Accepting Wisdom
“Ben Zoma said: ‘Who is wise? One who learns from all people, as it is said (Psalms 119:99): 'From all those who taught me, I gained understanding'” (Pirkei Avot/Ethics of the…
End of Year Gift Exchange
There is a great deal of gift-giving going on at this time of year. Beyond friends and family, many feel obligated to give end of the year gifts to local specialists (such as one’s hair…
The Trouble with Double
For some sisters who are particularly close, the idea of a double wedding may seem a romantic dream. Indeed, parents of such brides might contemplate such a wedding as an excellent means…
Return of the Dead
The relationship of the living and the dead is an oft debated topic by the sages. Judaism firmly believes that, post mortem, a person's neshama (soul) goes to an afterworld…
Saturday Night Hunger
As beautiful as Shabbat is, it was not God’s intention that humankind live in a constant state of Shabbat. Indeed, it has been understood that because the Torah says, “Six days you shall…
International Friendship Day: Jonathan and David
In honor of today’s International Friendship Day, Jewish Treats presents the friendship of David and Jonathan. The sages state: “What is an example of the love which did not depend upon…
Rabbi Avraham Chaim Naeh
Many people think of World War I as a European war, but, as its name suggests, the entire world was affected. In Palestine, which was part of the Ottoman Empire at that time, the…
Beautiful and Strange Creatures
Summer vacation means different things to different people, but one of the most common tourist activities of the season is a trip to the zoo. From time immemorial, human beings have been…
Sir “The Jew”
The first Jew to be knighted by a monarch of England was not himself English. But, then again, neither was the king! In 1688, Willem the Third of the Dutch Republic conquered England in…
Respect of the Sons
In the twenty-first century, rebelling against one’s family is all-too-often presented as a right of passage, a natural part of growing up and as a means of declaring one’s independence.…