During the Second Temple, the Greek empire reigned (over Israel),1 and they (the Greeks) passed decrees against the Jews and (tried) to erase their religion, and did not allow them to carry out Torah (study) or the commandments. They put their hands on their property and their daughters. They entered the Temple, destroyed and made the pure unclean. The Jews were in great distress because of them and were much oppressed, until the G-d of their fathers had mercy on them, delivering them from their hands and saving them. Then overcame, the sons of the Hasmonean High Priest, (the Greeks) and killed them and saved the Jews from their hands. They appointed a king from the Priests, and the kingdom of Israel was restored for more than 200 years until the destruction of (the) second (Temple). When the Jews overcame their enemies and destroyed them, it was the 25th of Kislev2 when they entered the Sanctuary (inner room) and did not find pure (olive) oil in the Temple, except one jar sealed with seal of the High Priest, and it did not contain enough to light except for one day only. But they lit from it the lamps of the Menorah3 for eight days, until they could crush olives and produce a (new quantity) of pure oil. For these reasons, decreed the Sages of that generation that these eight days that begin on the 25th Kislev, will be days of joy and praise. One lights on them lamps at evening at the entrance to the houses, every evening of the eight nights to show off and demonstrate the miracle. These days are called ''Hanukah'' that is to say ''they rested'' (chanu) on the ''25'' ('th of the month) because on the 25th they rested from their enemies. and also because of those days they (re)-dedicated the house (Temple) which their foes had defiled. Also some say that it is a commandment to increase slightly the festive meals on Hanukah. Another reason is because the work of (building) the Sanctuary (in the desert) was completed in these days. One should tell one's children the story of the miracles that were done for our fore-fathers in those days, (see Josephus) However, these meals are not considered as part of the commandment unless one says at the meal songs of praise. One should increase charity in these Hanukah days, for this can help mend any defects in our souls. This charity, should be given particularly to poor Torah scholars. (KSA 139:1)
1) 352 BCE until 70 CE
2) 139 BCE
3) The Menorah was made of gold and had seven branches.
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Baltimore, MD – Dec. 2, 2022 - It is with regret that Baltimore Jewish Life (BJL) informs the community of the petira of Mr. Avraham Dov Wolfish z’l, father of Chaim (Shani) Wolfish.Shiva through Wednesday morning, Dec. 7, is being observed at 3108 Hatton Rd, Baltimore, MD, 21208 Minyanim Monday through Wednesday AM 6:45am Shacharis
Mincha/Maariv 4:30pm
Bila Hamaves Lanetzach...
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Baltimore, MD - Dec. 1, 2022 - Amudim is well known throughout Baltimore, having helped over 230 families with issues including domestic violence, drug and alcohol abuse, child abuse and therapy referrals since first opening its doors in 2015.
Amudim CEO Zvi Gluck spoke about the different components of abuse, addiction and mental health. He noted that while Amudim may be New York-based, it helped many families from the Baltimore community in the past eight years with an operating cost for case service management of $375,000 an amount which does not include therapy subsidies. “Unfortunately, there is no community today that is immune to these terrible problems and we are continuing to do all that we can to change lives and build futures,” said Gluck. “We want to le...
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Baltimore, MD – Dec. 4, 2022 - It is with regret that Baltimore Jewish Life (BJL) informs the community of the petira of Shaina Devorah Kuritsky, a’h, daughter of Rabbi Dovid Kuritsky and Mrs. Chana Kuritsky, sister of Chana Esther Kleinman, Yaakov Kuritsky, Chashy Kuritsky, Avrohom Dovid Fried, Yechiel Kuritsky, Zecharia Kuritsky, and Elchonon Kuritsky.
Shiva will be observed through Friday afternoon at 3923 Clarinth Road, Baltimore, MD , 21215.
Minyanim:
Shacharis: 7:00AM
Mincha/Maariv: 4:25PM
Bila Hamaves Lanetzach...
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Baltimore, MD – Dec. 1, 2022 - It is with regret that Baltimore Jewish Life (BJL) informs the community of the petira of Sol Mogilensky, z’l, brother of Marsha (Avi) Grant and Judah (Lynne) Mogilensky.
The Kevurah will take place in Eretz HaChaim cemetery in Beit Shemesh on Sunday.
Shiva will be observed through Shacharis Sunday, Dec. 11 at 1902 Rookwood Rd., Silver Spring, MD, 20910. (Best parking is in the extra parking lot for Sniders’s grocery store.). All visitors should wear masks.Shiva following Shacharis until 12noon; 1:00-6:00p, then from 7:00-9:30p (Friday until 1:00PM)Shacharis: Tues/Wed/Fri: 7:00AM Motzaei Shabbos: Visiting 7Pm-10PMShacharis Thurs: 6:50AM (Sunday: 8:00AM)
Mincha/Maariv: 4:30PM
Bila Hamaves Lanetzach...
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Baltimore, MD – Dec. 5, 2022 - It is with regret that Baltimore Jewish Life (BJL) informs the community of the petira of Eva Youlus, a’h, mother of Menachem Youlus, Adinah Kutoff, and Tamar Englander and sister of Rabbi Avrom Landesman.
Shiva is being observed through Tuesday, Dec. 13, at The Imperial - 6606 Park Heights Ave. Apt #115, Baltimore, MD , 21215 (Side Entrance Access off of Bnai Jacob Shaarei Zion Parking Lot)Tuesday & Wednesday: Shiva visits from 9 AM until 10 PM with a break for lunch 12 to 12:30 & for dinner 5:30 to 6.Shacharis: Thursday/Fri/Mon- 7:00AM. Mincha/Maariv: Thursday/Sun/Mon - 4:30PM (Erev Shabbos: 2:00PM)Maariv Motzaei Shabbos-TBA
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.
As previously reported here, Baltimore native Chaya Fried (nee Kronglas) and her husband, Dov, have been actively advocating to protect the Snipiskes Cemetery of Vilna, where 50,000 orthodox Jews were buried between the 1400s and 1831, including the Vilna Gaon. Their battle was against efforts to turn the cemetery into a source of business revenue for the local non-Jewish community, which would desecrate the graves and violate Jewish law.The efforts against the cemetery were contrary to myriad of American legislation and agreements, including a signed agreement between the U.S. and Lithuanian governments in 2002 that would provide protection for the cemetery, and the 2014 U.S. Protection of Cemeteries Act that mandates the protection of cemeteries abroad, like the Jewish cemetery in Vilna,...
Congress is poised to use the annual defense policy bill to eliminate the Pentagon’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate — a major concession by President Biden’s Democratic allies that helps clear the way to passing the sweeping package before year’s end.
In a compromise with Republicans, House Democrats are allowing language into the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that repeals the coronavirus vaccine mandate for U.S. service members a year after it was enacted, House Armed Services Committee ranking member Mike Rogers (R-Ala.) confirmed to The Hill Tuesday.
The bill, which lays out how an $847 billion Defense Department top line will be allocated in fiscal 2023, is tentatively set to be released as early as Tuesday evening a...
Sen. Raphael Warnock defeats Herschel Walker in heated Georgia runoff, handing Democrats 51 seats
A New York jury on Tuesday found the Trump Organization guilty of tax fraud following a more than monthlong trial.
Jurors began deliberating on Monday and returned the guilty verdict on Tuesday afternoon, according to The Associated Press.
New York-based Center for Jewish History launching the DNA Reunion Project
DNA testing is helping Holocaust survivors locate long-lost loved ones.
The New York-based Center for Jewish History is launching the DNA Reunion Project, which offers free DNA kits to Jews who endured the Nazi genocide and have been searching for family members they haven't seen since World War II.
"DNA can be a miraculous tool for making connections between people when the paper trail is severed and our (Jewish) community is particularly affected by that and we put our heads together and said 'this is a technology that should be used more widely by this community because it can do miraculous things,'" Jennifer Mendelsohn, a co-founder of the project alongside Dr. Adina Newman, told i24NEWS...
A granddaughter was born to Rabbi Mordechai Sternberg, ZT'L, the Rosh HaYeshiva Yehsuivat Har Hamor, who was niftar yesterday at the age of 74, on the day of his funeral Tuesday.
The child was born to Ephraim and Emuna Shachor, Rabbi's Sternberg's son-in-law and daughter.
During the levayah, Rabbi Avichai Sternberg, son of Rabbi Mordechai Sternberg, gave a eulogy: "There is no substitute for a father. We were lucky to have a father and more than that - we are lucky to have a father. He was a father who was so present in the lives of his children, a grandfather who was present in the lives of his grandchildren - and that presence was not only expressed in the practical contexts - but in a personality that was present and found in each of the children and grandchildren. We w...
Former President Donald Trump's fired National Security Adviser John Bolton said during a televised interview Sunday he "is prepared to get into the race" for president in 2024 to stop his former boss.
"I think to be a presidential candidate you can't simply say I support the Constitution; you have to say I would oppose people who would undercut it," Bolton told NBC News' "Meet the Press" on Sunday. "We used to have a thing in the House of Representatives called the House Un-American Affairs Committee. I think when you challenge the Constitution itself the way Trump himself has done, that is un-American. I'm prepared to get in the race."
Bolton, who served as one of Trump's national security advisers from 2018-19 before being fired, was reacting to a Tr...
Boston, Massachusetts city councilors recently voted to allow residents age 16 and 17 to vote in municipal elections, WBUR reports.
Councilors voted 9-4 to pass a petition calling to lower the voting age for municipal elections, provided they meet the other preexisting criteria for casting a ballot.
"We have a lot of young people who are working — oftentimes two jobs — just to help support their families, paying taxes, and on the frontlines protesting and trying to find ways to have their voices heard. And every day we make decisions on their behalf," said Councilor Julia Mejia, one of the petition's co-sponsors.
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu will make the next move on the issue when the docket reaches her desk. If passed, it would move onto the state Legislature, ...
Baltimore, MD - Dec. 6, 2022 - More Israeli produce being sold in our markets! Citrus fruits that grew during Shemita are now being sold in Costco and other stores. Buyer beware.
The CEO of the American Jewish Committee, Ted Deutch, will joint a White House roundtable on combating antisemitism along with other heads of US Jewish organizations.
Deutch applauded the Biden administration for hosting the summit, which will take place on December 7.
AJC said in a statement that it has long called for such a meeting with antisemitism and other hate crimes in the US dramatically increasing in recent years.
“Antisemitism is not a problem for the Jewish community alone. Venomous hate targeting Jews threatens American society, indeed our democracy,” Deutch said. “By convening this important roundtable, the Biden administration has demonstrated that it recognizes the severity of the problem and is committed to taking additional steps, in partnership with ...
The House select committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol plans to recommend that the Justice Department make criminal charges tied to the assault, according to panel Chairman Bennie Thompson (D., Miss.).
Mr. Thompson, speaking to reporters at the Capitol on Tuesday, said a formal decision hadn’t yet been made, and that the committee hadn’t decided on a range of details surrounding the referral, including whom it planned to refer and whether the referrals would include former President Donald Trump.
“We’ve not made a decision as to who, but we have made decisions that criminal referrals will happen,” he said.
The Jan. 6 committee met Friday to discuss the matter and review recommendations made by ...
Gov. Larry Hogan issued an emergency cybersecurity directive to prohibit the use of certain Chinese and Russian-influenced products and platforms, including the popular social media site TikTok.
According to a release, it states that these entities present an unacceptable level of cybersecurity risk to the state, and may be involved in activities such as cyber-espionage, surveillance of government entities, and inappropriate collection of sensitive personal information.Hogan added the following statement:
"There may be no greater threat to our personal safety and our national security than the cyber vulnerabilities that support our daily lives," said Hogan. "As the cyber capital of America, Maryland has taken bold and decisive actions to prepare for and address cybersecurity threats. To ...
Jerusalem, Israel - Dec. 6, 2022 - Winter is here, with much shorter cold days with less sunlight. Feeling the winter blues and feeling forgetful?
Memory expert Rena Yudkowsky of Memory Matters has provided BJL with tips to incorporate into your daily routine to improve how your brain works, and help short-term memory.
Meditate to Clear Your Thoughts
Your brain never stops, even when you are asleep. So, finding ways to help your brain to relax is crucial. Meditation can do that for your brain. The common advice is to clear your thoughts, but that might not be helpful. Better advice is to observe your thoughts and let them pass by. Focusing on the tefillah when you daven is good for your health!
Get More and Better Sleep
Sleep is ...
The U.N. Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Tor Wennesland, tweeted that he was "horrified" that a Palestinian terrorist was killed in what he called a "scuffle" with Israeli border police and sent "heartfelt condolences to his bereaved family."
The terrorist, armed with a knife, had tried to break into a civilian vehicle and was repelled by the occupant. He then attacked a police patrol, stabbing one officer in the face. Joined by several other assailants, he then attempted to snatch an officer's firearm, at which point he was shot.
Responding to Wennesland’s comments, Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz said, "I fully condemn the attempts to present the incident in a false and manipulative manner, and the statement by the U.N. envoy to th...