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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Our Torah and Mesorah are being challenged. Liberal Jewish groups are gathering tens of thousands of votes for the upcoming WZO Congress American Election in order to advance their agenda in Israel and the Diaspora. It’s up to us to stop it.VOTE TODAY VOTE NOW
Every 5 years, The World Zionist Organization (WZO) holds an election to vote in the members of its Congress (the decision-making body of the WZO) and executive board members of the other national Israel organizations. This is a unique opportunity for the American Orthodox community to affect the culture and atmosphere of Eretz Yisroel.
152 delegates are voted in from the United States. These American delegates will be selected to:
Decide leadership positions in key national Israel organizations
Create policy th...
MONSEY (VINnews) — A stabbing occurred in Monsey on Tuesday afternoon, leaving one victim dead.
The stabbing took place inside the Finkelstein Library, located at 24 Chestnut St in Spring Valley.
According to reports, the victim was a non-Jewish female employee of the library.
After the attack, Jewish employees at the library held down the stabber until Ramapo police arrived and arrested the suspect.
The victim was treated on scene by Monsey Hatzolah and was later pronounced dead.
Police are investigating the motive behind the attack.
Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has reportedly spent more than $124 million in advertising across 14 states as he prepares a major push in states voting on Super Tuesday.
The Los Angeles Times reported Monday that the spending by the billionaire candidate has already eclipsed that of both his fellow Democratic primary contenders and President Trump.
Super Tuesday on March 3 is expected to be a decisive moment for the 2020 Democratic primary, as more than 1,300 of the 1,991 delegates required to win the Democratic nomination will be up for grabs that day.
Read more at The Hill.
President Trump on Tuesday suggested he may file lawsuits over the outcome of former special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation, saying its findings are “badly tainted.”
The president in a series of tweets also made multiple claims about Mueller and his investigation as he again lashed out over the trial of longtime associate Roger Stone, who is scheduled to be sentenced this week in a case stemming from the former special counsel’s probe.
“Everything having to do with this fraudulent investigation is badly tainted and, in my opinion, should be thrown out,” Trump tweeted.
“The whole deal was a total SCAM. If I wasn’t President, I’d be suing everyone all over the place,” he added. “BUT MAYBE I STILL WILL. WITCH HUNT!&r...
The head of the Chinese hospital at the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak has become one of the latest victims — dying Tuesday despite “all-out” attempts to save him, officials confirmed.
As director of Wuchang Hospital, Dr. Liu Zhiming led the fight to try to contain COVID-19, dedicating the hospital to treating the thousands of patients arriving every day.
Announcing his death, the Wuhan Municipal Health Commission said Liu had taken part in the battle against the virus from the start and had made “important contributions in the work of fighting and controlling” the virus.
Read more at NY POST.
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Democrats call for new probes surrounding sentencing of Roger Stone. Reaction from House Minority Whip Steve Scalise.
The YouTube channel of white nationalist Nick Fuentes has been banned for hate speech.
Fuentes leads the Groyper Army, a group of young far-right activists who want to push mainstream conservatism towards white nationalism. He has questioned the number of Jews who were killed in the Holocaust and believes that Israel has a malicious influence on US policy.
He announced that his YouTube show will continue next week on DLive, a live streaming website on blockchain.
Read more at JPOST.
Foreigners who recently traveled to countries in Asia where the coronavirus has spread will be barred from entering Israel, Interior Minister Aryeh Deri announced on Monday.
Deri said that guidelines by Israel’s Ministry of Health and general concerns about the possibility of an outbreak in Israel was behind the move, according to a report by i24 New.
The new restriction will come into force in the coming days and be for foreigners who have traveled within the last two weeks to Thailand, Macau, Hong Kong and Singapore.
Israel has already banned foreigners who recently visited China from entering the country.
Until now, no cases of coronavirus—officially now named severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, or SARS-CoV-2—have been reported in Israel, the report sa...
Defense Minister Naftali Bennett spoke on Tuesday morning with Ofer Hadad on Radio Yerushalayim about terrorism emanating from the Gaza Strip.
Bennett explained that Israel is operating on “two parallel paths” with respect to Gaza: The first level is “your actions determine your outcome.”
“The second path is to prepare another option, a painful spring for Hamas, but to prepare it properly,” he continued, noting that the end result of such a plan would be “sustainable quiet for southern residents and prevention of the enemy’s ability to grow stronger.” He refused to indicate whether the operation would include toppling Hamas.
Read more at Arutz Sheva.
Just a day after the National Planning and Building Council announced it approved a 3-mile tunnel quarrying plan for a new rail line that will lead from Yitzhak Navon Station to the Western Wall, Jordan condemns the plan and calls it "a blatant violation of international law."
According to the plan, the tunnel will be built 80 feet underground at Yitzhak Navon Station near the International Convention Center, leading up to a station named after US President Donald Trump near the Western Wall.
The announcement by the Israeli Ministry of Transport was condemned by the Jordanian authorities. Amman Foreign Ministry spokesman Daifallah Al Faiz urged the international community to "take on the responsibility to oppose Israel's illegal and illegitimate measures. This is a blatant violation...
Former Knesset Member Yehuda Glick told a radio interview on 103FM about his arrest earlier today during a tour of the Temple Mount.
"I did a really terrible crime, lucky there is no death penalty in Israel," Glick said sarcastically, noting that "according to the police, which is also what they told me during the interrogation, I went too slowly for their liking."
Glick laughed at the discriminatory attitude of the Israeli police towards religious Jews, saying that the police harassed them more than Muslims, tourists, and non-religious Jews.
"They told me the police officer told me to go fast and I made slow progress. I am accused of this," Glick claimed. "When I was released from detention, I was informed that within a few days, the region commander would make a decision whe...
It is with great sadness that Matzav.com reports the passing of Mr. Yerachmiel Shraga Feivel (Rocky) Zweig, z”l. He was 69.
Rocky, a native of Boro Park, Brooklyn, later lived in Flatbush.
He was a co-founder of the Neginah Orchestra, which was established in 1970.
Rocky dealt with a number of health challenges, most recently a lung condition. He passed away at the hospital while awaiting a donor for a transplant.
Rocky is survived by his son, R’ Kalman, his two daughters, Faigy Lieberman and Blimi Nakash, his brother and sister, and grandchildren.
The levayah took place today at 1:45 p.m. at Shomrei Hadas Chapes, located at 14th Avenue and 38th Street.
Yehi zichro boruch.
President Trump issued a spree of clemency decisions Tuesday for high-profile figures -- most notably commuting the sentence of former Democratic Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, who was convicted for attempting to sell Barack Obama's vacant Senate seat when he was elected president.
Trump confirmed to reporters that he's granted clemency for the ex-governor, calling his sentence "ridiculous."
“He’ll be able to go back home with his family after serving eight years in jail,” Trump said.
Trump also said he's granted clemency to financier Michael Milken, who pleaded guilty for violating U.S. securities laws.
Further, Trump confirmed he has pardoned former New York City Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik, who was sentenced on tax fraud charges ...
A newly-elected Irish parliamentarian recently claimed on Twitter that Israel’s foreign intelligence agency was responsible for UK Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn’s resounding defeat in the UK general elections last December, The Sunday Times reported.
Reada Cronin, 46, is a Sinn Fein representative from Kildare North in the Dail Eireann — the lower house the Orieachtas.
““Mossad. Interference. In. The. British. Election. Brits. Being. Led. By. The. Nose,” read one of her tweets.
“Mossad have involved themselves in dirty tricks in elections not too far away,” charged another.
Responding to one commenter who dismissed her view as conspiratorial, Cronin wrote, “When the Nazis come back, and they’re on the march, it’ll be Jerem...
History was made in Iceland as celebrants danced down the streets of Reykjavik on Feb. 16 to mark the first-ever completion and inauguration of a Sefer Torah on the European island, following a reception last Thursday at the home of the U.S. Ambassador to Iceland.
For more than 1,000 years of its recorded history up to just about two years ago, Iceland never hosted a full-time Jewish institutional presence. Aside from ad hoc shul that existed during World War II set up by Jews who were fleeing the Nazis, communal observances of Jewish life in this remote country have always been few and far between.
That all changed with the May 2018 arrival of Rabbi Avi and Mushky Feldman as emissaries of the global Chabad-Lubavitch movement. The couple established the island nation’s first perman...
Interior Minister Aryeh Deri (Shas) on Tuesday expressed hope that the center-left Blue and White party will split apart.
In an interview with 103 FM Radio, Deri said, “Not only will they not take two of our Knesset seats, I am convinced that our bloc will grow and then the other side, [Blue and White Chairman MK Benny] Gantz and his friends, will understand that there is no other option, they have to separate from [Blue and White leader MK Yair] Lapid and join us.”
The right-religious bloc is strong and stable, he emphasized. “I am convinced of it. I held long conversations with [Yamina Chairman, Defense Minister Naftali] Bennett on this issue. They understand that if the bloc is not strong and does not grow, then immediately following the elections we will have a gove...
President Donald Trump is expected to commute the sentence of former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, multiple senior level sources tell ABC News.
Among the causes that lead to Blagojevich's original conviction was the charge that he sought to exchange an appointment to former President Barack Obama's vacated U.S. Senate seat in exchange for campaign money.
Blagojevich, a Democrat, has been a resident of the Federal Correctional Institution, in Englewood -- near Littleton, Colorado -- since March 15, 2012, where he is known as Inmate No. 40892-424.
His date for expected release remains 2024, factoring in two years of credit for good behavior.
The disgraced governor rose to fame in part because of his penchant for sartorial flamboyance, larger-than-life persona and an ...
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In Shmos 21:35 we learn about a scenario regarding an ox that gores another person’s ox and the second animal dies. The gemara in Bava Kama 4a says that the owner of an eved knani who hurt somebody else, despite the fact that he is owned by a Jewish master, is not liable for the damage. The gemara gives two reasons for this. The first reason is that the owner of the eved is considered an anus (out of his control) since he cannot stop his eved that may want to do damage. Thi...
By all accounts, it was an unbelievable transformation.
What hours earlier had been a typical hotel ballroom in the heart of Yerushalayim had become a full-fledged bais medrash, the kol Torah bouncing vigorously off the walls. Chavrusas of all ages pulled out their seforim and mareh mekomos as preparation for the first of many shiurim of the long awaited 20th annual Agudah Yarchei Kallah got underway. Each morning begins with limud b'chavrusah as well as a hachanah shiur by Rabbi Shlomo Gottesman, helping participants prepare for the day to come.
A long-awaited hakdamah shiur was delivered by HaRav Asher Weiss, Av Beis Din, Darchei Hora’ah, who spoke extensively and without any notes on the concepts of tefila and avoda. Rav Weiss cited numerous sources in an in-depth discussio...