Jewish Treats

Taking Stock and Moving Forward

Utilize this Shabbat, known as Shabbat Shuva, to contemplate how to repent for prior transgressions and how to improve going forward. We are taught in Pirkei Avot, Ethics of the Fathers,…

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Jewish Treats

Original Vegetarianism: Where’s The Beef?

Adam and Eve were vegetarians. When God placed Adam in the Garden of Eden, the Torah tells us that God said: “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat…” (Genesis 2:16). While God…

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Jewish Treats

The Jews of Panama

The history of the Jews in Panama is similar to Jewish history in other South and Central American countries. Conversos (Jews who publicly recanted the Jewish faith and adopted…

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Jewish Treats

On One Foot

Jewish Treats was asked to summarize the Jewish faith in one tweet. For those unfamiliar with the “X”/Twitter format, that means in 280 characters or less, which seems, at first glance, a…

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Jewish Treats

The Story of Chanukah

Around the year 167 B.C.E., the Syrian-Greek rulers of Judea tried to force the Jews to assimilate into Hellenic culture. They summoned the Jews to the town squares where they were forced…

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Jewish Treats

The 25th of Kislev

It is not uncommon to find that significant events in Jewish history occurred in different years, but on the same day on the Jewish calendar. For instance, Tisha b’Av (9th of Av), the day…

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Jewish Treats

Special For Chanukah: The Chanukah Blessings

Tonight, on the first night of Chanukah, one candle/light is placed on the far right of the menorah. Each succeeding night, one candle/light is added to the left of the previous night’s…

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Jewish Treats

Learning From Others

Listen closely to another person’s advice since it’s quite possible that they are sharing their wisdom and thereby providing you with a valuable life lesson. In parashat Miketz, this…

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Jewish Treats

The Messiah – A Jewish Concept

Because the concept of a Messiah* (Moshiach in Hebrew) is not overtly mentioned in the five books of the Torah, it is often overlooked as one of the tenets of the Jewish faith. But the…

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Jewish Treats

The Coming of the Messiah

Pray for the coming of the Messiah, speedily in our days. Citing the Midrash, Rashi, in this week’s Torah portion, Vayechi, explains that our Forefather Jacob wanted to reveal to his…

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