Jewish Treats

Travelin’

Ever feel nervous just before the start of a trip? Ever have sleepless nights before boarding an airplane? Perhaps these hesitations connect back to a time when travel, whether by road or…

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Jewish Treats

Everyone Does the Wave

One of the main mitzvot of the holiday of Sukkot is the waving of the four species: citron (etrog), palm, myrtle and willow. Trying to understand this mitzvah metaphorically, our sages…

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Kee Tavo,Weekly Message

Kee Tavo 5778-2018

“A Wandering Aramean?” by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this week’s parasha, parashat Kee Tavo, Moses, facing the final days of his life, informs the people what to expect will happen once…

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Jewish Treats

The Month of Av

The months of the Jewish year are called in the Torah by number only (the first month, second month, etc.) Over time, during the exile, the months assumed the names given to them by…

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Jewish Treats

A Different Set of Loaves

There are several well-known connections between the holiday of Passover and the holiday of Shavuot. The most obvious of these is that the celebration of Shavuot is dependent on the count…

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Jewish Treats

Rabbi Shimon’s Favorite Tree

On Lag Ba’omer, Jews around the world honor the memory of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, a student of Rabbi Akiva who delved into the esoteric meaning of the Torah.  He taught what is…

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Jewish Treats

Tu b’Av and the Offering of Wood

Tu b'Av, the fifteenth of Av, was celebrated in ancient times by unmarried maidens who went out on this day to dance in the vineyards hoping to be chosen by an unmarried youth to be…

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Jewish Treats

King David’s Day

According to tradition, King David was born and died on Shavuot. To try and summarize the life of King David in a 300 word Treat would be impossible. In the annals of Jewish history,…

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Tzav,Weekly Message

Tzav 5777-2017

“Lessons from the Ceremony of the Consecration of the כֹּהֲנִים — the Priests”   by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald A good part of this week’s parasha, parashat Tzav, describes the…

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Purim,Weekly Message,Tetzaveh

Tetzaveh/Purim 5777-2017

“Transformations" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald Almost half of this week’s entire parasha, fully 43 verses of parashat Tetzaveh, are devoted to the detailed description of the priestly…

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