The History Around Purim
The story of Purim takes place at the very end of the era known in Jewish history as the Babylonian Exile. King Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonian legions destroyed the Temple and…
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 weekly Torah…
Death at the Inauguration
The story of the eldest sons of Aaron is a tragic tale that is described in the Torah in the vaguest of terms. On the grand day of the inauguration of the Mishkan (Tabernacle), the Torah…
Time for Study
In order to demystify an otherwise difficult Biblical passage, set aside time to delve into the commentaries to appreciate the deeper meaning of the text. In this week’s Torah portion,…
Four Cups of Wine
Like almost all festival meals, the Passover seder begins with Kiddush, the sanctification of the day over a cup of wine. On Passover, however, the first cup of wine is followed by three…
The Great Shabbat
This Shabbat, the Shabbat immediately preceding Passover is known as Shabbat HaGadol, the Great Shabbat. It is best known for being the Shabbat on which the rabbi of the community (or…
The Occident
In honor of World Press Freedom Day, May 3rd as declared by the United Nations General Assembly, Jewish Treats takes a quick glance at the first* general Jewish periodical in the United…
First You and Then You
From a broad perspective, the opportunity for all members of a prayer service to participate in a Torah reading service is an important statement on Jewish inclusion. In reality, however,…
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…
Live Knowing That People See You As a Jew
Live your life knowing that during every moment, others will see your actions as representing Jews and Judaism. In today’s day and age, Jews are more in the limelight than ever before,…