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

These Lights We Kindle

While the mitzvah of lighting the menorah is an outward-focused mitzvah – the menorah is lit in a window or doorway – it is also an opportunity for personal reflection on the deeper…

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Jewish Treats

The Chanukiyah

The term “menorah” is used for both the classic symbol of the holiday of Chanukah and the great seven-branched candelabra that was built in the wilderness following explicit Divine…

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Jewish Treats

Chanukah Yum

While Jewish holidays are known for their food (except Yom Kippur, of course), most of them are not known for being particularly healthy. Chanukah is no exception. Forget matzah or…

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Jewish Treats

The Final Analysis

After the soul departs, it journeys to the gates of heaven where it must present its case for entry. The Talmud (Shabbat 31a) states, “When an individual is brought before the Heavenly…

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Jewish Treats

Rights in Connecticut

At the time that Connecticut ratified the U.S. Constitution on January 9, 1788, the fifth state of the United States was not particularly welcoming to Jews or anyone else who was not…

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Jewish Treats

Everyday Miracles

While the manna that descended from heaven was certainly miraculous, recognize how many miracles occur all around us on any given day. The manna that the Jewish nation received each day…

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Jewish Treats

Jonas Phillips: Living in the Revolution

A few weeks after the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the British blockade intercepted a communication from Jonas Phillips to a relative on the Dutch Island of St. Estatius.…

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Jewish Treats

Thoughts for the Heart

In honor of American Heart Month, and because caring for your own health is part of two Torah mitzvot of “V’nish’martem me’od l’naf’sho’tay’chem” and “hatzalat n’fashoat” (guarding and…

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Jewish Treats

History for Everyone

Barbara Tuchman (née Wertheim), born January 30, 1912, never earned a doctorate in history, but the books that she authored injected new life into the layman’s study and understanding of…

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