Jewish Treats

Do We Attempt to Fool God this Week?

During the Aseret Y’mei Teshuva, the Ten Days of Repentance, Jews are encouraged to improve their actions, with both God and people. Every year Jews endeavor to transform themselves,…

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Jewish Treats

Holiday Greetings

The standard pre-Rosh Hashana greeting of “K’tiva v’chatima tova” ("May you be written and sealed for good”) is deduced from a Talmudic discussion concerning the three heavenly…

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Jewish Treats

Come My Beloved

The Talmud (Shabbat 116a) describes how the sages would greet Shabbat: “Rabbi Chaninah would wrap himself in his cloak and say: ‘Come, let us go and greet the Shabbat Queen.’ Rabbi…

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Jewish Treats

Labor, Technology and the Torah

Labor celebrations have taken place throughout North America since the 1880s, and Labor Day became an official U.S. holiday in 1894. As students of history are well aware, in the decades…

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Jewish Treats

The Hebron Massacre of 1929

One of the most ancient cities in the land of Israel, Hebron is mentioned in the Bible as the location of the Cave of the Patriarchs (Me'arat Ha'mach'pelah), which Abraham purchased…

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Jewish Treats

The Gateway Sin

Those who debate the issue of legalizing certain types of drugs, will often encounter the notion of a “gateway drug,” something that, by itself seems somewhat benign, but may lead to the…

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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

Even for a Stranger

Contact your local Jewish burial society and sign up to do shmirah for those who do not have family to attend them.

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Jewish Treats

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…

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Jewish Treats

The Three Weeks

“When Av enters, we must lessen our rejoicing,” declare the Talmudic sages in Ta’anit 26b.In truth, however, this period of "sadness" begins on the Fast of the 17th of Tammuz (observed…

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