Can You Be The Tenth?
That the Hebrew word “minyan” derives from the infinitive “lim’not,” to count or number, is not at all surprising. A minyan is a quorum of 10, the smallest number necessary to create a…
This Tomato Was Grown Where?
The view of Judaism is that humankind has the unique ability to synthesize the physical and the spiritual elements of life. Hence, Jewish law requires a person to recite a blessing over…
A Chanukah Heroine
Who is Yehudit (Judith), the daughter of Yochanan the High Priest, who saved her city, Bethulia, from destruction at the hands of the Syrian-Greek general Holofernes? As the Jews in the…
Chanukah Yum
While Jewish holidays are known for their food (except Yom Kippur, of course), most of these foods are not known for being particularly healthy. Chanukah is no exception. Forget matzah or…
Vayeishev 5782-2021
“Judah Emerges as the Leader of Israel” (Updated and revised from Vayeishev 5763-2002) by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald This week’s parasha, Vayeishev, represents the opening chapter of one…
Hail the Holy Pomegranate
The pomegranate is a funny sort of fruit. Rather than eating the flesh and throwing away the seed, as one does when eating an apple or orange, pomegranate seeds are eaten and the flesh…
Pom-Enjoyment
Make sure to say the proper blessing over your National Pomegranate Month (November) treats: Ha'etz for the fruit, and She'ha'kol for pomegranate drinks.
Toledot 5782-2021
“The Deception of Isaac” (updated and revised from Toledot 5762-2001) by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this week’s parasha, parashat Toledot, we encounter the well-known, and rather…
National Hermit Day
Judaism is not known for encouraging asceticism. While the Torah commands the Jewish people to “afflict” themselves on Yom Kippur by fasting and refraining from certain pleasurable…
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Learn more about, and purchase some of the special simanim, the symbolic foods that are eaten on Rosh Hashana, so that you will be able to recite the special prayers and enjoy them as we…