Jewish Treats

The First Rabbi in America

The first ordained rabbi to serve in an American congregation was Rabbi Abraham Joseph Rice (originally Reiss, 1800-1862). After studying in Germany, in Wurzburg and then Fuerth, Rice was…

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Jewish Treats

Visiting The Sick

“It was taught: There is no measure [of reward] for visiting the sick. What is meant by, ‘there is no measure for visiting the sick?’ Rabbi Joseph thought to explain that: Its reward is…

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Jewish Treats

Jabotinsky

When Vladimir Yevgenyevich Zhabotinsky was born on October 18, 1880, in Odessa, it was probably inconceivable that he would become a staunch advocate for the resettlement of the Jewish…

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Weekly Message,Vayeira

Vayeira 5782-2021

 “The Akeida” (updated and revised from Vayeira 5762-2001) by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald It took quite a few years of preparing weekly Torah messages for me to work up the courage to…

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Jewish Treats

Bloomies

When we think of the common denominator of upscale national clothing store chains in the U.S., we often find that many have Jewish names, such as Macy’s, Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue……

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Jewish Treats

Right Foot First

Some people might find it surprising that the sages discussed certain “best practices” for getting dressed. For instance, the Kitzur Shulchan Aruch, an abridged compendium of the laws…

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Jewish Treats

Minsk, Pinsk and Dvinsk?

Dvinsk, also known as Daugavpils or Duenaburg, is Latvia’s second largest city, situated 140 miles southeast of Riga, Latvia’s capital (Dvinsk is the city’s Russian name). Dvinsk became a…

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Jewish Treats

People of the (Printed) Book

Johannes Gutenberg (1400-1468), credited as the developer of the printing press, published the Gutenberg Bible in 1445. The printing technology transformed the way people learned.…

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Pinchas,Weekly Message

Pinchas 5781-2021

"Loving the Land of Israel” (updated and revised from Pinchas 5762-2002) by, Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this week’s parasha, parashat Pinchas, we learn the fascinating tale of five…

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Jewish Treats

Flexible Invention

This summer you will probably enjoy a plethora of cold, refreshing drinks and a good number of them will possibly be sipped through a straw while sitting by a pool (Hey, we are allowed to…

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