Vanity of Vanities
Most people are unknowingly familiar with the beginning of the third chapter of Kohelet (Ecclesiastes) because of the 1965 hit song by The Byrds: “To everything – turn, turn, turn/There…
Ezer K’Negdo
Today’s Treat begins with a short, sweet story about the great Tzaddik of Jerusalem, Rabbi Aryeh Levine, and his wife, Hannah. One day, Mrs. Levine hurt her foot and needed to see a…
Living in The Pinch
In honor of National Tennessee Day, Jewish Treats presents a brief history of the Jewish community of Memphis. American Jewish culture thrives upon the communal memory of New York City’s…
Three Steps Forward, Three Steps Back
While Jewish prayer has many aspects that are introspective, prayer is also designed to serve as a vehicle of communication with the Divine. The central focus of every prayer service is…
The Bird of Thanks
On Thanksgiving Day, it is customary in the United States to eat a turkey dinner. The Hebrew name for turkey is “tar’negol hodu,” literally, an “Indian Rooster.” It came by this name…
Rachel’s Tomb?
Kever Rochel, the Tomb of Rachel, in Bethlehem is considered to be the third holiest site in Jewish tradition, after the Temple Mount and The Tomb of the Patriarchs in Hebron. The…
Jews in Mississippi
In honor of "National Mississippi Day," Jewish Treats is proud to share a brief history of the Jews in Mississippi. In 1804, a year after the “Louisiana Purchase” was concluded, the…
Giving Gifts
“A person who is diligent in lighting Chanukah candles will have children who are scholars” (Talmud Shabbat 23b). The desire for scholarly children was actually one of the motivations for…
A National Poet
Chaim Nahman Bialik (born January 9, 1873) was an Israeli national icon who came to be recognized as one of Israel’s greatest national poets. Born in the Russian town of Radi, he was…
Blessed Is He Who Makes Strange Creatures
An individual might not think that Jewish Treats would have much to say about “Peculiar People Day,” as January 10th has been dubbed by those who create new holidays. However, the sages…