B’ha’a’lot’cha 5778-2018
“The Seventy Elders: The Challenge of Jewish Leadership” by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald Among the many interesting themes found in this week’s parasha, parashat B’ha’a’lot’cha, is…
Naso 5778-2018
“Counting the ‘Special’ People” by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In last week’s parasha, parashat Bamidbar, after conducting a census of all the tribes of Israel and assigning each tribe a…
Courland Jews, an Interesting History
There is no country by the name of Courland, but there is a historical subset of Latvian Jews known as Courland Jews. Their distinction comes from the connection in the 19th century of…
Keeping Ethical
Pirkei Avot is commonly translated as Ethics of Our Fathers because many of its statements focus on ethical behavior. For those striving to be ethical, “Nittai the Arbelite says:…
Two Days of Festival
Leviticus 23:34-36: On the fifteenth day of the seventh month is the Feast of Tabernacles ... On the first day shall be a holy convocation; you shall do no manner of creative labor. For…
Beauty of the Book
Illuminated manuscripts inlaid with gold or silver leaf and spectacularly illustrated are most often associated with the Medieval church (the Gospels, Psalters, etc), where texts were…
President Warren Harding
In honor of President’s Day, Jewish Treats presents a quick look at the relationship of President Warren Harding (1865 - 1923) and the Jews. Although Harding may be criticized for…
Vayechi 5778-2017
“Blessing the Children--Revisited” by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald This week’s parasha, parashat Vayechi, is chock-full of blessings. Before his passing, Jacob not only blesses his…
Albania and the Jews
Albania, which today marks its Independence Day, is a small Balkan country with an almost minute Jewish population. While it was never a country with a large Jewish population, there have…
Visiting Graves
Graveyard tours are often promoted in the month of October as an opportunity for spookiness. Judaism, however, encourages visiting the burial sites of relatives and holy people at all…