Bo 5771-2011
"‘Is This What You Call Borrowing?’--Revisited" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In a previous analysis of parashat Bo (5768-2008), we presented a number of responses to the question of how…
Mishpatim 5772-2012
"Capital Punishment: Revenge or Restitution?" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald With fifty-three commandments--thirty negative and twenty-three positive, parashat Mishpatim ranks fourth among…
Eikev 5772-2012
"Loving the Stranger" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this week’s parasha, parashat Eikev, the Torah boldly pronounces the positive mitzvah of loving the stranger. In Deuteronomy 10:19,…
Bo 5774-2014
“In the Blink of an Eye” by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this week’s parasha, parashat Bo, Pharaoh finally yields to the power and destruction of the Ten Plagues. Rising in the middle of…
Re’eh 5774-2014
“Giving Charity Kindly and Generously” by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this week’s parasha, parashat Re’eh, we find particular emphasis on performing acts of kindness, generosity and…
Va’eira 5772-2012
“The Decline and Collapse of the Egyptian Magicians” by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this week’s parasha, parashat Va’eira, we learn of the first seven plagues that strike the Egyptians.…
Free To All
On June 30, 2008, the first Jewish Treat was posted to Jewishtreats.org. There were fewer than 50 people on the subscription list. Today, we are proud to say, over 3,400 people receive…
The Crown of Israel’s Jezreel Valley
Today the city of Afula, with a population of 49,000, sits as the crown and virtual capital of the Jezreel Valley in north-central Israel. Many identify modern day Afula with the…
The Sadducees
Even after the miraculous victory of the Hasmoneans (Maccabees), the lure of Hellenization, with its grandeur and style, continued to subtly influence the Jewish people. This trend even…
Israeli-German Relations
On May 13, 1965, Israel officially established diplomatic relations with the Federal Republic of (West) Germany (FRG). This event is quite notable, since Israel was established in the…