The Significance of Answering Amen
Don’t miss an opportunity to recite “Amen” to a blessing as it represents an affirmation that the statement made in the blessing is in fact true. In this week’s parasha, Kee Tavo, the…
Forgiveness: An Elul Treat
Many feel that the three hardest words to say, in any language are: “I am sorry.” Yet, we all know how very important those words are. Indeed, a person saying they are sorry, or at least…
Houston Healthcare
Many cities have Jewish hospitals, but Houston also has a Jewish Institute of Medical Research. In the 1950s, Houston’s Jewish community sought to create a medical facility that had a…
An Interesting Philologist
Language is considered to be one of the unique characteristics of humankind. Lazarus (Eliezer Solomon) Geiger believed that there was a great deal to learn about humanity from studying…
Kee Tavo 5783-2023
"The Centrality of Joy in Jewish Observance" (updated and revised from Kee Tavo 5764-2004) by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald Parashat Kee Tavo is one of the two parashiot in the Torah that…
Happy Bow Tie Day
Today is Bow Tie Day, which is celebrated annually on August 28th. The bow tie originated in the 17th century with Croatian soldiers who wore them as part of their uniforms in the…
Kiss and Make Up
Today, August 25th, is the anonymously anointed “Kiss and Make Up Day.” These modern “holidays” have little historic meaning, but Jewish Treats would be remiss in not noting that the…
Burying The Dead
An unusually large body of Jewish law is concerned with interpersonal relationships, teaching how to properly respect each person, since all of humankind is created b’tzelem Eh-lokim, in…
Chevra Kadisha
The Chevra Kadisha (Jewish Burial Society) is a vital volunteer organization known for its anonymity. Helping to bury the dead is considered one of the most altruistic mitzvot, for the…
Before Bagels On Broadway
There is no doubt that New York is home to the largest Jewish community outside of the State of Israel, with a population well over one million. But, who was New York’s first Jew? That…