Navy Man
Jewish Treats presents a biography of Uriah P. Levy, the U.S.’s first Jewish commodore. Today is Levy’s yahrtzeit on the Jewish Calendar. Born in Philadelphia in…
The Four Mitzvot of Purim
This year, Purim will be celebrated on Tuesday, March 10th (beginning Monday evening, March 9th, after sunset). Four mitzvot are associated with the holiday: Megillah Reading - Book of…
The Sabbath of Remembering
This Shabbat is Shabbat Parashat Zachor, the Sabbath of Remembering. The Torah portion that is read as the Maftir (additional) portion, after the conclusion of the regular…
Judaism,All Audience,Bo,Literacy,Weekly Message
Bo 5780-2020
“Rational Love and Emotional Love: A Lesson from Tefillin” (revised and updated from Bo 5760-2000) by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this week’s parasha, parashat Bo, we read about…
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…
These Lights We Kindle
While the mitzvah of lighting the menorah is an outward-focused mitzvah - the menorah is lit in a window or doorway - it is also an opportunity for personal reflection on the deeper…
The Story of Chanukah
Around the year 167 B.C.E., the Syrian-Greek rulers of Judea tried to force the Jews to assimilate into Hellenic culture. They summoned the Jews to the town squares where they were forced…
The Best Type of Bagel
December 11th is celebrated as “Have a Bagel Day.” Jewish Treats has already covered the history of the bagel, the popular pastry favored in the U.S., Canada and the U.K. But, the term…
Can’t We Agree on the Blessings over Brit Milah?
Parashat Vayera contains the story of the circumcision of Isaac (Genesis 21:4), the first person to undergo the ritual of circumcision on the eighth day of life. At a Brit Milah, the…
Vayeira 5780-2019
“The Preciousness of Hospitality” (Updated and Revised from Vayeira 5760-1999) by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald As this week’s parasha, parashat Vayeira, opens, aged Abraham, 99 years old, is…