Tu b’Av and the Offering of Wood
Tu b’Av, the fifteenth of Av, which is today, was celebrated in ancient times by unmarried maidens who went out on this day to dance in the vineyards hoping to be chosen by an unmarried…
Good Thinking
Appreciate the ingenuity of those Jews who used wood ladders as a ruse in order to transfer wood to the Temple to be used on the altar for the sacrifices. The Temple in Jerusalem…
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 challah, but…
Shemini 5783-2023
“The Little Steps that Lead to Big Accomplishments” (updated and revised from Shemini 5765-2005) by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald As the narrative of this week’s parasha, parashat Shemini,…
Eikev 5783-2023
“Battling Contemporary Abominations” (updated and revised from Eikev 5764-2004) by, Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this week’s parasha, parashat Eikev, Moses, once again, encourages the…
No Holiday as Joyous
Tu b’Av (The Fifteenth of Av), which is today, is no longer the well-known holiday on the Jewish calendar that it was in ancient times. In fact, the Talmud states that: “There were no…
Singing Praises
“…The prophets of the Jewish people ordained that the Hallel be recited on special occasions and celebrations [like Yom Tov], and at times of national deliverance from peril, in gratitude…
Eclipse
In recognition of today’s total solar eclipse, Jewish Treats offers a Jewish angle for consideration. One might expect the sages to record eclipses as moments of awe, but instead the…