Jewish Treats

Resuming Normalcy

With Tisha b’av and its restrictions behind us, we can now resume our every-day lives. Tradition teaches that the enemies of Israel lit the Holy Temple aflame at the very end of the 9th…

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Jewish Treats

Does Life Begin at 40?

In 1932 Walter Pitkin published his popular self-help book, Life Begins at Forty. Truthfully, before the 20th century, life expectancy, on average, rarely exceeded 40. The number 40 is…

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Weekly Message,Vayechi

Vayechi 5778-2017

“Blessing the Children--Revisited” by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald   This week’s parasha, parashat Vayechi, is chock-full of blessings. Before his passing, Jacob not only blesses his…

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Jewish Treats

On the 25th of Kislev

It is not uncommon to find that significant events in Jewish history occurred in different years but on the same day on the Jewish calendar. For instance, Tisha b'Av (9th of…

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Jewish Treats

Nu, Don’t Eat

A popular joke: Most Jewish holidays can be subsumed under the pithy phrase: “They tried to kill us, we won, let’s eat!” For a nation obsessed with food, what’s with all the fasting?…

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Vayigash,Weekly Message

Vayigash 5777-2017

“No ‘Man’ was with Joseph” by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this week’s parasha, parashat Vayigash, the extraordinary story of Joseph and his brothers reaches its dramatic conclusion as…

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Jewish Treats

On the 25th of Kiselv

It is not uncommon to find that significant events in Jewish history occurred in different years but on the same day on the Jewish calendar. For instance, Tisha b'Av (9th of…

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Jewish Treats

Pleasant Shabbat

Although Shabbat is the 9th of Av, mourning is pushed off until the 10th. Enjoy your day of rest.

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Jewish Treats

It Happened In Argentina

Aside from the destruction of the two Temples in Jerusalem, many tragic events in Jewish history are associated with Tisha b’Av (technically the 9th of Av, but some of the…

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Jewish Treats

Powerful Months

“Rab Judah the son of Samuel ben Shilath said in the name of Rav. ‘Just as with the beginning of Av rejoicings are curtailed, so with the beginning of Adar rejoicings are increased”…

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