Toledot 5776-2015
"Rebecca Inquires of G-d" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this week’s parasha, parashat Toledot, we learn of the births of Jacob and Esau. Isaac is forty years old when he marries…
Kee Teitzei 5776-2016
“The Mitzvah of Burying the Dead” by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald As previously noted, this week’s parasha, parashat Kee Teitzei, contains more mitzvot than any other parasha in the…
Weekly Message,Va'etchanan,Tisha b'Av
Va’etchanan-Tisha B’Av 5768-2008
"A Hopeful Message for Jewish Future" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this week's parasha, parashat Va'etchanan, we find the well-known citation from Deuteronomy 4:25-40, "Kee to'leed…
Devarim 5770-2010
"On That Day the Lord Shall Be One and His Name One" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald The book of Deuteronomy, known in Hebrew as Devarim, opens with the people now standing at the border of…
Genesis,Weekly Message,Shoftim
Shoftim 5772-2012
"The Haughty Heart" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald Among the many topics discussed in this week’s parasha, parashat Shoftim, are the rules and regulations that apply to a king of Israel.…
Minsk, Pinsk and Dvinsk?
Dvinsk, also known as Daugavpils or Duenaburg, is Latvia’s second largest city, situated 140 miles southeast of Riga, Latvia’s capital (Dvinsk is the city’s Russian name). Dvinsk became a…
The Antidote for Baseless Hatred
The calendrical period between the Fast of the 17th of Tammuz and the Fast of Tisha b'Av is known as Bein Hame'tzarim (in the midst of distress) and is referred to colloquially as the…
From Holy God to Holy King
On Rosh Hashana, God judges the world (and all the people therein), but their fates are not sealed until 10 days later, on Yom Kippur. It is during these ten days that we must present a…
Development of the Haggadah
On Passover night we are commanded "v'hee'ga'd'ta l'vincha" and you shall tell, the story of the Exodus to your children. (Notice the shared root of hee'ga'd'ta and Haggadah.) The…
Can Jewish Names Be Changed?
Those unhappy with the name given to them at birth are in luck, for today is “Get a Different Name Day,” annually observed on February 13th. This allows Jewish Treats the opportunity to…