A federal judge has blocked President Donald Trump’s bid to prevent international students from entering the U.S. or getting visas to attend Harvard University. U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs issued a temporary restraining order Thursday night instructing the Department of Homeland Security and the State Department to disregard a proclamation Trump issued Wednesday wielding presidential immigration authority to effectively ban foreign nationals from entering the U.S. to study or teach at Harvard. In a two-page order, Burroughs said Harvard showed it...
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Baltimore, MD - June 5, 2025 - Every Sunday morning for the past 18 months, Baltimoreans have marched in solidarity with the hostages held in Gaza, and with the hostages' families. The march in Baltimore is part of an international campaign to ensure that the plight of the hostages is not forgotten and to demand the hostages' immediate release. The reprehensible attack that took place last Sunday was an attempt to cower, intimidate, and silence not only the marchers in Boulder, but all who pray for the release of the hostages—both worldwide and right here in Baltimore. We cannot, and will not, allow this to happen. This Sunday, June 8 (marking 611 days in captivity), the entire community is urged to join the march and demonstrate to the media and to the general publi...
Baltimore, MD - June 6, 2025: Dear Friends, We hope this message finds you well. After seven incredible years of devoted leadership, we share bittersweet news that Rabbi Yossi Kohen will be stepping down from his role as Director of Torah Youth Association (TYA), a position he has held since 2018. Under R’ Yossi’s thoughtful and passionate leadership, TYA has grown into a vibrant and meaningful part of our community. While we will deeply miss his presence at the helm of TYA, we are thrilled for R' Yossi as he takes the next step in his journey, assuming a new and exciting role as Director of Development at Yeshivas Mekor Chaim (YMC). We thank him and his Rebbitzen for all they have given to our teens, families, and the broader TYA mission, and wish him much Hatzlacha i...
Baltimore, MD – June 6, 2025 – 8:32AM - Reisterstown Road at Naylors Lane, (near Pomona Square) headed toward Target, is completely blocked all the way until 695. Police are on hand and traffic is being forced to turn around in front of Market Maven. 
Baltimore, MD – June 6, 2025 - BJL wishes a hearty Mazel Tov to Dovid and Rochie Frand on the birth of  a daughter. Mazel Tov grandparents Rabbi & Mrs. Yakov Frand and great-grandparents Rabbi & Mrs. Yissocher Frand and Rabbi & Rebetzin Tzvi Teichman יה"ר שיזכו לגדל בתם לתורה, לחופה, ולמעשים טובים. אמן!
Baltimore, MD – June 6, 2025 – A huge Mazal Tov to Rabbi Flamm’s TA 10th grade shiur for learning Mesechta Sota throughout the school year, culminating in a well-earned and delicious siyum!! Mazal Tov gentlemen — what an incredible accomplishment!!
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A wife who had been warned by her husband from secluding with a man he suspects may have immoral intentions, and then ignores her husband's wishes, may be forced by her husband to drink the 'bitter waters' to prove her innocence or face the horrific consequences if she committed adultery. The husband must bring a meal-offering on her behalf before the test of the Sotah water. It consists of barley rather than the usual ingredient of meal-offerings, wheat. The departure from the norm is to symbolize her having acted like an animal who normally feeds on barley, so too her offering is the 'meal' of an animal.  We also omit the customary oil that is mixed into a meal-offering to signify her having done a dark deed, denying her the medium that produces light. La...
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...
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Rabbi Zvi Teichman on Parshas Naso - Ride 'Em. Cowboy!

A wife who had been warned by her husband from secluding with a man he suspects may have immoral intentions, and then ignores her husband's wishes, may be forced by her husband to drink the 'bitter waters' to prove her innocence or face the horrific consequences if she committed adultery.


The husband must bring a meal-offering on her behalf before the test of the Sotah water. It consists of barley rather than the usual ingredient of meal-offerings, wheat. The departure from the norm is to symbolize her having acted like an animal who normally feeds on barley, so too her offering is the 'meal' of an animal. 


We also omit the customary oil that is mixed into a meal-offering to signify her having done a dark deed, denying her the medium that produces light.


Lastly, we also withhold Levonah — frankincense, the fragrant incense the Matriarchs are likened to, emphasizing this woman having departed from the sweet-scented ways of her ancestors.  


There is a bit of incongruity here in our taking her to task on the one hand for having behaved like a beast, and at the same time for not having risen to the elevated stature of her matriarchs. There is quite a distance from demanding her to be unshackled from animalistic instinct and expecting her to conduct herself as a daughter of nobility!


How can we reprimand her simultaneously for both?


What causes a person to suddenly engage in beastly acts of instinct?


Is it merely overwhelming temptation that stifles clear thinking?   


King David offers us insight into what transforms a human into a beast.


Man is in his glory, but he does not understand; he is compared to the silenced animals. (Psalms 49 21)


This doesn't simply mean that one who does not delve into the Torah and its wisdom will wander meaninglessly.


It is attributed to the great Gaon Rav Chaim Brisker, that it is man's not fathoming his inherent worth in the eyes of G-d that turns him into a beast of instinct. He famously added that a horse who may way a ton allows a measly two-hundred pound human to ride atop him, who lashes at him with a stick prodding him on and digs in his spurs to get the horse to halt. If only the beast understood the power he possesses, it could toss the rider off like a flea. But 'a ferd bleibt a ferd', a horse remains a dumb horse.


If only man would appreciate his inner greatness; his worthiness in the eye of our Father in Heaven, he would never succumb to his animalistic instincts and handily buck the evil inclination off his back!


King David was fortunate to have a mother in the image of the Matriarchs who instilled this confidence in her beloved son, never permitting him to forget his nobility of spirit, no matter the challenges he may face.


The mother of King David was a woman named Nitzeves the daughter of Adael. David was the eighth and youngest son of Yishai but was shunned by his family. The reason for this, according to tradition, is that people questioned David’s legal status. Apparently, his father Yishai had separated from his wife, Nitzeves, after their seventh son was born because he began to doubt the legitimacy of his grandmother, Rus. The law that descendants of Moav are prohibited from marrying within the nation only applies to male descendants and not females had not been established yet. If indeed it applied to female Moavites as well then Yishai and all his children were tainted as well, and he was prohibited from marrying a regular Jewish woman such as Nitzeves. He therefore refrained from family life with Nitzeves. In an effort to father an unblemished child, he took his Canaanite maidservant as a concubine, which was permitted to him. The status of a child born to a Canaanite maidservant follows its mother, thus being born a Canaanite slave. He would subsequently emancipate this 'slave child' transforming him to a legally valid full Jew detached from any Moavite connection. Unbeknownst to Yishai, the maidservant plotted with Nitzeves, and in a page taken from the history of our Matriarchs, Rachel and Leah, having her clandestinely sleep with Yishai instead on the night of their intended union. When Nitzeves’ pregnancy was discovered several months later, they suspected her of adultery and bearing an illegitimate child, for she had not revealed that Yishai fathered him. She and her child were degraded and treated as outcasts for twenty-eight years until the prophet Shmuel revealed the truth, selecting and anointing David from among the eight sons of Yishai as the future king of Israel.


The suspected adulteress only engaged in beastly behavior because she lapsed in an awareness of her own greatness and nobility.


Wasn't it Rachel and Leah, who, despite living under the influence of their nefarious father Lavan, who never forgot the greatness that resides within them and aspired to become the wives of Yaakov who would mother the 'Bais Yaakov' and Bais Yisroel'?


One might never rise to the elevated levels and accomplishments of our illustrious matriarchs, but we can live with their message that whatever we face we are worthy and loved in the eyes of G-d.  


With that ingrained into our consciousness, we will be empowered to buck the mindless animalistic instincts that blind us from our true inner strengths!  


באהבה,


צבי יהודה טייכמאן

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The Trump administration on Thursday imposed sanctions on four judges at the International Criminal Court over what it called the court’s “illegitimate actions” targeting the United States and Israel. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the sanctions in a statement, saying they target Solomy Balungi Bossa of Uganda, Luz del Carmen Ibáñez Carranza of Peru, Reine Adelaide Sophie Alapini Gansou of Benin and Beti Hohler of Slovenia. Two of the sanctioned judges authorized the arrest warrants for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant which the court issued last November. The others authorized an ICC investigation into abuses by US personnel in Afghanistan. “As ICC judges, these four individuals have act...
Baltimore, MD - June 5, 2025 - Multiple Maryland and Baltimore City agencies are responding to a 2,000-gallon fuel spill that began Wednesday in Harbor East, officials said. What happened? Officials said Johns Hopkins Hospital reported just after 11 a.m. Wednesday that its crews contained a 200-gallon diesel spill at its East Baltimore facility. About two hours later, Baltimore City fire received a 911 call about a diesel fuel spill in a Harbor East marina. Multiple agencies "stood up a coordinated response" an hour thereafter. Shortly before 7 p.m. Wednesday, Hopkins said the spill was uncontained and had reached 2,000 gallons. In a statement released Wednesday night, a Hopkins representative said: "Earlier today, during routine fuel delivery by a third-party vendor, two diesel tank...
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The IDF is preparing to issue over 50,000 draft notices to haredi yeshiva students as early as July, according to an official statement released Thursday evening by the Attorney General’s office. The statement came while a demonstration against the Attorney General and judiciary's interference in government policies is being held. The government is working on a draft law at present that will draft haredi young men in stages without resorting to punitive measures. The announcement followed a meeting held at the Attorney General's office, which included the head of the IDF’s Manpower Directorate, legal advisors, and military representatives. During the meeting, it was revealed that the IDF will soon present a comprehensive enforcement plan targeting haredi yeshiva stu...
A federal judge in Maryland is ordering the Trump Administration to reinstate hundreds of millions in AmeriCorps funding, and to bring back more than 700 workers who lost their job as result. In April the organization was directed to immediately cease operations because the federal government determined they "no longer effectuate agency priorities." The feds instructed Americorps to tell affected members they were being let go for "compelling personal circumstances due to the agency’s termination of the grant and program closure." As result roughly $396.5 million in funding for 1,031 AmeriCorps programs were halted, impacting 32,465 AmeriCorps participants. While the government first sought to transfer participants most impacted to other programs, those plans never came to fruiti...
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Baltimore, MD – June 5, 2025 - BJL wishes a hearty Mazel Tov to Michal and Shua Leff on the birth of Chaya Tova. Mazel Tov grandparents Aiton & Deborah Marizan and Sandi & Ira Leff.Mazel Tov to the  great-grandparents Rafi Marizan and Nancy Marizan and Mrs. Elaine Taragin. יה"ר שיזכו לגדל בנם ובתם לתורה, לחופה, ולמעשים טובים. אמן
Baltimore, MD – June 5, 2025 - BJL wishes a hearty Mazel Tov to Mr. and Mrs. Shaya and Aliza Abramson on the birth of twins — a son and a daughter יה"ר שיזכו לגדל בנם ובתם לתורה, לחופה, ולמעשים טובים. אמן
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Kia issued a recall of more than 80,000 top-selling vehicles. Kia America, Inc. has announced a recall affecting 82,281 vehicles due to a software error that may cause parking lights to flicker, potentially increasing the risk of a crash, according to a notice from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The recall affects the following model: (2025) K5 The issue stems from a malfunction in the Power-net Domain Controller (PDC), which results in the vehicles failing to meet the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 108 for "Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment." The NHTSA has identified the recall under the number 25V351000. Kia plans to address the problem by updating the PDC software, which can be done by a dealer or through an over-the...
Baltimore, MD – June 5, 2025 - BJL wishes a hearty Mazel Tov Shlomo and Ariella Chernitzky on the birth of a son.  Mazel Tov grandparents Mrs. Faigy Chernitzky and Rabbi and Mrs. Stephen and Ruth Baars יה"ר שיזכו לגדל בנם לתורה, לחופה, ולמעשים טובים. אמן!
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Baltimore, MD – June 5, 2025 - As a celebration for learning many daf of Gemora over the year, Yeshiva of Greater Washington’s seventh grade rebbi, Rabbi Binyamin Turoff, rewarded his class to a trip to Baltimore. Among their stops was STAR-K Kosher Certification. Rabbi Sholom Tendler’s shiur was well-received and included what goes into certifying various industrial settings – the background and process, as well as interesting stories.  To sweeten the deal, Rabbi Tendler treated the boys to two of the agency’s certified products, Rosendorff Bakery’s chocolate chip cookies and Pride of the Farm chocolate milk. Rabbi Turoff commented, “It was a very eye-opening experience for the boys, to learn about what it takes, behind-the-scenes, to make ...
Baltimore, MD – June 5, 2025 -  BJL wishes a hearty Mazel Tov to Eliezer & Meira Szajowitz on the birth of a son Mazel tov to grandparents Yaakov & Chani Szajowitz and Matt & Jody Walles. Mazel Tov to great-grandparents, Mr. & Mrs. Bill and Sue Berry and great grandmother Sara Szajowitz. יה"ר שיזכו לגדל בנם לתורה, לחופה, ולמעשים טובים. אמן!
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