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 - July 15, 2019 - Did you recently attend an event in Baltimore and couldn’t leave simply because the music was great? Must have been the beautiful and energizing music from musician Benzion Bluming and singer Eli Atias. They have been transforming the music experience in Baltimore!
“Benzion & Eli - It’s the sound Baltimore has been waiting for!” Says J. Reches - videographer, after seeing numerous weddings where all participated in non-stop dancing. “No need to bring in music from N.Y. It’s the same sound right here”.
“When I saw Benzion and Eli on Lag BaOmer, I knew they are something special and that I wanted them for our Grand Siyum! They didn’t disappoint… The music was so beautiful and elevating, a...
I’ve been thinking about this for a long time. I cannot put off writing it any longer.
Although painful to acknowledge, I’ve concluded a number of highly-visible Jewish Members of Congress (M.O.C.) are responsible, in large part, for the alarming increase in anti-semitism being witnessed and experienced in the United States, today. I can do this … I’m Jewish. I’m an M.O.T. I’ve got the credentials.
Specifically, I lay blame on an identifiable subset of M.O.C. who are also: Jewish.
Schumer (D), Nadler (D), Schiff (D), FeinsteinI (D), Blumenthal (D), Wyden (D), Wasserman-Schultz (D), Raskin (D), Schakowsky (D), Sherman (D), Engle (D), and Cohen (D).
I blame them for behaving and speaking in ways that are so far out-of-touch with the thoughts, hopes, b...
BALTIMORE — While in town for a Baltimore Orioles game Tuesday evening, Gov. Larry Hogan addressed the current crime climate in Baltimore.
Hogan talked about what he said is working and what's not. He stressed the importance of a "strong partnership" on the city, state and federal level.
"It's the No. 1 issue facing the city. We have a lot of issues, but crime, violent crime in particular, is the No. 1 issue we have to address," Hogan said.
Previously, Hogan was critical of the last city and police administration for what he called a lack of urgency to develop a solid crime-fighting plan.
In June, Police Commissioner Michael Harrison announced his micro-zone plan, requiring officers to spend more time patrolling specific zones in the city. Hogan said he's hope...
Apparently he was there with his friends on a school trip; the tragic event occurred while he was sitting on a park bench.
Jerusalem - A 10-year-old Bedouin boy from the Arad region was killed Wednesday morning when a tree collapsed in a park near Kiryat Gat.
Police forces began investigating into the incident. Apparently the boy was there with his friends on a school trip when the tragic event occurred while he was sitting on a bench in the park.
“When we arrived at the place, we saw a large branch of a tree that collapsed on a bench on which a boy of about 10 was sitting. The boy was unconscious, without a pulse and without breathing, with a severe head injury. We performed medical procedures. His condition was critical, and within a short time we had to determine his t...
Norfolk:Mrs. Miriam Leah Schwartz is sitting Shiva with the Bauman Family at 242 Queens Way, Norfolk, VA, 23517 through Wednesday. Spring Valley:On Thursday, Friday, and Motzei Shabbos Mrs. Schwartz will sit Shiva with other family members at 183 McNamara Road, Spring Valley, NY, 10977.➡ Baltimore:On Sunday Mrs. Schwartz will be accepting nichumim in at 3400 Taney Rd, Baltimore, MDVisiting Hours in Baltimore will be 4-8pm. Mrs. Schwartz can be reached at 410-935-9959.
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.
Clifton, NJ - Norfolk’s tight knit Jewish community came together this morning to say a final farewell to a beloved member, paying their respects to Rabbi Reuven Bauman, z’l, whose body was found Sunday in the ocean waters off the southern Virginia coastline after a six day search that drew volunteers from hundreds of miles away.
Tears flowed freely at the B’nai Israel Congregation as Rabbi Bauman was eulogized by his father, Rabbi Mark Bauman, who thanked the many people involved in the search, saying that many had become like family members. Rabbi Bauman said that he is confident that when his son entered the water to save the struggling child and disappeared completely from sight, he was taken immediately to the heavens, his neshama kissed by Hashem, a method of...
Washington - President Donald Trump is requiring products “Made in America” to be made using more American components if they are to be used by the government.
Trump says American-made products used for government projects currently can contain 50 percent foreign components and still be considered American. He signed an executive order Monday boosting the percentage of American components to 75 percent.
The president signed the order during an annual White House “Made in America” showcase. Manufacturers from all 50 states were represented.
Trump says the administration is “heeding the wisdom” of the nation’s founders by “restoring our economic independence and reawakening our industrial might.”
Trump also discussed steps the adminis...
New York - A relay protection system that should have isolated a faulty distribution cable but didn’t led to the loss of power that darkened Manhattan for several hours.
Con Edison says a preliminary review of Saturday’s blackout shows that the relay system at a West 65th Street substation should have kept the problem from spreading.
Instead, the electrical fault was isolated at a transmission substation at West 49th Street.
The blackout resulting from the system’s failure affected thousands for about five hours along a 40-block stretch that included some of Manhattan’s busiest areas like Times Square and Rockefeller Center.
It also raised criticism of New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio because he was in Iowa for his presidential campaign at the time.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration came out strongly Monday against Facebook’s ambitious plan to create a new digital currency, as the Treasury chief warned it could be used for illicit activity such as money laundering, human trafficking and financing terrorism.
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin expressed “very serious concerns” about the currency proposed by the social network giant, to be called Libra. “This is indeed a national security issue,” Mnuchin told reporters at the White House.
His comments came a few days after President Donald Trump tweeted that Libra “will have little standing or dependability.”
Trump, fresh off a “social media summit” he led at the White House that gathered conservative critics of Big T...
Baltimore, MD - July 15, 2019 - Bilaam's prophecy is compared to Moshe Rabbeinu's. In this shiur we analyze the difference between Moshe Rabbeinu, the prophet of the Jewish people, and Bilaam, the prophet of the nations. A prophet is a representation of the people. A Jewish prophet is compassionate, and tries to prevent people from sin, as opposed to the prophet of the nations, who brings people to sin and is destructive. Moshe is a representation of the Jewish people, whose mission statement is the desire to go back to the days of Gan Eden. On the contrary, Bilaam is self-focused, and lives in a world of taking; he represents a people who live a life expelled from Gan Eden.
Click here to listen
Charedi radio station Kol Baramah, which was ordered to pay a court-ordered fine of 30,000 shekels to the feminist group Kolech early this morning, protested the fine by paying in 300,000 10-agorot coins.
The radio station was penalized for not giving play time to female singers.
“We loved the gimmick,” Kolech’s Facebook page says. “We didn’t really feel the insult. For some reason, we believe it was worth it to ensure that today there are wonderful women broadcasting on Kol Baramah Radio.”
Read more at Times of Israel.
Secular Israelis living in the northern town of Charish on Friday demonstrated opposite centers selling apartments, protesting the sale of apartments to charedim, Arutz Sheva reports.
Originally, some of the contractors intended Harish to be a charedi city, but not enough charedim bought into the projects. However, according to the site, several weeks ago, J. Handasa, which is building the Hadar Harish project, began selling dozens of apartments to Toldot Aharon chasidim. The project includes six buildings including a total of 120 apartments.
Yossi Mizrahi, a spokesperson for the secular demonstrators, told Kikar Shabbos that “the conflict is not against religious people or haredim. It is only against an extremist group which does not fit the character of the ci...
Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Monday urged House Democrats to support a resolution to condemn President Trump for tweeting that four minority Democratic congresswomen should “go back” to their countries.
“The House cannot allow the President’s characterization of immigrants to our country to stand. Our Republican colleagues must join us in condemning the President’s xenophobic tweets,” Pelosi wrote in a letter to House Democrats announcing a “forthcoming” resolution from Reps. Tom Malinowski (D-N.J.), who was born in Poland, Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), and other Democratic members who were born abroad.
“This weekend, the President went beyond his own low standards using disgraceful language about Members of Congress,” Pelosi added. “R...
Jerusalem - Israel’s prime minister has responded to the European Union’s efforts to salvage the Iran nuclear deal by comparing it to “European appeasement in the 1930s” of Nazi Germany.
Benjamin Netanyahu’s statement Monday came as European leaders are looking to deescalate tension in the Persian Gulf region. They’re calling on Iran to stick to the 2015 nuclear deal despite the pullout by the United States and its re-imposition of harsh economic sanctions.
Netanyahu charges that some leaders “won’t wake up until Iranian nuclear missiles fall on Europe.”
The prime minister has been an outspoken critic of the nuclear deal between Iran and world powers, and has accused Iran of trying to develop nuclear weapons.
Iran denies those accus...
Washington - Education Secretary Betsy DeVos said Monday that a movement to boycott Israel has become a “pernicious threat” on college campuses and is fueled by bias against Jews.
Speaking at a Justice Department summit on anti-Semitism, DeVos issued a scathing rebuke of the BDS movement, a campaign led by pro-Palestine activists calling for a boycott, divestment and sanctions of Israel over its treatment of Palestinians.
The movement has inspired activism at many U.S. universities but is often a source of tension, especially among students and professors who support Israel. DeVos said Monday that Israel has friends in the Education Department and that the BDS campaign is “one of the most pernicious threats” of anti-Semitism on college campuses.
“These bull...
Tel Aviv - Some 54 percent of tourists said that their views on Israel changed for the better after visiting the country, and 93 percent ranked their experience as good to excellent, according to the Israeli Ministry of Tourism’s 2018 Inbound Tourism Annual Report published Sunday.
A comprehensive survey carried out among some 15,000 tourists showed that Jerusalem was the most visited city with 77.5 percent of all tourists, followed by Tel Aviv with 67.4 percent, the Dead Sea with 48 percent and Tiberius with 36.2.
A vast majority of 93 percent of tourists ranked their visit as “good” to “excellent.”
Revenue from incoming tourism in 2018 is estimated at NIS 20.88 billion (approx. $5.8 billion), with the average expenditure per tourist in Israel estimated at...
BALTIMORE (WJZ) — Another heatwave across the Baltimore region means the heat index will reach over 100 degrees for the next several days.
Baltimore City Health Commissioner Dr. Letitia Dzirasa issued a Code Red Extreme Heat Alert for Tuesday through Sunday.
“Excessive heat is the leading weather-related killer in the United States. The effects of extreme heat are exacerbated in urban areas, especially when combined with high humidity and poor air quality,” said Commissioner of Health Dr. Letitia Dzirasa. “Extreme heat is particularly dangerous to young children, older adults, and those with chronic medical conditions. I encourage all residents to take the necessary steps to protect themselves as well as their families, neighbors, and pets.”
The Co...
For those who are interested in passing on any messages to Mrs. Bauman or any of the Bauman/Stern families, an email address has been created for this purpose: comfortforbaumanfamily@gmail.comUpdated as of July 15, 4:25 AM: The levayah will be held Monday morning, at B’nai Israel Congregation, 420 Spotswood Avenue, Norfolk, Virginia. It is currently scheduled for 10:30 a.m., but may be delayed. People may listen to the funeral on the phone at 712-770-4160, Access Code 271789#.
The levayah will then proceed to the airport for kevurah at the KAJ section of the King Solomon Memorial Park Cemetery 550 Dwasline Road, Clifton, NJ, Clifton, New Jersey, late afternoon/early evening.A notice will wil be posted on www.kajinc.org when time of kevuro is better know...
Baltimore, MD - July 12, 2019 - There are no words to describe the difficult situation in Norfolk that has touched the hearts of klal yisroel worldwide. Community Rav Rabbi Sender Haber, noted in his most recent update, "we are always hopeful, but al pi derech hateva this is a ‘recovery’ mission."As we continue to storm shaarei shomayim with our tefilos it is equally important to do what we can to help the family in their difficult financial situation. Norfolk's small but tight knit community is doing all that it can, but the Bauman family needs your help. Click on the graphic to take part in this tremendous mitzvah and may we all hear bsuros tovos.