The Importance of Dad
In honor of Father's Day, Jewish Treats presents this classic Treat on the importance of a father. Where does a child learn to be a mentsch (a good person)? From his/her parents!…
Who Was Hagar?
Stating simply that Hagar was the second wife of Abraham and the mother of Ishmael simplifies an incredibly complex character whose emotions and motivations are fleshed out in the Oral…
Yonah of Geronah
It is a fact of history that students have frequently been at the center of radical movements, often under the influence of a teacher or mentor. This was the case of Rabbi Yonah of…
The Don’s Commentary
Don Isaac Abrabanel (1437-1508) was one of the greatest statesmen of his time (the second half of the 15th century). He was a financial genius who served in the royal courts of Portugal,…
The Maharal of Prague
To the Jewish community and general population at large, the Maharal of Prague is the revered, mystical medieval rabbi who created the Golem to protect the Jews in the Prague ghetto. But…
The Maharal of Prague
To the Jewish community and general population at large, the Maharal of Prague is the revered, mystical medieval rabbi who created the Golem to protect the Jews in the Prague…
Iraq and the Jews
Much of ancient and modern Jewish history has passed through Iraq. It can be argued that civilization, as we know it today, actually began in Iraq. The mighty metropolis of Babel or…
“Kafkaesque”
Franz Kafka was born into a Jewish family on July 3, 1883 near the Old Town Square in Prague, in the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Franz was the eldest of six children (two tragically died in…
When Was the First Shabbat?
Shabbat, the seventh day of the week, is described in chapters one and two of Genesis, as God’s “day of rest.” From time immemorial, until the present day, the human race has been…
Go Vote! It’s an American and Jewish Value!
Voting in free and fair elections is one of the most profound privileges Americans and citizens of other democratic countries enjoy. Almost 700,000 American soldiers* have died in wars to…