Connecting the Words

In honor of “Dictionary Day,” Jewish Treats looks at a renowned Jewish dictionary that has served scholars and students since the turn of the 20th century. A Dictionary of Targumim,…

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Eliezer Ben-Yehuda, the Father of Modern Hebrew

The official language of Israel is Hebrew, but until the end of the 19th century, almost no one spoke Hebrew colloquially. Lashon Hakodesh, the holy tongue, was used only for prayer and…

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Connecting the Words

Jewish Treats looks at a renowned Jewish dictionary that has served scholars and students since the turn of the 20th century. A Dictionary of Targumim, Talmud Bavli, Talmud Yerushalmi and…

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Eliezer Ben Yehuda, the Father of Modern Hebrew

The official language of Israel is Hebrew, but until the end of the 19th century, almost no one spoke Hebrew colloquially. Lashon Hakodesh, the holy tongue, was used only for prayer and…

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Bereshith 5769-2008

"The Development of Civilization as Recorded in Genesis" by Rabbi Ephraim Buchwald The Torah is not intended to serve as a history lesson or as a chronicle of the development of ancient…

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Maggid

Maggid Table of ContentsMaggid, the section of the Seder where we fulfill the mitzvah of telling the story of the Exodus, is a…

Chukat-Balak 5769-2009

"The Ultimate Value of Human Life" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald On this Shabbat, throughout the diaspora, a double Torah portion, Chukat-Balak, is read. In Israel, however, only the…

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Vayishlach 5763-2002

"We Can Forgive the Arabs For Killing Our Children..." by Rabbi Ephraim Buchwald As we learn more and more Torah, we cannot help but realize that we frequently learn revolutionary…

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Dancing on Ice

Competing for artistic and athletic mastery on ice has been part of the fun of winter long before the Winter Olympics, and Jews have often taken part in the joy of ice skating. In…

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The Source of Leadership

Great leaders can move mountains...or at least, masses of people. Ezra the Scribe was just such a leader, and it was his charisma and wisdom that inspired the Jews to leave their…

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