To Our Readers (Six Years!)
There are numerous mitzvot for which, according to the Talmud, a person is rewarded in both this world and the world to come. These mitzvot include honoring one’s parents, hospitality,…
Chukat 5774-2014
“The Inscrutable Statutes” by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald This week’s parasha, parashat Chukat opens with the well-known and deeply inscrutable law of the Red Heifer (cow). In Numbers 19:2,…
World Sauntering Day
In Jewish life there is a great appreciation for a character trait known as z’reezut, which is often translated as zealousness. The word z’reezut actually comes from the root…
The Importance of Dad
In honor of Father's Day, Jewish Treats presents this classic Treat on the importance of a father.Where does a child learn to be a mentsch (a good person)? From…
Make Me the High Priest
The Talmud (Shabbat 31a) relates the strange story of a non-Jewish man who wished to convert to Judaism in order to ultimately become the High Priest of Israel. He believed that, in…
Don’t Hesitate To Ask
Don't hesitate to ask questions about Jewish life and Jewish law. If you do not have contact with a local rabbi to whom you can ask questions, feel free to email Jewish Treats…
Homestead Bride
The Homestead Act of 1862, which was signed into law by President Abraham Lincoln on May 20, 1862, opened up a huge swath of the western United States to settlement. In order to claim…
The Second Passover
On the first anniversary of the Exodus from Egypt, the Children of Israel prepared to celebrate their first Passover as free people. God decreed that they should eat matzah and maror…
Reincarnation
Reincarnation is a word that to most Jews screams of foreign cultures. What is not common knowledge, however, is that the reincarnation of souls is a concept found in Judaism known…
No Assumptions
Before assuming that a concept is foreign to Jewish life, ask a rabbi, Jewish scholar or write to Jewish Treats ([email protected])