Discover the events that led up to the destruction of the Holy Temple and its aftermath. Join us for a three part lecture series beginning this Thursday, July 24th at 8:00 P.M.
RAJE Lectureres will include Rabbi Reuven Ibragimov, senior lecturer Rabbi Aryeh Katzin, and Rabbi Dovid Goldshteyn. RAJEusa.com
“A Holocaust-denying historian appeared this month at an Upper East Side church, where he reiterated his claim that the Holocaust never happened. David Irving, 70, spoke Wednesday at St. Stephen of Hungary Parish, a Catholic church on East 82nd Street. A clergyman there said the church was not aware of Mr. Irving’s views on the Holocaust and was told that a small group wanted the space to discuss a book.” NYsun
3. “TEMPLE CONSTRUCTION” [From Sound the Great Shofar, p. 47-48.]
During the Three Weeks, it is a custom to study the laws of the Beit HaMikdash [Holy Temple]. Our Sages [Tanchuma, Tzav #14, on Ez.43:10] relate that G-d commanded the prophet Yechezkel to teach the Jewish people about the structure of the Beit HaMikdash while they were still in the Babylonian exile. When the prophet questioned the purpose of such study, G-d told him that He would cherish their study as if they had been involved in its actual construction.This study should not be treated as theoretical. Rather, it should be done in anxious anticipation that the Mikdash will soon be rebuilt, with the awareness that in the very near future, we will actually see what we are studying about. Another custom is during the first nine days of Av [starting July 20] concluding with the fast of Tisha b’Av to hold siyyumim,2 i.e., celebrations which mark the conclusion of the study of Talmudic tractates. These gatherings should be held with the recognition that we are approaching another siyyum - the conclusion of the exile. Hopefully, these activities will speed the fulfillment of the prophecy [Zechariah 8:19] that in the era of the Redemption, all the commemorative fasts will become festive holidays. Keep reading →
The price of a gallon of Cholov Yisroel (higher standard kosher milk) reached $6.40 a gallon in some places in New York State last week. The soaring prices for kosher milk are part of the steadily rising prices for kosher foods in general.While the average price for a ½ gallon of the special kosher milk was just under $3.00, it was as high as $3.20 in the Catskills, partially due to the higher costs for transportation. Milk in general has been going up, largely due to the increased costs of dairy farming which requires a great deal of fuel. In addition, the price of corn that farmers use to feed cows was also skyrocketing. In New York State, the price of milk is regulated by the Department of Agriculture, which last week raised the threshold price for a gallon of milk in the city to $4.37, citing increased demand and high production costs. The Cholov Yisroel milk was generally 50 cents higher than the regular milk, largely due to increased costs for kosher supervision and distribution. Koshertoday.com
“The Sanhedrin’s judges, convening as an International Court of Law presided by Rabbi Adin Even-Yisrael (Shteinzaltz), discussed the claims of Israeli athletes training in Falun Dafa (also called Falun Gong), a high-level Buddhist cultivation practice believed to bring great improvements in health and fitness. According to the athletes, their Chinese counterparts, who advocate truthfulness, benevolence, and forbearance, are persecuted by the Chinese government, who believes the athletes are acting against it.”
“The court called upon the Chinese government to adopt and enforce the Noahide Laws prohibiting murder and theft, and added that “the Jewish nation has experienced the Holocaust under the heavy hand of the Germans during the Nazi regime, which massacred millions of Jews, and therefore must be especially sensitive to the outcry of the persecuted.” Ynet
“Instead the outrage was directed at a huge mosque planned for the area. Still, the words used by the project’s opponents called to mind the protests of earlier times. “The minarets even look like missiles,” railed one woman. A man said the mosque’s dome reminded him “of a nuclear plant.”" Spiegel
A federal court ruling that denied a Chicago condo resident’s right to hang a mezuzah on her front door incensed a local legislator and surprised area rabbis.“The mezuzah is a symbol that is as important as an American flag. To me, it’s protected by the first amendment,” retired Alderman Burton F. Natarus told Lubavitch.com. “I may have to heat up the drums” and take action against the ruling. In 2005, the Chicago city council unanimously passed an ordinance, introduced by Natarus, protecting all forms of religious symbols on doorways. Forcibly removing symbol, such as a mezuzah, violated the City’s Fair Housing Ordinance and carried a $300-500 fine, according to the legislation. Lubavitch.com
“One of the party’s considerations when making the decision, Yishai told the families, is the halachic definition of Karnit Goldwasser, Ehud’s wife, as an agunah. Karnit Goldwasser was not present at the meeting, but her husband’s parents reportedly asked Yishai to do all he can to make sure Shas supports the deal. Should it be found that Goldwasser and Regev are no longer alive, said a source in Shas, than the “prisoner exchange deal will no longer be one entailing the exchange of living Lebanese prisoners for dead soldiers; but rather one of exchanging living Lebanese prisoners for Karnit’s life.”
David Schapiro-Matzav.com
OU Disappointed with Court’s Ruling in Mezzuzah Case YWN
“Observant Jews have no right under federal law to install small scrolls known as mezuzot outside the doors of their condominiums, a federal appeals court declared yesterday. The 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled, 2-1, that the condominium association at Shoreline Towers in Chicago did not run afoul of the Fair Housing Act when managers removed the religious items pursuant to a rule barring the placement of signs, shoes, mats, and any other sort of object outside residents’ doors.”
“Mr. Stern said New Yorkers have little, if any, protection against similar acts. In 1994, a New York appeals court ruled that the installation of electronic locks on an apartment building did not amount to discrimination against Orthodox Jews who would not use them on the Sabbath.” NYsun
