hard to go back to being the children of the ovos and they will have to die in makkas choshech. For the rest, those who were ready to leave, it also wasn’t so simple. They have to bring a korbon pesach and perform bris miloh. These were preconditions for being worthy of geuloh. Miloh is one of the few mitzvos which are a bris between Hashem and Klal Yisroel. Like Shabbos, it is what makes Klal Yisroel unique and without it, we lose our core identity as Hashem’s special people. On Shabbos, we testify that Hashem created the world and we pull back from creative activity on Shabbos to show that this world is not ours. If we violate Shabbos, we are treated like a non-Jew. In Kiddush we say the posuk “asher boroh Elokim la’asos.” What does la’asos mean? It means the world is really incomplete and needs to be made by us. Hashem created us with an orloh for us to remove. Turnus Rufus asked Rabbi Akiva—If Hashem despises the orloh, why did He create us with one? If He hates poverty, why did He create people who are poor? Rabbi Akiva responded that these are good questions. But whose actions are better? Hashem’s or Man’s? Come back to me tomorrow with a handful of wheat kernels. Rabbi Akiva prepared for the meeting with a cake his wife made. He first told Turnus Rufus to eat the cake and then eat the kernels. He enjoyed the cake and then vomited from ingesting the kernels. Rabbi Akiva shows him that man’s actions are better. Hashem created the world in its raw, unfinished state. Hashem wants us to complete it. Even Odom requires completion and perfection and the first step is through bris miloh. We have to make ourselves better people out of the raw material Hashem created. We can mold and form ourselves into someone who Hashem wants us to become. We don’t do “self-discovery”. Don’t accept yourself just the way you are. Push yourself to become more than who you started out to be. This is bris miloh. Hashem created an imperfect world and expects us to finish the job. Sometimes it isn’t easy to raise ourselves up to levels that we aren’t used to being on. Hashem tells the novi that we survived Egypt through our blood. Nothing of any value happens in this world without sacrifice and pain of growth and elevation. All this was a precondition to becoming Jewish. A bris miloh means we testify with our very bodies that we are Hashem’s representatives in the world—different from all other nationalities. Chazal tell us how Dovid Hamelech labeled a mizmor of Tehillim. He was in a bath house and was mortified that he didn’t have any mitzvos on him—no tallis, no tefillin—to remind him that he is a Jew who serves Hashem. Then he was put at ease when he realized he still had bris miloh—an indelible sign that he is a servant of Hashem which can never be removed from him—on his very flesh. Some people can subject everything they have to Hashem besides their very selves. Bris Miloh is who we are. This Mizmor doesn’t talk about miloh at all! It talks about loshon horo. Why? Because once we subject our very selves, we realize that even our speech and our mannerisms are subject to Hashem’s command. Hashem told us to put the blood of the korbon on the doorposts. Why was this necessary? Hashem needs some blood to figure out which house is Jewish and which isn’t? The answer is that this was a part of our demonstration that we are worthy of being redeemed. We had to take the avodo zoro of the Mitzrim in public, make it a sacrifice and put it on display on the doorpost for everyone to see. We had to make a total rejection of our previous identity. We are not subject to our human masters, we don’t fear their disapproval. We only fear Hashem. This was the zechus that made us worthy of geuloh. We became spiritually mature and developed. But we had to take that maturity and put it into practice—make a public demonstration of our devotion to avodas Hashem. These are the two mitzvos asei which are chayav koreis. Without them, we are lacking the conviction that we are Jews whose very identity is that we are avdei Hashem. In every generation, there are avodo zoros without number. We need to take the prevalent avodo zoro and culture and reject it publically. We don’t care if the world goes crazy and threatens to harm us. When Klal Yisroel leave, the eirev rav leave with them. These are a very dangerous group of people. They were the source of Klal Yisroel’s downfall throughout their journey in the midbor and throughout the generations. What is so dangerous about them? They were so taken by Klal Yisroel’s meteoric rise to greatness that they wanted to follow them. They saw all the wealth and majesty of Klal Yisroel when they left Egypt that they wanted to be a part of it too and jump on the bandwagon. But Klal Yisroel had to earn it first with painful lessons and mitzvos involving their own blood. The eirev rav wanted to enjoy all the benefits without making any sacrifices. But then, when things get hard, they were the first ones to complain. Of course Torah and Mitzvos are the most uplifting and inspiring things in the world. But it takes effort and struggle of climbing a mountain, in slow, careful steps. There is no instant ruchniyus where you press a button and you gain sheleimus. You can’t expect real growth to come easy. My rebbe once pointed out that we say in the beginning of the haggodoh—hoh lachmoh anyoh—a poor man’s bread. But at the end of the haggodoh, the matzoh becomes a symbol of freedom and geuloh. Once you go through a yetzias Mitzrayim, then the same matzoh you ate as a slave becomes transformed into a food of freedom. We need to review yetzias Mitzrayim in the many mitzvos we repeat daily, because the lessons are so vital and so fundamental. The idea of subjecting ourselves entirely to Hashem without holding back, to denounce the avodo zoros being worshiped around us, to go through pain and hardship in order to achieve something worthwhile—in order to raise our level and be worthy of geuloh. That is what it means to be Jewish. PINNED Scroll for more news ![]()
Baltimore, MD - July 1, 2025 - The Cheder proudly celebrated its 8th grade Mesibas Preida this past week, honoring the accomplishments of its Talmidim. Held in the Cheder’s gym, the largest graduation event in their history with 88 Talmidim, brought together parents, grandparents, and staff to witness a milestone in the Talmidim’s growth in Torah.
The proud parents and grandparents beamed with nachas as they were welcomed with an inspiring program and a delicious buffet put together with the generous help of the PTA. This included Divrei Chizuk from the Menahel Rav Shimon Hirsch and President Rav Hillel Tendler emphasizing growth, responsibility, and the next stage of learning.
Following Divrei Torah from representatives of each of the three Shiurim, a beauti...
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Jerusalem, Israel - July 1, 2025 - A rare investment and residential opportunity is now open in Jerusalem, New Katamon (Pat) and interested buyers are invited to an exclusive Zoom webinar, Wed., July 16 @730PM, to learn more.Located at 13 Berl Locker Street, on the border of Pat and Katamonim, this pre-sale urban renewal project is poised to benefit from growing demand, community-driven design, and future infrastructure improvements. Just a short walk from Ganei Tzion, the project offers early buyers strong value before prices climb.Webinar Highlights:Hear directly from the developer, a real estate attorney, and a mortgage broker discussing U.S.-based financingView sample floorplans, discuss pricing, and understand the 10/90 payment plan (10% now, 90% near delivery in early ...
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Baltimore, MD – June 30, 2025 - BJL deeply regrets to inform the community of the petirah of Reb Dovid Steingroot, z'l, husband of Syril Steingroot, son of Yakov (Sheila, a'h) Steingroot, father of Nissi (Dassi) Steingroot, Eliyahu Steingroot, and Yochanan Steingroot, and brother of Elana (Danny) Goldstein, Aviva Steingroot, and Chava (Meir) Weinheber.
The Levayah will be held at Levinson's at noon, todayKevura will take place in Eretz YisroelShiva Information: (Will be updated again later in the week)
Chava Weinheber will be sitting Shiva at 7811 Park Heights Avenue. Please park on Ridge Terrace.
Visiting Hours:
No visitors please between 12:00-2:00pm and not after 10:00pm
Minyanim:
7:30am Shacharis (Tuesday,Wednesda...
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Baby Moishy, just 9 months old, is fighting for his life. His father already gave part of his liver to save him.
Now, Moishy needs emergency heart surgery — but the only doctors who can help are far beyond what the family can afford.
From his hospital bed, his father cries: "I gave my son my liver. I’d give him my heart if I could… but now, I have nothing left except this plea."
⏳ Urgent Need: $200,000
❤️ Every bit counts
With a blessing from Rabbi Meir Sirota: "This is pikuach nefesh. May helping bring bracha to your home."
📍 Donate now:
https://thechesedfund.com/waehandhorg/moishy?aff=jbl26.6at
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Baltimore, MD – June 28, 2025 - BJL deeply regrets to inform the community of the petirah of Mrs. Naomi Shabtai, a’h, wife of Menashe Shabtai and mother of Smadar Shabtai, Benjy Shabtai, Evy Shabtai, Gabriel Shabtai, Nathaniel Shabtai, and Jeremy Shabtai.Shiva will be observed in the tent in back of 3502 West Strathmore Ave, Baltimore, MD 21215Evi Shabtai wil have Shacharis Sunday morning at 8:00Am with visting untill 11:00AMThe family returns on Sunday evening sitting shiva through Thursday morning, July 3:Mincha/Maariv: 8:30PMShacharis : 7:00AM No breaks Bila Hamaves Lanetzach…
Bila Hamaves Lanetzach
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.
Saudi Arabia is insisting that Israel finish the job in Gaza by removing Hamas from power completely in the coastal enclave as a precondition for a normalization agreement with the Jewish State, a Saudi source told i24NEWS.
The source, who is reportedly close to the royal court, told Middle East correspondent Ariel Oseran that, "Without removing Hamas, there will be no peace."
According to the report, the Saudi government hopes the Palestinian Authority, led by Mahmoud Abbas, will be restored to power in Gaza after the fall of the Hamas government.
The report is the first indication that ending the war now instead of continuing until Hamas is completely defeated may jeopardize efforts to secure normalization accords with Arab and Muslim nations and the Trump Administration's e...
Living Dangerously: My Struggle to Get Rich Without Losing My Soul is a gripping memoir by Canadian-born entrepreneur Irwin Gabriel Katsof, a man whose life has straddled worlds—religious and secular, spiritual and financial, personal and political.
Before becoming an investor and businessman, Katsof spent 25 years as a fundraising powerhouse for Aish HaTorah and was ordained as a rabbi. He is also the author of three previous books, including How to Get Your Prayers Answered, first published in 2000 and reissued in 2002. Today, he serves as president of Trademissions.org, an organization that helps U.S. fund managers raise capital abroad.
In trying to find a word that captured the boldness of Katsof’s career journey, I discovered that he had already supplied the best descrip...
Baltimore, MD - July 1, 2025 — Today, Mayor Brandon M. Scott announced that Baltimore has continued to experience historic reductions in violent crime through the first six months of 2025.
Compared to this time last year, the city has recorded a 22.7% decrease in homicides and a 19.6% decline in nonfatal shootings. Through June, Baltimore has had 68 homicides — the fewest in over 50 years — compared to 88 homicides in the first six months of 2024.
“Our continued progress is the direct result of the comprehensive, evidence-based public safety strategy that we have implemented in partnership with residents,” said Mayor Brandon M. Scott. “I want to acknowledge the leadership of our community violence intervention ecosystem, MONSE, the men a...
Baltimore, MD – July 1, 2025 - BJL deeply regrets to inform the community of the petirah of Mr. Eliahou Shamash, z'l, father of Dr. Tamar (Ron) Ference.
Shiva will be observed in Baltimore starting Thursday at 6503 Steerforth Court. and concluding on Friday afternoon. Visiting Hours: Thursday, 1pm to 3pm, 6:30pm to 8:30pm; Friday, 10:30am to 12:30pm, 1:30pm to 3pm.
Bila Hamaves Lanetzach…
Baltimore, MD - July 1, 2025 - Drink or drive—this 4th of July, you can’t do both.
Maryland State Police are stepping up their enforcement efforts to ensure a safer Independence Day weekend.
Starting Friday, troopers from all 23 barracks across the state will conduct high-visibility patrols to combat impaired, aggressive, and distracted driving through Sunday, July 6.
The State Police Impaired Driving Reduction Effort (SPIDRE) team, a specialized unit trained to identify impaired drivers, will also be active in reducing impaired driving-related injuries and fatalities.
Maryland State Police initiatives aim to prevent dangerous driving behaviors and save lives. These efforts include partnering with allied law enforcement and state agencies for enforcement and community...
Earlier today, the United States Senate voted to include a permanent and unlimited scholarship tax credit in the budget reconciliation bill.
The groundbreaking school choice proposal survived two attempts to eliminate it and was forced to be revised, but the bottom line for you — it’s still in!
If passed, we expect this credit to generate hundreds of millions of dollars in K–12 scholarships for our communities alone!
What happened?
On Friday morning, we woke up to the news that the Senate removed the school choice provisions from the Big, Beautiful Bill.
Not because the Republican Senate majority wanted to, but because the parliamentarian, a Senate staffer, ruled that it would be deemed “out of order” and not eligible to be included.
Reconciliation bud...
Vice President Vance cast the tie-breaking vote as Senate Republicans on Tuesday delivered a huge legislative victory for President Trump by passing his One Big, Beautiful Bill Act after hours of tense negotiations that lasted through the night.
The legislation appeared to be on the cusp of failing on the floor after Senate GOP leaders spent hours trying to hash out a compromise with Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski, an independent minded Republican, who worried that the legislation’s deep cuts to Medicaid and federal food assistance funding would hurt her home state.
At one point, Murkowski could be heard talking about the “vulnerable” on her phone as she walked briskly through the Capitol, avoiding reporters.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) and his leadership te...
The Gemara in Brachos 35b quotes the posuk in Krias Shema discussing gathering your crops. The Gemara asks, what is the chiddush that you will gather your crops? The Gemara brings down a posuk in Yehoshua 1 that says that the Torah should not move from us, we should be constantly learning. From this posuk one might think they should not have parnassah. The Torah therefore tells us that one must do the Derech Eretz and make parnassah. This is based on the words of Reb Yishmael. However, Reb Shimon bar Yochai says that Reb Yishmael’s way would not work because then you would be busy every season making sure the fruits and crops grow well, and you won’t have time to learn. Rather, he says, one should learn and h...
Baltimore, MD - July 1, 2025 - Beginning Tuesday, residents struggling to pay rising energy bills can apply for the customer relief fund.
"It's been a little stressful lately trying to, I guess, navigate or manage, understanding how much my bill is going to be monthly because honestly it's going to keep getting hotter," Baltimore County resident Cherona Brown said.
"Sometimes you'll get very shocked because its like, 'Oh, my bill is an extra hundred dollars, where did that come from?'" she added.
Residential customers with limited to moderate income, and have a past-due balance on their BGE account can apply for the fund to get a one-time grant ranging from $250 to $750. Of the total amount in the fund, $15 million will go toward BGE customers, but once the...
Annapolis, MD - July 1, 2025 - There are a number of laws taking effect in Maryland, as the calendar turns to July.
According to the Maryland State Bar Association, the following laws take effect on July 1, 2025, in areas ranging from cannabis regulation and consumer protection to environmental law, public safety, and employment.
Cannabis Regulation
HB12/SB214: This law prohibits the sale or distribution of cannabis products marketed as containing more than 0.5 milligrams of THC per serving or over 2.5 milligrams of THC per package, and it outlines penalties for such offenses.
HB619: This bill exempts the Maryland sales and use tax on transactions involving cannabis between a licensed cannabis business and a registered cannabis nursery.
SB215: This act implements various changes to ...
Baltimore, MD - July 1, 2025 - Fire crews responded to a reported explosion on the 8100 block of Callo Lane. When they arrived, they found the home completely destroyed. Firefighters are still working to put out the flames.
At this time, it’s unclear if anyone was inside the home. Investigators from the fire department and BGE (Baltimore Gas & Electric) have been called to the scene.
Iran-linked hackers have warned of additional email leaks targeting US President Donald Trump and his associates.
The group, operating under the pseudonym "Robert," claimed in online messages with Reuters that they possess approximately 100 gigabytes of emails from figures close to President Trump. These include White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, attorney Lindsey Halligan, adviser Roger Stone, and Stormy Daniels, an actress known for legal disputes with President Trump.
Robert suggested they might sell the material, but did not elaborate on their intentions or the contents of the emails.
US Attorney General Pam Bondi denounced the intrusion, calling it "an unconscionable cyber-attack." FBI Director Kash Patel stated that any breach of national security would be thoroughly...
Under the direction of the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet), detectives from the Central District Police have arrested a married couple from Ra’anana on suspicion of espionage against the State of Israel on behalf of Iran.
The couple, both in their 30s, were taken into custody and, following their interrogation by the Sharon District's Central Unit, are expected to be brought before the court this morning for a hearing on the extension of their detention.
The couple are believed to have acted on behalf of an Iranian agent and carried out espionage activities in Israel.
Detectives raided the couple's apartment in Ra'anana, and during the search, cell phones, computers and other technological devices were seized, including messages suspected of being communications w...
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