ספירת העומר : 26 - היום ששה ועשרים יום שהם שלשה שבועות וחמשה ימים לעומר
At Saturday evening's international rally in Hostages Square, a recorded message from Former United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was screened for attendees. In the message, Clinton said, "To all who are gathered, let me first express my deepest sympathy for the losses that have been suffered, and for those families who are still separated from their loved ones." "I know, having met family members of hostages, how deep the pain is, and I know that you will never stop advocating for the release of your loved ones, your family members, your friends, everyone who was kidnapped ...
The Toronto police hate crimes unit is investigating after a local synagogue was vandalized for the second time in four weeks, The Canadian Press reported. Rabbi Joe Kanofsky said windows and glass doors at the Kehillat Shaarei Torah Synagogue in the city’s north end were smashed in the early hours of Friday morning. Rabbi Kanofsky said the synagogue was a target of similar vandalism in late April, and no one was injured in either incident. He added that police responded quickly on Friday and collected surveillance video from the scene. Toronto police confirmed that officers responded to a call about property damage and said the hate crimes unit is investigating.
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Baltimore, MD - May 16, 2024  - On Wednesday, May 29th, Jewish Educational Services, an agency of The Associated will be hosting Celebrating Education: JES Educator Awards Ceremony and Annual Meeting.  This momentous event will take place at 7:00 pm at Congregation Shomrei Emunah, where we will pay tribute to not only our incredible awardees, including the 2024 Sam Kahan Distinguished Educator, but also to the 100+ educators who were nominated for awards, and we invite you to join us to celebrate ALL the teachers in our community who dedicate themselves to their students and to Jewish Education. Registration is still open - go to bit.ly/CelebratingEducation2024. This year, we invited community members to participate in our Educator Awards program by nominating outstanding educat...
Abu Obaydah, spokesman for Hamas' Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, responded with disdain to the IDF's recent recovery of the bodies of four hostages held in a tunnel in Jabaliya. On Friday, the IDF announced the recovery of the bodies of Yitzhak Gelernter, Shani Louk, and Amit Buskila. On Saturday, the IDF announced the recovery of a fourth body, that of Ron Benjamin. In a message on Telegram, Abu Obaydah claimed that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu "prefers that his soldiers be killed while they are searching for remains and bodies, instead of choosing a prisoner swap which does not serve his own personal and political interests." nless it includes ending the war in Gaza and allowing Hamas to continue its rule of the area. The terror group al...
IDF troops continue precise operations against terrorist operatives and infrastructure in eastern Rafah. During one of the encounters with terrorists in the area, IDF troops identified and eliminated an operative armed with an RPG in a compound adjacent to the troops. Additionally, the troops conducted targeted raids on terror targets and located weapons, explosive devices, missiles, and RPGs. During an additional activity, the troops located and destroyed a launcher inside a military compound in the area. In coordination with IDF ground troops, an IAF aircraft struck and eliminated a significant Islamic Jihad terrorist operative who was the Head of Logistics of the Rafah Brigade in the Islamic Jihad. He was responsible for preparing the terror organization for operations against IDF gr...
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Baltimore, MD - May 18, 2024  - The refloat and transit of the M/V Dali from its current location to a local marine terminal is slated for Monday morning (subject to change). Safety remains the Unified Command’s emphasis, as it has been during the execution of all tasks in the nearly eight weeks of salvage operations. The refloat and transit sequence is deliberately designed to ensure all response personnel around the M/V Dali maintain control of the vessel, from refloat, transit to, and berthing at a local marine terminal. Refloat: Optimum conditions call for the transit of the M/V Dali to commence at high tide, predicted to be Monday at 5:24 a.m. The vessel will be prepared at 2 a.m., allowing the M/V Dali to catch the peak high tide for a controlled tra...
It happens all the time that we hear about a specific store selling produce from Eretz Yisroel. Most of us stay away from that produce to avoid problems with Trumos and Maasros. Well not anymore! Rabbi Dovid Cohen - Administrative Rabbinical Coordinator at the cRc, walks us through the Mitzvah of separating Trumos and Maasros clearly and concisely.
IAF aircraft on Friday operated in the area of Majdal Anjar in Lebanon to eliminate terrorist Shurahbil Ali Alsayed, a senior commander of the Jamaa Islamiya terrorist organization. The IDF Spokesperson’s Unit said that Shurahbil promoted numerous terror attacks from Lebanon against Israel in the eastern arena recently, as well as in cooperation with Hamas' wing in Lebanon. “His elimination was carried out to degrade the capabilities of the terrorist organization to promote and carry out terror attacks that he planned recently and meant to execute in the immediate future against that State of Israel along the northern border,” it added. Earlier on Friday, IDF fighter jets operated in the area of Deir Seryan in Lebanon and struck a launcher used to fire l...
Parsha Hashavua
Pirkei Avos “What Can I Do?”

There is a long standing tradition of learning Pirkei Avos on Shabbas afternoons between Pesach and Shavuos.  Some attribute this custom to helping prepare for Matan Torah and others simply point to it as a way of making good use of the long extended Shabbos afternoons.  Regardless of the etiology, Pirkei Avos represents the most often cited Jewish literature outside of the five books of the Torah.  This is hardly a wonder.   Pirkei Avos contains some of the most profound and absolute truisms of Judaism - “Who is a wealthy person? Some one who is happy with what he has.  Who is a wise person? One who can foresee the consequences of his actions.”  And many more.  Simply put, Pirkei Avos contains some of Judaisms wisest insights.  Nevertheless, on the eve of beginning the first Perek, it seems appropriate to look at some of the apparent contradictions within Pirkei Avos, as the explanations for these seeming inconsistencies often teach us as much as original proverb.


It takes little time to uncover the first apparent conflict.  In the first Mishna we are taught that the “world stands on three things – On Torah, Avodah and G'milas Chasadim.”  There is hardly a 2nd grader in our day schools who has not heard this basic tenet.   Yet oddly, at the end of the first Perek, there is another Mishna which says “The world endures based on three things – On Din, Emes and Shalom.”  Well which is it? Does the world stand on Torah, Avodah and G'milas Chasadim or does it stand on Emes, Din and Shalom? Dozens of Mepharshim address this seeming conflict.  Virtually all of them explain that in the first Mishna, the word used is “Omed”- to stand whereas the last Mishna uses the word “Kayam” – to endure.  They explain that in order for the world to “stand” it needs Torah, Avodah and G'milas Chaasadim but absent those pillars the world can still exist or endure if it has Emes, Din ans Shalom.


A nice P'shat to be sure but has the world EVER had Shalom? Ever since Kayin killed his brother Hevel the world has seemingly been in eternal conflict.  Whether it was the four kings fighting the five kings, Sarah and Hagar, Yitzchok and Yishmael, Esav and Yaakov, Ginghas Khan, Hitler, Napolean, Sadaam Hussein, Nevuchadnesser or Putin and Xi, the world has always had its despots determined to use their might to conquer or subjugate their neighbors.  Where is the Shalom?  Din?  We now let criminals roam freely and dismiss them from prison – in fact, we often prosecute the victims for exercising the eternal recognized defense of defending oneself.  Where is the Din?  Emes?  The one absolute scientific FACT which no one argued was that there were two genders.  Now people who actually call themselves doctors or scientists dispute this absolute fact.  We don't have Emes anymore either.  So exactly on what is the world enduring?


It seems to me there is another possible and necessary explanation to these opposing Mishnayos.  Regrettably, there is little any one of us can do to enforce world peace.  We don't have tanks or diplomats or much to bring to bare with which could use as either a bargaining chip or a deterrent.  Similarly, there is little any one of us can do to effectuate change of the declining morals which have led to our courts forgetting their role in the Sheva Mitzvos B'nei Noach.  And fighting the exportation of poison falsehoods which come out of Hollywood and San Francisco is also seemingly more than any of us can do beyond simply resisting.  These global issues are just that – global.  No one of us can do much on these Macro world events.  But Torah Avodah and G'milas Chasadim are not Macro issues.  In fact, they are much more Micro.  Each of us can learn Torah.  Each of us can daven and do the mitzvos of Hashem and each of us can do Chesed.  It actually seems that the first Mishna is more practical whereas the later Mishna is more removed from our hands.


It is clear that we cannot depend on the world to accede to Hashem's will.  Hopefully through the individual actions of each member of Klal Yisroel we can “hold up” our end of the bargain and maintain it until the arrival of Moshiach.

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Maryland added 7,800 total jobs in the month of April, according to the Department of Labor. The new data reported by the Maryland Department of Labor reveals there was 4,800 jobs in private sector industries and big gains in expanding sectors such as Professional, Scientific and Technical services. The monthly jobs data released by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics today also showed that job growth in March was healthier than initially reported, with a revision to last month’s estimates that added 500 total jobs, officials said in a recent release. April’s report is the first to fully incorporate jobs data after the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, which disrupted operations at the Port of Baltimore, impacting hundreds of businesses an...
The punishment does not fit the crime. That's essentially Marilyn Mosby's defense in an attempt to keep her $1 million home in Long Boat Key, Florida from being seized by the federal government. The former Baltimore City State's Attorney was found guilty in separate trials of two counts of perjury and a single count of mortgage fraud. Prosecutors successfully argued that Mosby withdrew $90,000 from her city Deferred Compensation Plan under false pretenses in order to buy two vacation homes in Florida. She also lied on the home mortgage applications. Mosby claimed she withdrew the money due to financial hardships during the COVID-19 pandemic, despite receiving her full salary during that period plus a $9,000 raise. One driving factor leading to conviction was Mosby&...
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Several House Democrats on Thursday voted in favor of a Republican bill rebuking President Joe Biden for withholding offensive aid from Israel, Fox News reported. The Israel Security Assistance Support Act condemns the President’s posture on Israel’s military action in Gaza while compelling the Biden administration to expeditiously send any weapons shipments already approved by Congress. It passed in a 224 to 187 vote, with 16 Democrats joining 208 Republicans in advancing the bill. Democrats who supported it include Reps. Tom Suozzi (D-NY); Darren Soto (D-F); Ritchie Torres (D-NY); Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D-WA).; and Henry Cuellar (D-TX). Three Republicans also voted against the bill: – Reps. Warren Davidson (R-OH); Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA); and Thomas...
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The International Court of Justice (ICJ) on Friday continued the hearing begun Thursday, hearing Israel's counter-arguments detailing why the State of Israel is not, in fact, guilty of genocide, as South Africa has claimed. South Africa is now demanding that the ICJ order a ceasefire in Gaza. Tamar Kaplan-Tourgeman, one of Israel’s legal team, noted that "Israel takes extraordinary measures in order to minimize the harm to civilians in Gaza." Dr. Gilad Noam, Deputy Attorney General (International Law) at the Justice Ministry, began by stating that the claims made by South Africa are completely unconnected from the reality of what is happening on the ground. He also noted that Hamas is not a party to the 1948 Genocide Convention, and therefore an order for Israel to end ...
Baltimore, MD - May 17, 2024  - They are inside the ship that's been plastered on television screens across the globe for weeks on end. But none of us have seen or heard from them. As massive cranes lifted pieces of the Key Bridge out of the Patapsco River around them, as divers searched the debris-filled waters for bodies below them, and even as explosive charges detonated, breaking apart millions of pounds of steel right above them, the 21-man crew has remained on board the Dali. Their only face-to-face interactions have been with investigators and salvage crews. "I've been communicating with them via WhatsApp about weekly. The last time I was in touch with them was this morning," Reverend Messick, port chaplain and Executive Director for Baltimore International Seafare...
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IDF Spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari confirmed in a statement on Friday that IDF forces recovered the bodies of three hostages from the Gaza Strip. The bodies are of Shani Louk, Amit Bouskila, and Itzik Gelernter.
Baltimore, MD – May 17, 2024 - As BJL reported here, yesterday morning, a BZD member reported antisemitic graffiti at Northern Parkway and Roland Ave—the second incident at this location. BZD immediately collaborated with Councilman Isaac Yitzy Schleifer’s office to address this. The Jewish community should never have to face such hate and falsehoods. Thanks to the swift actions of BZD dedicated members, Councilman Schleifer’s office, and city officials, the graffiti was removed this morning.
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Baltimore, MD - May 17, 2024  -  (WBALTV) Former mayor Sheila Dixon has formally conceded the race for Baltimore Mayor to Brandon Scott in a statement released on Friday. In a statement, Dixon said: "I have called Mayor Brandon Scott to congratulate him on his victory in the mayoral primary. His success leading our city is success for us all, so I sincerely wish him all the best in his second term." "While this isn't the outcome we hoped for, I'm profoundly grateful to God and to each and every one of the Baltimoreans who stood with me in this race. I am thankful for the long-time supporters who put their trust in me once again, and the new supporters who joined the diverse coalition that powered our campaign. Serving as your candidate has truly been one of the greate...
Content Creator Nas Daily Teams Up With Jerusalem-Based Educational Institution To Share Jewish Wisdom With the World Jerusalem, Israel - May 17, 2024  - Over Pesach in the Old City of Jerusalem, Israeli-Palestinian content creator, known the world over for his prominence in creating engaging videos for social media, Nuseir Yassin, known by his social media handle as Nas Daily, walked into the Dan Family Aish World Center and sat down to have a four-hour conversation with a rabbi, senior Aish educator, Rabbi Dov Ber Cohen.  Dov Ber, who is an accomplished author, had just cut short a family vacation in Tiberias, to have the conversation with Nuseir. The result is the newest video from Nuseir, whose various social media platforms have upwards of 60 million followers from ar...
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