Good Neighbors
When considering a move to a new home, be sure to do your due diligence and inquire whether your prospective neighbors are upstanding individuals. Never underestimate the critical…
Spiritual Compass
Today, November 6th, is yet another odd, seemingly random, holiday that has grown out of the internet age: “Marooned without a Compass Day.” While the name of the day may seem quaint and…
Know Your Matriarchs
Study the Torah and its commentaries to appreciate the special qualities that the Matriarchs possessed. A closer look at the life of our Matriarch Sarah, details a difficult life, one…
What Are Tefillin?
The common translation of tefillin is “phylacteries,” which is a Greek word meaning amulet. “And you shall bind them [the words that I command you today] for a sign upon your arm, and…
The Thanksgiving Synagogue Service
While Thanksgiving is most certainly an American festival of gratitude, its founders prominently articulated its religious underpinnings, which ultimately traces to a source in Judaism.…
On One Foot
Jewish Treats was asked to summarize the Jewish faith in one tweet. For those unfamiliar with the “X”/Twitter format, that means in 280 characters or less, which seems, at first glance, a…
Request Wisdom and Guidance
The decision whether to use diplomacy, prayer or action or all three is not an easy one. Consider approaching a rabbi to seek wisdom and request guidance when faced with a particularly…
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 Foolishness of a Hardened Heart
Learn from the mistakes made by Pharaoh and other tyrants and the futility of trying to control others. Human nature sometimes compels us to reject personal responsibility and…
Calligraphy
In honor of National Handwriting Day, which is today, Jewish Treats explores the unique calligraphy practiced by a Jewish sofer (scribe). The Hebrew letters used in a Torah scroll, as…