Jewish Treats

A Biblical Story Familiar To Our Time

There are some Jewish commentators who state that the entire history of the world can be found in the Book of Genesis if one just knows where to look. The narratives of Genesis do indeed…

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Jewish Treats

The Five Prohibitions of Yom Kippur

"...on the tenth of the month, you shall afflict your souls and do no work at all...for on that day God will forgive you and cleanse you, that you may be clean from all your sins before…

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Jewish Treats

As the Wind Blows

The Torah is full of fascinating, unexpected and, some might say, poetic connections. Many of these associations are not obvious because they are spread throughout the many texts of…

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Jewish Treats

The First Ten

If the children of Israel received the Torah at Mount Sinai, why did Moses come down bearing only “the two tablets of the testimony” luchot ha’aidoot (Exodus 32:15), on…

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Jewish Treats

Rav Saadia Gaon

Rabbi Saadia ben Joseph, known by the appellation Rav Saadia Gaon (Gaon was the title of the religious leader of the Jewish community in Babylon) is best known in history as a philosopher…

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Jewish Treats

Her Name Means Mother of All

If there is one Biblical story that most everyone in Western society knows, it is that of Adam and Eve. The story of Adam and Eve is truly fascinating, and there are many details that are…

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Jewish Treats

Legal to Take?

With all the discussion, in the last few years, about the legalization of marijuana, one might have wondered what is the traditional Jewish perspective. It is, not surprisingly, a rather…

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Jewish Treats

Strings of Red

Do an online search for the terms “red string” and “Judaism” and you will find a preponderance of discussions about the propriety of wearing a red string as a sign of bracha (blessing) or…

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Jewish Treats

Development of the Haggadah

On Passover night we are commanded "v'hee'ga'd'ta" and you shall tell, the story of the Exodus. (Notice the shared root of hee'ga'd'ta and Haggadah.) The Passover Haggadah serves as a…

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Jewish Treats

The Rav with the Golden Carriage

The Talmud, which is the written compilation of the Oral Torah, records the discussions and decisions of the scholars who codified Jewish law. Without question, the scholastic scope of…

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