If I Forget Thee
“If I forget thee O’ Jerusalem, let my right hand wither” (Psalms 137:5 -Im esh’kachech Yerushalayim, tishkach y’meenee)...poignantly expresses the Jewish people’s longing for Jerusalem.…
A Hero of Science
Today’s Treat presents the sad, brief biography of Edward Israel (1859-1884). The son of the first Jewish family to settle in Kalamazoo, Michigan, Israel had an avid interest in science…
The Book of Ruth
Ruth was the Moabite wife of Machlon, one of the sons of Elimelech and Naomi, a wealthy couple who had fled Bethlehem during a bitter famine. Elimelech's family had settled in Moab, a…
Yom Ha’atzma’ut – Israel’s Independence Day
On the fifth day of the Hebrew month of Iyar, in the year 5708, corresponding to May 14, 1948, the State of Israel was born. On that day, the British Mandate was terminated and David…
No Foretelling Death
The Talmud in Pesachim 54b lists the day of one’s death as the first of seven items that are hidden from humankind. As obvious a statement as this may seem, it is important to…
Yom Ha’atzma’ut – Israel’s Independence Day
On the fifth day of the Hebrew month of Iyar, in the year 5708, corresponding to May 14, 1948, the State of Israel was born. On that day, the British Mandate was terminated and David…
Philistines
Few nations play as dominant a role in biblical history as do the Philistines. Settled in the lands along the Mediterranean coast (the area of contemporary Gaza), they were a continual…
Praying in Many Ways
Many nutritionists recommend that a person should have three square meals a day to maintain his/her physical well-being. Spiritual nutritionists (our sages) recommend that for the utmost…
The Little Terror
While some athletes are known to be Jewish only because of their Jewish-sounding last names, others wear their Jewish identity on their shirtsleeves - or, in the case of Alphonse Halimi,…
One Hundred Blessings
Brachot, blessings, that start with the phrase Baruch Ah’tah...(Blessed are You...), are recited over many aspects of Jewish life. There are brachot before one eats, and brachot after…