“Justice, Justice Shall You Pursue”
The directive to create a judicial system is set out in Deuteronomy 16:18-20. God commands the Israelites to appoint judges and law enforcement officials in all their cities and towns.…
In Tune
Can you read Jewish music? No, not the sheet music to Fiddler on the Roof or Havah Nagillah. Trope, the musical cantillation used by Torah readers to sing-chant the holy words, is a…
Don’t Roll Your Eyes At Me
The plaintive cry of exasperation, “Don’t roll your eyes at me!” that parents often address to their children is one that each person should consider saying to him/herself, omitting, of…
Tooning Machines
There are not many people whose names appear as a dictionary entry, and even fewer whose names have become adjectives. As of 1966 however, the name “Rube Goldberg” took an official…
Vayeitzei 5765-2004
"Rachel: Portrait of a Matriarch" Rabbi Ephraim Buchwald In this week's parasha, parashat Vayeitzei, we are given perhaps the most extensive and most intimate view of Mother Rachel. We…
Yitro 5781-2021
“Structural Secrets of the Decalogue” (updated and revised from Yitro 5762-2002) by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this week’s parasha, parashat Yitro, in Exodus 20, we…
The Tribe of Asher
As the forefathers of the tribes of Israel, the lives and personalities of each of the twelve sons of Jacob impacted on the history and behavior of the tribe members who descended from…
Tooning Machines
There are not many people whose names appear as a dictionary entry, and even fewer whose names have become adjectives. As of 1966, however, the name “Rube Goldberg” took an official…
Blessed Is He Who Makes Strange Creatures
An individual might not think that Jewish Treats would have much to say about “Peculiar People Day,” as January 10th has been dubbed by those who create new holidays. However, the sages…
Mishpatim 5782-2022
“Justice! Justice!” (updated and revised from Mishpatim 5763-2003) by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald This week’s parasha, parashat Mishpatim, contains an abundance of laws that cover a vast…