Hows and Whys

How's and Why's of Rosh Hashana Table of Contents Rosh Hashana What Happens on Rosh Hashana The Festive Meal The Service The…

Pinchas 5770-2010

"The Colorful Biography of Pinchas" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald At the end of last week's parasha, we learned that a prominent couple performed a lewd act in public in order to directly…

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On Account of the President’s Feet

How did President Abraham Lincoln’s foot problems affect both the Civil War and the Jewish population of the United States? In honor of Jewish American Heritage Month, Jewish Treats…

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Passover 5770-2010

"The Festival of Liberation" by Rabbi Ephraim Buchwald If one were to look at the world from a truly impartial perspective, one might conclude that all human beings are equal, all days…

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Setting The Seder Table

Before beginning the Seder, it is important to make certain that everything necessary is available. No Seder table is complete without the following: 1) Three Unbroken (Kosher for…

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Hester Panim

One might think that the Book of Esther is a heroic tale about Mordechai and Esther saving the Jewish people through diplomatic skill. Looking deeper, however, one is struck by the…

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What’s With The Salt

At every Shabbat meal, the blessing of Ha'mo'tzee (the blessing over bread) is recited over two complete loaves of bread. This 'bread' is usually the braided loaves known as challot, but…

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Symbolic Foods

Since Rosh Hashana is the day of judgement, it is customary to eat simanim,* foods with symbolic meanings that invoke God's blessing. We also recite a short prayer before eating them.…

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Yom Kippur 5770-2009

"Shabbat Shabbaton--The Ultimate Shabbat" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald When are artists at their most exalted state of creativity? Is it when they dip their brushes into the colorful…

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