Better Not Forget!
Even if you didn’t send a card, buy flowers or offer to take the special mothers in your life out for dinner, make sure to call and tell them how much they mean to you!
For Your Jewish Mother
If one were to believe the jokes, Jewish mothers enjoy nothing more than nagging their children to eat, encouraging grown children to get married and bragging about the children’s…
Bamidbar 5781-2021
“Counting on the People of Israel" (updated and revised from Bamidbar 5762-2002) by, Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald As this week’s parasha, parashat Bamidbar, opens, the Jews are found in the…
Western Wall History
The Western (Wailing*) Wall is the most accessible holiest location in Jewish life. With 28 rows of massive stones above ground (and 17 below), the Wall itself is physically breathtaking.…
Miracles in the Holy Temple
As we prepare to celebrate Yom Yerushalayim, Jerusalem Day, on Monday, May 10th, take the opportunity to print out before Shabbat the 5th chapter of Pirkei Avot, Ethics of the Fathers,…
The Great Rae Landy
National Nurses Week begins each year, on May 6th and ends on May 12th, Florence Nightingale's birthday. Today, Jewish Treats honors Rae Landy. To Rachel “Rae” Landy, nursing was far more…
Celebrate Nurses
Remember to thank nurses for their wonderful work, especially for their heroic efforts caring for so many in often trying situations during the recent COVID-19 pandemic.
A Turn in History
While many people know that Cinco de Mayo is a Mexican holiday, a fair number would struggle to tell you why the day is significant. On May 5, 1862, the Mexican Army was unexpectedly…
Cinco de Mayo
Learn how the May 5, 1862 victory by Mexico over France in the Battle of Puebla ushered in a period of religious tolerance enabling Jews from Europe to immigrate to Mexico from Russia and…
Courland Jews, an Interesting History
There is no country by the name of Courland, but there is a historical subset of Latvian Jews known as Courland Jews. Their distinction comes from the connection in the 19th century of…
A Fascinating History
Study history to appreciate how the Courland Jews, who retained many of the elements of traditional Judaism from neighboring Lithuania and Poland, while at the same time incorporating…
Bechukotai,Behar,Weekly Message
Behar-Bechukotai 5781-2021
“The Extraordinary Mitzvah of Tzedakah--Charity” (updated and revised from Behar-Bechukotai 5762-2002) by, Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald Once again, this week, we read two combined parashiot…
The Occident
In honor of World Press Freedom Day, today, May 3rd, as declared by the United Nations General Assembly, Jewish Treats takes a quick glance at the first* general Jewish periodical in the…
Listen to the Other Side
Even if you have strongly held beliefs, be willing to read articles written from a different vantage point than your own in order to appreciate another perspective on a particular topic.…
A Look at Honesty
In honor of Honesty Day (created by M. Hirsh Goldberg in the 1990s), Jewish Treats presents some fascinating insights into the Jewish view on the importance of honesty. Much of what…
Transparent Honesty
Be honest in your dealings with all people. To learn more and broaden your ethical horizons, download and print out the fourth chapter of Ethics of the Fathers this afternoon and join…
Partner Contact Page
Update your contact informationUpdate information for rabbis, Jewish educators and synagogue representatives Welcome NJOP…
Lag Ba’Omer
The period of mourning* (for the 24,000 students of Rabbi Akiva who died of plague) that is associated with Sefirat Ha’Omer, is not observed on the 33rd day of the Omer, a day known as…
Happy Birthday Birkat Hamazon
The Torah (Exodus 16:1) reports that the Children of Israel arrived at the Wilderness of Sin on the 15th of the Hebrew month of Iyar, approximately one month after the exodus from Egypt.…
Remember to Say Thank You
When enjoying a meal that includes bread, be sure to recite the Birkat Hamazon.
A Math Teacher’s Life
Had Irving (Isaac) Adler not lived during the fervent era of the rise and decline of Communism, his personal story might have been the simple life of a mathematician dedicated to the…
Study History
Recognize how members of the American Communist Party such as Irving (Isaac) Adler, whose name appeared in the title of the class action suit that reached the Supreme Court of the United…
Emor 5781-2021
"The Blasphemer - A Midrashic View" (Updated and revised from Emor 5764-2004) by, Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald This coming week’s parasha, parashat Emor, is, for the most part, concerned…
The Second Passover
On the first anniversary of the Exodus from Egypt, the Children of Israel prepared to celebrate their first Passover as free people. God decreed that they should eat matzah and maror…
Time for a Good Crunch
In commemoration of Pesach Sheni, the Second Passover, enjoy some matzah today.
The Importance of English Books
In honor of April 23rd, which the United Nations has declared English Language Day, Jewish Treats presents a history of the Jewish Publication Society (JPS), the oldest, not-for-profit,…
An Ethical Shabbat
In honor of English Language Day, download and print out before Shabbat, in English and Hebrew, the third chapter of Pirkei Avot, Ethics of our Fathers, and make your Shabbat especially…
This Land Is Our Land
“Rabbi Simeon ben Yochai said: ‘Three things are weighed equally, and they are earth, humans and rain.’ Rabbi Levi bar Hiyyata said: ‘… to teach you that without earth there would be no…
The Importance of Earth Day
Act responsibly. The designation of a distinct day recognized by many around the world as “Earth Day” is a reminder that we are to act as guardians of this beautiful world that God has…