Weekly Message,Emor

Emor 5783-2023

“Striving for Perfection” (updated and revised from Emor 5766-2006) by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this week’s parasha, parashat Emor, the theme of “perfection” appears repeatedly in…

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Weekly Message,Naso

Naso 5783-2023

“Our Brother, Our Sister--the Proselyte” (updated and revised from Naso 5764-2004)  By, Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this week’s parasha, parashat Naso, we learn of an intriguing law…

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Jewish Treats

Mourning Jerusalem I: A Brief History of the First Temple

Next Wednesday night and Thursday (July 26th and 27th), Jews the world over will be observing the fast of Tisha b’Av. It is on this day of the Hebrew calendar that the Jewish people mourn…

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Jewish Treats

Shabbat Chazon

This Shabbat is known as Shabbat Chazon, the Sabbath of the Vision (prophecy), named after the opening word of the Book of Isaiah, the first 27 verses of which are read as the haftarah on…

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Weekly Message,Haazinu,Yom Kippur

Haazinu-Yom Kippur 5784

"A Propitious Time for Repentance" (updated and revised from Haazinu 5762-2001) by, Rabbi Ephraim Z Buchwald On Sunday night, September 24th, the tenth of Tishrei, Jews, the world over,…

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Jewish Treats

The Five Prohibitions of Yom Kippur

“…on the tenth of the month, you shall afflict your souls and do no work at all…for on that day God will forgive you and cleanse you, that you may be clean from all your sins before God”…

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Jewish Treats

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…

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Jewish Treats

The Purim Story in Under 300 Words

At the end of an 180-day feast, Achashverosh, the King of Persia-Media, banished (some say, executed) his wife Vashti for refusing to appear at his banquet. He then staged an elaborate…

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Jewish Treats

Scapegoat

The Jewish people have often been cast as the proverbial “scapegoat.” When millions died during the Black Plague, the Jews were accused of poisoning the wells. Blood libels accusing Jews…

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