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…
A Jar of Manna
As discussed in this 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 heaven…
Everyday Miracles
While the manna that descended from heaven was certainly miraculous, recognize how many miracles occur all around us on any given day. The manna that the Jewish nation received each day…
Shabbat Coffee
Do your mornings look something like this? You wake up startled by your alarm clock and practically crawl to your kitchen, desperately searching for your favorite mug and your go-to…
Thoughts for the Heart
In honor of American Heart Month, and because caring for your own health is part of two Torah mitzvot of “V’nish’martem me’od l’naf’sho’tay’chem” and “hatzalat n’fashoat” (guarding and…