Thoughts for the Heart

In honor of American Heart Month, and because caring for one’s health is part of two Torah mitzvot of "V’nish’martem me’od l’naf’sho’tay’chem" and "hatzalat n’fashoat" (guarding and…

Read More

Vayakhel-Pekudei 5783-2023

“Celebrating the Month of Nissan” (updated and revised from Vayakhel-Pekudei 5764-2004)   by, Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald This coming Shabbat, the final Shabbat of the Hebrew month of…

Read More

Honor The “Hoary Head”

Senior Citizen Day, an annual event observed on August 21st, is a day meant to both honor older citizens and to remind the government that seniors are a large and powerful constituency.…

Read More

Is It Kosher?

All natural produce in its original form is kosher--including fruits, vegetables, nuts and grains. Once anything is processed--such as frozen foods, canned goods, repackaged goods,…

Read More

The Hebrew Vowels

A E I O U and sometimes Y...To an English speaker, vowels are letters and are no different in form from consonants. In Hebrew, however, the vowels, which specify the sounds of the…

Read More

This is Chanukah

Tonight is the eighth and final night of Chanukah. After the flames die down, many people will pack up the menorah and think little about the holiday again until next year. However, the…

Read More

Blessed Is He Who Makes Strange Creatures

An individual might not think that Jewish Treats would have much to say about “Peculiar People Day,” as January 10th has been dubbed by those who create new holidays. However, the sages…

Read More

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…

Read More

Ein Gedi

No tour of Israel can be complete without a visit to the Judean desert. Aside from climbing the famed fortress of Masada, you can actually float in the Dead Sea, the lowest spot on earth,…

Read More

Pidyon Ha’ben – Redeeming the Firstborn

“You must redeem the firstborn of a person…when he is one month old, for the value of five silver shekels” (Numbers 18:15-16). God sanctified the firstborn male Israelites when He…

Read More