Positive Thinking
One of the new holidays that has gained traction due to internet calendars is “Positive Thinking Day,” celebrated this year today, on September 13th. With a little more than than two…
Putting Life Into Perspective
Consider moments during the past year that seemed, on the surface, to be particularly bleak, but in hindsight, when looking at the bigger picture, things turned out much better than…
Swiss Jews
A Jewish presence in Switzerland can be traced back to the Middle Ages. Until the 19th century, Jews in Switzerland were restricted in both residence and employment. While there were…
Kee Teitzei 5784-2024
“The Revolution that Started with a Fence” (updated from Kee Teitzei 5765-2005) by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald The extraordinary number of themes that are found in Parashat Kee Teitzei make…
Happy Birthday Adam
Adam Richard Sandler was born September 9, 1966 in New York City to Judith (Levine) and Stanley Sandler, who descended from Russian Jewish immigrants on both sides. When Adam was 6, the…
Awareness
Be aware of the things that affect your judgment of other people and try to remain non-judgmental in your approach. In the first chapter of Pirkei Avot, Ethics of the Fathers, we are…
A Gift For Life
Did you know that Jewish law frowns upon elective surgery? After all, as any doctor will tell you (or all those release forms will make you realize), there is no surgery that is totally…
I Am To My Beloved
The Biblical verse that most epitomizes the emotion of love is: “Anee l’dodi v’dodi lee” – I am to my beloved, and my beloved is to me (Song of Songs 6:3). The ideal love relationship,…
Samuel Gompers, Labor Leader
In honor of Labor Day, 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,…
Shoftim 5784-2024
“The Extent of Rabbinic Authority” (updated and revised from Shoftim 5765-2005) by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this week’s parasha, parashat Shoftim, 41 new Torah laws, are…