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. All visitors should wear masks.Visiting until 6PM this evening, Dec. 5, thereafter until 9:30PMShiva 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)
Mincah/Maariv: 4:30PM
Bila Hamaves Lanetzach...
Elon Musk on Saturday evening said there is "definitely some risk" to his personal safety.
"Frankly," Musk said in a Twitter Spaces discussion, "the risk of something bad happening or literally even being shot is quite significant. I'm definitely not going to be doing any open air car parades, let me put it that way."
"It's not that hard to kill me if somebody wanted to, so hopefully they don't."
During his roughly two-hour discussion, Twitter's new owner spoke of his future plans for the company while emphasizing the importance of free speech.
"Throughout history," he adds, "free speech has been highly unusual, not common. So we have to fight really hard to keep that because it's such a rare thing and it's by no means something that's default. C...
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.
Chinese hackers have stolen tens of millions of dollars worth of US COVID relief benefits since 2020, the Secret Service said on Monday.
The Secret Service declined to provide any additional details but confirmed a report by NBC News that said the Chinese hacking team that is reportedly responsible is known within the security research community as APT41 or Winnti.
What is the hacker group APT41?
APT41 is a prolific cybercriminal group that had conducted a mix of government-backed cyber intrusions and financially motivated data breaches, according to experts.
Several members of the hacking group were indicted in 2019 and 2020 by the US Justice Department for spying on over 100 companies, including software development companies, telecommunications providers, ...
Baltimore, MD – Dec. 5, 2022 - BJL wishes a hearty Mazel Tov to Shulamis and Yosef Leder on the birth of a daughter.
Mazel tov to grandparents, Sarah and Louis Leder
יה"ר שיזכו לגדל בתם לתורה, לחופה, ולמעשים טובים. אמן!
Dear my brothers and sisters, Jewish people living in America,
We have to clear some things up.
I have recently been very vocal about antisemitism in America, and I have called for my brothers and sisters in America to come home, to come back to Israel.
To say that I received a lot of heat from American Jews is a laughable understatement. They have responded in one of a few ways.
Either they’ve said I am overreacting, and antisemitism in America isn’t really that bad.
To them I respond, according to the FBI, 60% of all religious hate crimes in America are targeting Jews. Does that sound safe to you?
Numbers don’t lie.
Another response I get is that Israel is so hard to live in and it’s no better in Israel than it is in America.
To them I respond, there has n...
Drivers in Maryland are getting a little relief at the gas pump during the holiday season. Gas prices have fallen in Baltimore by an average of 15.7 cents per gallon in the last week, according to an analysis by GasBuddy. The current cheapest gas station in Baltimore is priced at $2.96 per gallon, while the most expensive is $3.99 per gallon, according to GasBuddy.
According to AAA, prices have fallen 34 cents since this time last month and are approaching prices seen last year. At this time last year, the average cost of a gallon of gas in Maryland was $3.34 per gallon.
The national average has also fallen to 15.8 cents per gallon in the last week.
The head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy, Patrick De Haan, is expecting even further price reductions.
Residents of Maryland have an additional 24 months to obtain their REAL IDs, a document that will be necessary to board domestic flights and enter certain federal buildings, after the Department of Homeland Security on Monday extended the enforcement deadline to May 7, 2025.
Officials said the extension is needed, in part, because of lingering problems from COVID-19 that caused backlogs in state agencies charged with issuing driver’s licenses.
Precautions in many states included automatically extending expiration dates of driver’s licenses and identification cards, and shifting to appointment-only schedules.
In Maryland, 88 percent of licensed drivers and identification card holders — about 4.3 million residents — are REAL ID compliant, well above ...
A Jewish man and his son were shot at with a BB gun while leaving a kosher supermarket in Staten Island, New York City on Sunday afternoon.
The father and his 7-year old son were standing outside the Island Kosher grocery store when they were shot at by a passing Ford Mustang. The incident is being investigated by the NYPD’s Hate Crime Task Face, the New York Daily News reported.
The visibly Jewish father and son were outside the store at around 4:20 p.m. when the driver of the Mustang fired several pellets from his gun at them. One of the pellets grazed the boy’s ear and hit the father in the chest.
After firing at them, the Mustang fled west. According to police, it did not have any license plates.
The two victims received minor injuries and were treated at the ...
The United Torah Judaism party signed a coalition agreement with the Likud Monday morning, Israel Hayom reported, bringing Opposition Leader and Prime Minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu closer to completing the formation of a new government.
Negotiators for the two sides met for nearly 12 hours overnight in marathon talks to achieve a breakthrough, after negotiations hit an impasse last week.
With the new agreement, the Likud has secured the backing of four of its five right-wing allies, leaving only the haredi Shas party to sign an agreement.
Earlier Monday morning, the full coalition agreement between the Likud and the Religious Zionist Party was released, showing that MK Bezalel Smotrich will be appointed Interior Minister mid-way through the government’s term, aft...
Senior Israeli and Russian officials have been holding talks in recent days, Kan 11 News reported on Sunday.
According to the report, the purpose of the conversations was, among other things, to make sure that Israel would not interfere with the transfer of air defense measures that Russia is taking out of Syrian territory to the Ukrainian area.
Reshet Bet radio reported that a Russian official who is close to the Kremlin warned about a week ago that a Russian loss on the battlefield could lead to a wave of antisemitism against Jews. According to the report, the Russian official told an Israeli official, "The fact that Russia is losing the war in Ukraine will cause a search for scapegoats."
The same official added that the common denominator between Ukrainian President Vo...
Baltimore, MD – Dec. 5, 2022 - Baltimore Jewish Council’s Legislative Affairs Committee held its annual pre-General Assembly session breakfast meeting this morning.
Legislators including Delegates Jon Cardin, Dana Stein, Sandy Rosenberg and Senator Shelly Hettleman were in attendance and rolled out their legislative priorities. Community leaders, BJC Executive Director, Howard Libit, BJC President Elizabeth Green, Agudath Israel’s Rabbi Ariel Sadwin, Community advocate, Nathan Willner and others were in attendance as well.
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.
The levayah will take place today, Monday, December 5 at noon at Sol Levinson.
Kevurah in Eretz Yisrael.
Shiva to begin this evening: The Imperial - 6606 Park Heights Ave. Apt #115, Baltimore, MD , 21215 (Side Entrance Access off of Bnai Jacob Shaarei Zion Parking Lot)
Bila Hamaves Lanetzach...
How do we approach dangerous challenges? In this week's Torah portion, Yaakov Avinu returns to the Land of Israel and readies himself for a meeting with his brother Esav, who is also his enemy. Rashi tells us that Yaakov employs three tactics prior to this meeting: Yaakov prepares to give gifts, prepares to pray, and prepares for battle.
Gifts: He sends his brother a prodigious tribute of goats, sheep, camels, cattle, and donkeys in order to appease him. When confronting danger, first of all, we need to assume a pleasant, generous, and optimistic attitude in a wholehearted attempt to make peace.
Prayer: Yaakov Avinu knows physical self-exertion and tireless extra effort in this world are important, but not enough. We need to invest ourselves spiritually as well. Not everything ...
Monday, 5 December 2022 / 11 Kislev 5783 - President Isaac Herzog met today with the President of the United Arab Emirates HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan at his private home in Abu Dhabi.
At the start of their meeting, the President said: "It is a great honor and pleasure to be here, to be your guest, and to meet with you. The UAE is a major linchpin in the movement towards peace in the region. The Abraham Accords are a national consensus in the State of Israel, for all parties and for all factions of Israeli politics.
"After two years of the Abraham Accords, when we took off so beautifully, now we need to reach cruising altitude, meaning upgrading the relationship even further, strengthening it and bringing more nations on board with the Abraham Accords. Thank you ve...
Baltimore, MD – Dec. 4, 2022 - It is with regret that Baltimore Jewish Life (BJL) informs the community of the petira of Janet Forsythe, a’h, wife of Larry Forsythe, and mother of Lauren Montillo.
The levayah will take place at Levinson’s Monday, Dec. 5, 2022 @ 2:30PM
Kevurah will be held at Beth El Memorial Psrk
Shiva details to follow.
Bila Hamaves Lanetzach...