Terumah 5774-2014
“The Shulchan--Much More Than Just a Table” by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this week’s parasha, parashat Terumah, the Children of Israel are asked to donate the necessary materials to be…
Bereshith 5777-2016
“The Decline and Fall of Humankind” by Rabbi Ephraim Buchwald With this week’s parasha, parashat Bereshith, we begin, once again, to read the first of the Five Books of Moses--the Book of…
Mishpatim 5778-2018
“Heaven Made Me Do It!” by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald This week’s parasha, parashat Mishpatim, serves as the basis of the Hebrew system of jurisprudence. It is the fourth most numerous…
The Seven Mitzvot
Jewish law places great emphasis on the way a Jew must live and the rewards for living according to Jewish law. Laws such as Shabbat and kashrut create a lifestyle in which Jews mingle…
Dancing on Ice
Competing for artistic and athletic mastery on ice has been part of the fun of winter long before the Winter Olympics, and Jews have often taken part in the joy of ice skating. In fact,…
Put On a Happy Face
"When one shows his teeth [smiles] to his fellow man, it is better than giving him milk to drink" (Talmud Ketubot 111b). How does the song go? “When you’re smiling the whole…
Significant Seventy
Nothing in the Torah is by chance, and so it is not without significance that the Torah reports: “All those who descended from Jacob were 70 soul” (Exodus 1:5), using a singular word,…
The Seven Mitzvot
Jewish law places great emphasis on the way a Jew must live and the rewards for living according to Jewish law. Laws such as Shabbat and kashrut create a lifestyle in which Jews mingle…
Here’s To The Positive
In Pirkei Avot/Ethics of the Fathers, Rabbi Joshua is quoted saying, “An evil eye (ayin harah), the evil inclination (yetzer harah) and hatred of other people (sinat habree’ot) remove a…
The Jewish Major General
Jewish Treats; presents a mini-biography of Major General Julius Klein (1901-1984), who served his country in both World Wars. Born in Chicago, Klein was the descendant of Prussian and…