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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Waiting for Moshiach
At 2:25 on Erev Shabbos, the angels were crying. How do I know? Be...
If there is one prayer that resonates in the heart of every Jew, it is Kol Nidrei. The very tune is haunting yet enchanting, saddening yet uplifting. Yet, when one looks at the words – they seem to be anything but inspirational. Kol Nidrei is a form of Hataras Nedorim, revocation of vows. We begin the holiest day of the year by releasing ourselves from the vows of the past and proactively annulling the vows of the future. On a legal level this is very important as violating one’s vow is considered a severe transgression. We do whatever we can to repent and absolve ourselves of sin as we enter this sacred day. And still, we find ourselves confounded by a basic question: Of all the beautiful prayers we have in our liturgy, why begin the holiest day of the year with revocation of ...
Baltimore, MD - Sept. 30, 2022 - Our past sins need not be seen as devilish and fundamentally dirty, as the proverbially demons which we foreverchase. To the contrary, authentic teshuvah is an art of reframing, recasting uncomfortable failure as a welcome opportunity for personal growth. We do not castigate any aspects of ourselves, but rather redirect wayward passions of the past in new positive directions. All aspects of self are essentially beautiful, and able to find healthy, holy expression.
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Baltimore, MD - Sept. 30, 2022 - Looking for an inspiring place for Yom Kippur? Join us at the Delta Hunt Valley.Chazzanim and Dynamic Speakers include:R’ Chaim KatzRabbi Yonah SklareR’ Yossi SonnenblickRabbi Shalom WeingotSpecial room cost: $99 per roomCall for details (leave a message) – 443-660-9132
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With the onset of the new year, another shemittah year has concluded. Now that the year is over, the mitzvos regarding shemittah, for the most part, cease as well. Prohibitions regarding produce that grew in the shemittah year and maintain shemittah status still apply. The procurement of the post-shemittah esrog, therefore, takes on a different form depending on where you shop. In the absence of a pruzbul, as well, one is forbidden to collect a loan after shemittah has concluded. But these laws ultimately tie back to the actual shemittah year itself. However, there is one mitzvah connected to shemittah that still remains, although it is not in practice today - the mitzvah of hakhei...
It is my personal belief that everyone is entitled to their favorite Dad Joke. My personal favorite goes like this: I was trying to figure out why the ball was getting bigger and bigger. Then it hit me.
Whether you heard this one before or not, there is a tremendous lesson to be learned from this joke. According to the laws of physics, the closer something is to you, the bigger it appears. The same is true when it comes to the laws of spirituality; the closer something is to you, the bigger it appears.
The High Holiday season – starting with Elul and culminating with Yom Kippur – is a time when our Sages tell us that we are extremely close to Hashem. We daven more during these times, we think more during these times, we conduct ourselves with more spiritual sensit...
During the aseres yemei teshuvah is certainly when we should contemplate…
A Place to Pray
At the beginning of parshas Vayeitzei, the Torah teaches that Yaakov reached “the place,” vayifga bamakom, and he stopped there, because the sun had already set (see Rashi). The Gemara explains the word vayifga to mean he prayed. As Rashi notes, the word bamakom means that he stopped at a specific place, yet the Torah does not identify which place. Chazal explain that he stopped at the place where the akeidah of his father had occurred, which is the place from which Adam Harishon was created and the location of the mizbei’ach of the Beis Hamikdash, toward which we daven three times daily.
To quote the Rambam: “The location of the mizbei’ach is very e...
Washington, DC - Sept. 30, 2022 - Delegate Dalya Attar joins a Rosh Hashana celebration at the White House with President Joe Biden, First Lady Dr. Jill Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, and her husband Douglas Emhoff!
This is the first Jewish High Holiday celebration at the White House.
Gale warnings and watches, along with coastal flood watches, are posted for the Chesapeake Bay and Potomac River, which has spurred statewide preparations in Maryland as the remnants of Hurricane Ian move up the mid-Atlantic.
“We have been preparing on all fronts to deal with the remnants of the storm,” Gov. Larry Hogan said in a statement Friday. “As we always emphasize with potential flooding events, it is critical for drivers to avoid rising waters — ‘turn around, don’t drown.’ We advise Marylanders to watch the forecast closely throughout the weekend and heed local warnings.”
According to the National Weather Service, steady rain is possible late Friday through Monday, accompanied by strong wind gusts. Beginning this afternoo...
Members of the Rabbinical Congress for Peace (RCP) “Pikuach Nefesh” expressed shock and disbelief at Yair Lapid’s recent speech at the United Nations, in which he promoted the concept of “Two states for two peoples.”
“How blind and naïve can a person be to try to revive this idea, which has already caused so much suffering and disasters in Israel? After the plan has been almost forgotten, thank God, Lapid has to foolishly and irresponsibly raise it again at the UN, practically begging them to renew international pressure and sanctions against Israel,” the rabbis of the Congress wrote in a letter to Knesset members this week.
“Does anyone doubt what is about to happen as a result? International pressure, terrorist attacks carried out wi...
The White House will announce new sanctions on Russia on Friday over its annexation of four breakaway regions in Ukraine.
The additional sanctions were confirmed by a White House official, NBC News reported.
Earlier on Friday, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that leaders of the four regions had signed agreements in Moscow to become part of Russia.
"In the people's republics of Donetsk and Lugansk and in the regions of Lugansk and Donetsk there were referendums. Their results are known and show an unequivocal choice. Today we sign the agreement to accept them into the Russian Federation. This is the wish of more than a million people. This is their right that cannot be taken away, written in the UN constitution,” Putin said during a Kremlin speec...
'Any inhumane regimes pose a threat to all humanity,' Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visited the Babyn Yar Holocaust Memorial in his country's capital on Thursday to observe the 81st anniversary of the massacre.
The site commemorates the slaughter of Jews in a ravine near Kyiv by the Nazis and their collaborators on Yom Kippur and the day after in 1941.
Zelensky, who is Jewish, laid flowers and a memorial lamp next to the menorah in honor of the victims.
"Any inhumane regimes pose a threat to all humanity. Criminals who cause such tragedies must be punished so that dictators and tyrants are reluctant to repeat something similar in the future," Zelensky stated.
Israeli security forces decided to suspend visits by Jews to Kever Yoseif HaTzadik in the Palestinian city of Nablus indefinitely due to the worsening security situation in the West Bank.
Kever Yoseif HaTzadik is located in Area A of the West Bank, officially under complete control of the West Bank's Palestinian Authority (PA), although the Israeli army conducts operations there. Israeli security services prohibit Israeli citizens from entering Area A without prior permission.
The religious site is revered as the final resting place of the biblical Yoseif HaTzadik, and Orthodox Jews' trips occur on at least a monthly basis.
Israelis' visits to Kever Yoseif HaTzadik almost always trigger violent clashes with Palestinians.
State television said police arrested many 'rioters,' without giving figures
A human rights organization said Thursday that at least 83 people were killed in nearly two weeks as protests continue across several cities in Iran.
Mahsa Amini, 22, from the Iranian Kurdish town of Saqez, was arrested this month in Tehran for "unsuitable attire" by the morality police that enforces the Islamic Republic's strict dress code for women.
Her death sparked the first big show of opposition on Iran's streets since authorities crushed protests against a rise in gasoline prices in 2019.
"At least 83 people including children, are confirmed to have been killed in (the) #IranProtests," Iran Human Rights, a Norway-based group, said on Twitter.
Israel expects increased immigration following Russia's announcement of the mobilization of reserve troops
Israel’s Finance Minister Avigdor Liberman and Aliyah and Absorption Minister Pnina Tamano-Shata are expected to present the cabinet on Sunday with a plan costing roughly $25 million, which will be granted unconditionally, for the reception of Russians entitled to immigrate to Israel under the Law of Return.
Following Russia's announcement of the mobilization of reserve troops last week for the war in Ukraine, Israel expects an increase in immigration, with an estimated 4,500 Jews arriving in the Jewish state from Moscow over the next three months.
Israel's Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Friday: "An Israeli citizen who also...
'This is the best solution. No one wants a sixth election, but Netanyahu refuses to step aside'
Senior Likud members are considering removing party leader Benjamin Netanyahu if he fails to win a majority in the next election, saying it is the only way to avoid a sixth election in less than four years.
Officials previously said that Netanyahu would be offered almost complete control of the party but would not be part of the government, allowing the Likud to form a center-right coalition government with parties that currently refuse to sit with the former prime minister.
Most recent polls predict a political deadlock in the November vote, leading Likud officials to prepare for Netanyahu's bloc to fail to reach the 61-seat majority needed to form a governme...
Top lawyers representing a half-dozen Republican-led states sued the Biden administration in federal court Thursday over its student loan forgiveness plan, seeking to block its expected implementation next month.
The states — Nebraska, Missouri, Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas and South Carolina — jointly filed a 36-page complaint in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri, the second legal challenge this week against President Joe Biden's debt cancellation plan.
Their lawsuit echoes some of the arguments made in a complaint filed Tuesday in Indiana by a lawyer who works for a conservative-learning law firm.
Attorneys general or solicitors general from the six states argued in the suit that the president's plan violat...