Jewish Treats

For The Sin We Committed

One of the main steps in the process of teshuva (repentance) is confessing one’s sins and verbalizing one’s errors. In so doing, a person admits committing a sin, not so much…

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Rosh Hashana,Weekly Message,Nitzavim

Nitzavim-Rosh Hashana 5779-2018

“Whatever Became of Sin?” by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald According to Rabbi Hayyim Angel, this week’s parasha, parashat Nitzavim, contains “one of the greatest expositions on repentance in…

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Jewish Treats

Is there an Abracadabra for Repentance?

Paragraphs two and three of the first chapter of Maimonides' “Laws of Teshuva” invoke the Biblical case of the scapegoat, which, in ancient times, helped effect atonement for the Jewish…

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Jewish Treats

By Your Side

There are many metaphors in Jewish tradition that are meant to help a person understand the spiritual consequences of one’s actions. In a world in which reward and punishment for one’s…

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Jewish Treats

Cut Off

"...Be as scrupulous in performing a 'minor' mitzvah as a 'major' one, for you do not know the reward given for the respective mitzvot. Calculate the...reward of a sin against its cost"…

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Jewish Treats

Perception of the Eye

Within Jewish law there is a concept known as maarit ayin, which translates to “perception of the eye.” It is a shorthand term for the rabbinic prohibition of doing a permitted act that…

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Vayikra,Weekly Message

Vayikra 5778-2018

"The Sins of a Leader” by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald   This week’s parasha, parashat Vayikra introduces the third book of the Torah, Vayikra, Leviticus. The parasha deals with the…

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Jewish Treats

We’re Not Taking Care of Business

On Shabbat, the Jewish people are commanded: “Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is Shabbat for the Lord your God; you shall not do any work” (Exodus…

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Vayishlach,Weekly Message

Vayishlach 5778-2017

“The Tragic Death of Mother Rachel” by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald   In this week’s parasha, parashat Vayishlach, we learn of the untimely and tragic death of Mother Rachel as she was…

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Jewish Treats

An Unholy Act with the Best Intentions

There are many stories in the Torah that might be deemed “too adult,” and are generally glossed over in Hebrew school. But, like every narrative in the Bible, these stories have…

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