Ushpeezin (pronounced Oo’shpee’zin)
During the festival of Sukkot, the sukkah is intended to be our home. For example, since dining normally takes place in the house, on Sukkot, dining takes place in the sukkah. Because the…
Weekly Message,Haazinu,Yom Kippur
Haazinu-Yom Kippur 5784
"A Propitious Time for Repentance" (updated and revised from Haazinu 5762-2001) by, Rabbi Ephraim Z Buchwald On Sunday night, September 24th, the tenth of Tishrei, Jews, the world over,…
Rabbi Shmuel Salant
On the 29th of Av, 1909, corresponding to August 16th, Rabbi Shmuel Salant, Jerusalem’s long-time Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi, passed away. Rabbi Shmuel was born in 1816 in Bialystok, then part…
Midwestern Sour Cream
There are a host of Jewish foods that are associated with the American Jewish experience. Most of these, such as blintzes with sour cream, sour cream and bananas, and (of course)…
Kindness to Animals
Animals are among the most important “educational tools” that God provided to humanity in order to teach them to be “givers.” While animals can’t communicate with the same ability as…
Devarim 5783-2023
“Building a ‘New’ Sanctuary” (updated and revised from Devarim 5764-2004) by, Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald This week’s parasha, parashat Devarim, is always read on the Shabbat that…
Who Lights The Shabbat Candles?
While lighting Shabbat candles is generally considered a “woman’s mitzvah,” and is traditionally performed by the woman of the house, it is actually an obligation of the entire household.…
The Fate of Babel
Born on July 13, 1894 in Odessa, Isaac Babel’s life spanned a tumultuous time in Russian history. Raised in a middle-class Jewish home, Babel had both a full Jewish education and a robust…
Serving the Public
As proclaimed by the United Nations, June 23rd is “Public Service Day.” In honor of this designation, today’s Jewish Treat introduces Sherut Le’umi, the National Public Service system of…
On the Canadian Prairie
Thirty-three years old at the time of his immigration, Grodno-born Rabbi Israel Isaac Kahanovitch (1872-1945), was called to Winnipeg, Manitoba, after spending a year Pennsylvania. He had…