The Antidote for Baseless Hatred
The calendrical period between the Fast of the 17th of Tammuz and the Fast of Tisha b'Av is known as Bein Hame'tzarim (in the midst of distress) and is referred to colloquially as the…
Three Steps Forward, Three Steps Back
While Jewish prayer has many aspects that are introspective, prayer is also designed to serve as a vehicle of communication with the Divine. The central focus of every prayer service is…
Five Wise Sisters
Few women are mentioned by name in the Torah, and those who are, are generally the major players (i.e. Sarah, Rachel, Miriam). Yet twice in the Torah, Mach'lah, Noa, Hoglah, Milcah and…
Smashing the Tablets
The sages declare that five tragedies occurred on the Seventeenth of Tammuz, which is why the day is observed as a fast day. Days of what we might now call "bad karma" (on which bad…
Word Magic
If you have ever heard that the magical word "Abracadabra" is Hebrew, then you may enjoy today's Jewish Treat highlighting the etymological connection of some common English words and…
Kiss the Mezuzah
One might easily think of the mitzvah of mezuzah as a passive mitzvah. Simply recite the blessing before affixing the mezuzah to the doorposts of the house, and it is done. While affixing…
Fleeing in the New World
The history of the conversos, those Spanish and Portuguese Jews who hid their identities by publicly behaving as observant Catholics, is tragic not only for the horrible auto-de-fes (mass…
Jonas Phillips: Living in the Revolution
A few weeks after the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the BriTisha blockade intercepted a communication from Jonas Phillips to a relative on the Dutch Island of St. Estatius.…
Does the Torah Support the Belief in Extraterrestrial Life?
Today, July 2nd, is celebrated world-wide, as "World UFO Day." It all started on July 2, 1947, when W.W. "Mac" Brazel discovered a metallic object on his Roswell, NM ranch. The U.S.…
Appointed by Trudeau
In honor of Canada Day (July 1st), Jewish Treats proudly presents a brief biography of the first Jewish member of the Canadian Supreme Court, Bora Laskin (1912 - 1984). Born in Fort…