Tzav 5780-2020

“Behold, I am Sending You Elijah the Prophet” (Revised and update from Tzav 5761-2001)   by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald   On this coming Shabbat, the Shabbat of Erev Pesach, we…

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You Are Royalty

Passover is known as the festival of freedom. And who is more free than royalty? At the Seder, all Jews are supposed to consider themselves royalty. Some of the ways we demonstrate this…

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Time of Freedom?

The sages refer to the holiday of Passover as Zman Chay’roo’tay’noo, the time of our freedom. This may seem obvious, since Passover celebrates the redemption of the Jewish people…

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How Pharaoh Enslaved the Israelites

While reading the Book of Exodus, one might wonder at the swift descent of the Jewish nation from being the privileged family of the Viceroy, Joseph, to becoming downtrodden and abused…

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Parasha of the Month

This Shabbat is Parashat HaChodesh, the Sabbath of “The Month.” The Torah portion that is read as the Maftir (additional reading) after the conclusion of the reading…

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President Grover Cleveland

President Grover Cleveland, the only U.S. president to have served in two non-consecutive terms, was one of two Democrats (the other being Woodrow Wilson) to have served as president…

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Navy Man

Jewish Treats presents a biography of Uriah P. Levy, the U.S.’s first Jewish commodore. Today is Levy’s yahrtzeit on the Jewish Calendar.  Born in Philadelphia in…

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Vayakhel-Pekudei 5780-2020

“Judaism Sanctifies Time, Not Space” (Updated and revised from Vayakhel-Pekudei 5761-2001)   by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald   On this coming Shabbat, two Torah portions are read,…

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Countdown To Freedom

Americans begin preparing for Thanksgiving days or perhaps a week in advance. But when it comes to Jews and Passover, much more preparation time is needed.Jewish Tradition teaches that we…

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The Birth and Death of Moses

One of the 13 principles of faith according to Maimonides is believing that Moses was the greatest of all the Jewish prophets. He was so great, that God feared he would be…

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