Josephus
Some historians are scholars, others are propagandists, and still others live the history that they go on to record. Yosef ben Matityahu, better known as Flavius Josephus (or just…
Shemot 5778-2017
“The Missing Years in the Life of Moses” by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this week’s parasha, parashat Shemot, we read of the enslavement of the Jewish people and the birth of…
Shemot 5768-2007
"Who Were the Midwives?" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this week's parasha, parashat Shemot, we read that Pharaoh, king of Egypt, orders the Hebrew midwives to kill the male children as…
Balak 5768-2008
"The 'Mazal Tov' Conundrum" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this week's parasha, parashat Balak, Balaam, the prophet to the nations, offers a series of four prophecies. The first three…
Masada
Although the site of the mountain fortress of Masada, the history of which was recorded by the Roman-Jewish historian Josephus, was "discovered" in 1842, the site was not excavated until…
Sources Commentators
Abarbanel (1437-1508, Spanish statesman, philosopher and commentator) Israel Abrahams (1858-1925) Achad Ha’Am (Asher Zvi Hirsh Ginsberg, 1856-1927) AJOP (Association for Jewish Outreach…
Behar,Bechukotai,Weekly Message
Behar-Bechukotai 5783-2023
“The Revolutionary Nature of Shemita and Yovel” (updated and revised from Behar-Bechukotai 5764-2004) by, Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In parashat Behar, the first of this week’s two…
Sukkot I 5767-2006
"Sukkot - The Festival of Joy" by Rabbi Ephraim Buchwald The festival of Sukkot is regarded as the most joyous of all the Jewish holidays. In fact, there is not a single reference in the…
Jews in Iceland
In honor of Icelandic National Day, Jewish Treats presents a history of Jews in Iceland. It is interesting to note that long before any Jews actually visited Iceland, let alone resided…
A Friendly Emperor
On November 17, in the year 331 C.E., Flavius Claudius Julianus was born. He was the son of the half-brother of Constantine, the first Roman Emperor to recognize Christianity as the state…