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…
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.…
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…
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…
The Elder of Slabodka
Students who choose to study the history of the development of the twentieth century rabbinic leadership will likely come across the name “Slabodka.” The town for which the renowned…
Say Cheese!
For decades, the word "Polaroid" was synonymous with 60 second instant photography, in an era when film canisters were removed from the camera and developed into photographs by a third…
It’s The Hebrew Alphabet
Aleph – Bet – Gimmel – Daled – Hey…it’s the Hebrew alphabet! According to the Kabbalah, the Jewish mystical tradition, each of the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet has its own meaning…
Pidyon Ha’ben – Redeeming the Firstborn
“You must redeem the firstborn of a person…when he is one month old, for the value of five silver shekels” (Numbers 18:15-16). God sanctified the firstborn male Israelites when He…
Breslov
Jewish Treats is pleased to share the oft-quoted words of Rabbi Nachman of Breslov: “To always be happy is a great mitzvah.” These famous words of Rabbi Nachman have inspired the…
How Now, Red Cow
Every year, on the first or second Shabbat following Purim, a special reading from Numbers 19 is added to the regular Shabbat Torah reading. Known as “Parashat Parah,” the Torah reading…