A Little Lox

A bagel with lox and a nice schmear of cream cheese may be, to some, the essence of Ashkenazi food, but it is actually more of what one might call nuevo-Jewish cuisine. It’s not all that…

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For Seafood Lovers

If a fish dish is something that tantalizes your taste-buds, you might wonder how creatures of the deep blue sea fit in to Kashrut, the Jewish dietary laws. First and foremost, not all…

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For Seafood Lovers

Having just read the about the laws of Kashruth in this past week’s Torah portion, Shemini, consider the following: If a fish dish is something that tantalizes your tastebuds, you might…

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On the Blech

Challah, chicken soup, gefilte fish, kugel, chamin/cholent...the delightful foods associated with Shabbat are seemingly endless. Perhaps they are so delightful because the Shabbat foods…

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Symbolic Foods

Symbolic Foods There is a certain meaning and prayer behind each kind of symbolic food. See if one of the foods holds a deeper…

A Kosher Buffet

While it seems a bit counterintuitive to have a day celebrating abundant eating the day after a national holiday, nevertheless, January 2nd is celebrated as “Buffet Day.” The concept of a…

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Shemini 5766-2006

"Those Remarkable Dietary Laws" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald This week's parasha, parashat Shemini, embarks on an extensive excursion, that is devoted to the Jewish dietary laws. In fact,…

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Shemini 5784-2024

“Those Remarkable Dietary Laws” (updated and revised from Shemini 5766-2006) by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald This week’s parasha, parashat Shemini, contains an extensive excursion into the…

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Noah 5775-2014

“The Fate of Humankind is Sealed” by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this week’s parasha, parashat Noah, we read of the deluge that inundated the world, ending human life on earth except for…

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The Reward of Honoring Shabbat

According to the wisdom of the sages, there is no way to “over-spend” on Shabbat. As it is said, “One who lends to Shabbat, Shabbat repays him!”(Shabbat 119a). “Lending to Shabbat”…

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