Naso,Weekly Message

Naso 5782-2022

“The Hypocrite as Exemplar” (updated and revised from Naso 5763-2003) by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this week’s parasha, parashat Naso, we find that the topics of the Biblical text are…

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Jewish Treats

The Month of Av

The months of the Jewish year are called in the Torah by number only (the first month, second month, etc.). Over time, during the exile, the months assumed the names given to them by host…

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Jewish Treats

Seeking God in Elul

In anticipation of the High Holy Days, and during the High Holy Days themselves, Psalm 27 is read twice daily from the beginning of the month of Elul through the holiday of Sukkot in…

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Jewish Treats

The Fast of Gedaliah (Tzom Gedaliah)

The Fast of Gedaliah is observed to commemorate the assassination of Gedaliah, the son of Achikam, which is described in the last chapter of the Second Book of Kings. This murder resulted…

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Jewish Treats

Shemini Atzeret/Simchat Torah

Tonight starts the holiday of Shemini Atzeret, literally the Gathering of the Eighth, a connected yet independent holiday, that immediately follows Sukkot. During the seven days of…

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Jewish Treats

Hail the Holy Pomegranate

The pomegranate is a funny sort of fruit. Rather than eating the flesh and throwing away the seed, as a person does when eating an apple or orange, pomegranate seeds are eaten and the…

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Jewish Treats

Lancaster Jews

Many people do not realize that Lancaster, Pennsylvania, home to the famous Amish community, was one of the few active Jewish communities during the colonial era and has the fourth oldest…

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Jewish Treats

Chanukah: What’s the Mitzvah?

Here’s a quiz: What is the primary mitzvah of Chanukah? a) Eating latkes (potato pancakes) b) Giving Chanukah gifts or gelt (money) c) Publicizing the miracle of the oil that lasted 8…

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Jewish Treats

The Tenth of Tevet, Asarah b’Tevet

And it was in the ninth year of [King Zeddekiah’s] reign, in the tenth month, on the tenth (day) of the month, that Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon, came, he and all his legions, upon…

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Jewish Treats

The Foods of Tu b’Shevat

Today, Jews around the world will celebrate Tu b’Shevat, the new year of the trees. Tu b’Shevat is often celebrated with the seven species for which the Torah praises the land of Israel:…

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