The Truth About Mitzvot
It is recorded in the Midrash Rabbah that Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai was once confronted by a man who challenged him about the purifying ritual of the Red Heifer (click here for details)…
Surviving and Leading
Although born in Hungary in 1904, Rabbi Yehoshua (Joshua) Menachem Ehrenberg was living in Cracow when the Nazis began their systematic destruction of European Jewry. The city of Cracow,…
Kee Tisah 5783-2023
“The Story of Esther--Making Choices for Jewish Destiny” (updated and revised from Kee Tisah 5762-2002) by, Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald Because the joyous festival of Purim will be…
History for Everyone
Barbara Tuchman, born January 30, 1912, never earned a doctorate in history, but the books that she authored injected new life into the layman’s study and understanding of history. While…
Samuel Gompers, Labor Leader
Jewish Treats presents a brief biography of Samuel Gompers, a man who helped transform the early American Labor Movement. Born in London, England, on January 27, 1850, Gompers was the son…
People of the (Printed) Book
Johannes Gutenberg, credited as the developer of the printing press, published the Gutenberg Bible in 1445. Printing technology transformed the way people learned. International literacy…
Kedoshim 5782-2022
“Giving Proper Reproof” (updated and revised from Kedoshim 5763-2003) by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this week’s parasha, parashat Kedoshim, we encounter the well-known Biblical dictum,…
Shemini 5782-2022
“With the L-rd as Our Partner” (Updated and revised from Shemini 5764-2004) by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald This week’s Torah portion, parashat Shemini, opens with a description of the…
History for Everyone
Barbara Tuchman (January 30, 1912 – February 6, 1989) never earned a doctorate in history, but the books that she authored injected new life into the layman’s study and understanding of…
A Jar of Manna
As discussed in this coming week’s Torah Portion, parashat B’shalach, while the Israelites wandered in the wilderness, there were few things more miraculous than the manna, the food from…