Entry Point

Although immigrants from around the world came through Ellis Island, the immigration station in the harbor of New York* had a distinctive impact specifically on Jews and on…

Read More

What Do You Call The Seventh Day?

What do you call the Seventh Day, the Day of Rest? Some people call it “Shabbat” and greet their friends and neighbors with a hearty “Shabbat Shalom.” Others refer to it as “Shabbos” and…

Read More

Calligraphy

In honor of National Handwriting Day, Jewish Treats explores the unique calligraphy practiced by a Jewish sofer (scribe). The Hebrew letters used in a Torah scroll, as well as on other…

Read More

Calligraphy

In honor of the upcoming National Handwriting Day, which is January 23, Jewish Treats explores the unique calligraphy practiced by a Jewish sofer (scribe). The Hebrew letters used in a…

Read More

Calligraphy

In honor of National Handwriting Day, which is today, Jewish Treats explores the unique calligraphy practiced by a Jewish sofer (scribe). The Hebrew letters used in a Torah scroll, as…

Read More

Kristallnacht

Kristallnacht, literally the Night of Crystal but generally translated as the Night of Broken Glass, was a tragic turning point in the fate of Germany’s Jewish community. The country-wide…

Read More

The Meaning of “Lamed”

Today’s Treat is brought to you by the Hebrew letter lamed and the number 30, as that is its value in gematria (a mystical system of understanding deeper meanings through numeric…

Read More

Mikeitz 5774-2013

"What’s in a Name? Zaphenath-Paneach" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this week’s parasha, parashat Mikeitz, Joseph interprets Pharaoh’s dream and is elevated to serve as viceroy of…

Read More

Toledot 5774-2013

"A Revolutionary Definition of Parenthood" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald This week’s parasha, parashat Toledot, opens with a genealogy of the family of Isaac and his wife Rebecca, and the…

Read More

Pinchas 5773-2013

“The Lesson of the Broken Vav” by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this week’s parasha, parashat Pinchas, we learn the identities of the two defiant people who committed an act of public…

Read More