Penny Lane
While the well-known adage requests, “A penny for your thoughts,” perhaps those coins should be sought, instead, in between the cushions of sofas and car seats, in washing machines and in…
Moses’ Impact on Jewish Life
Prepare for Parsahat Zachor this Shabbat and for Purim this coming Wednesday night and Thursday by becoming more familiar with the Purim story and unlocking its underlying mysteries.…
In Arkansas
Jewish life in Arkansas began in 1825 with the arrival of Abraham Block to the town of Washington in Hempstead County, Arkansas. For Block and his family, however, it was a very lonely…
Jews in the Land of Lincoln
The first known Jewish resident of what is now the state of Illinois was John Hays, a grandson of a New York Jew, who moved west to Cahokia, IL in 1793. Hays was a farmer and trader who,…
Torah, To What Can I Compare Thee?
Various biblical verses and rabbinic texts often compare the Torah to different natural resources, in order to teach us about the greatness of the Torah in terms that can be more readily…
Mikeitz 5783-2022
“In Those Days, in These Times” (updated and revised from Mikeitz 5763-2002) by, Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald As we have previously noted, the story of Joseph may be seen as the story of an…
What’s With The Salt
At every Shabbat meal, the blessing of Ha’mo’tzee (the blessing over bread) is recited over two complete loaves of bread. This "bread" is usually the braided loaves known as challah, but…
A Look at Honesty
In honor of Honesty Day which is on Sunday, April 30th, (created by M. Hirsh Goldberg in the 1990s), Jewish Treats presents some fascinating insights into the Jewish view on the…
The Book of Lamentations
On Tisha b’Av, the ninth of Av, one of the ways that the Jewish people demonstrate their mourning over the loss of both Holy Temples is by refraining from Torah study that brings pleasure…