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…
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…
Original Vegetarianism: Where’s The Beef?
Adam and Eve were vegetarians. When God placed Adam in the Garden of Eden, the Torah tells us that God said: “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat…” (Genesis 2:16). While God…
Rosh Hashana 5784-2023
“Actions and their Implications” (updated and revised from Rosh Hashana 5766-2005) by, Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald The celebration of the Jewish New Year is entirely unlike the secular New…
Prayers for Israeli Soldiers
These are difficult days for the Jewish people. Vivid print descriptions and horrific images are being circulated of the atrocities committed against Jews living in Israel in recent days.…
Name Change
It is not a coincidence that cultures around the world share a belief in the power of given names. In Judaism, it is believed that parents are granted a flash of ruach hakodesh, Divine…
Three Steps Forward, Three Steps Back
While Jewish prayer has many aspects that are introspective, prayer is also designed to serve as a vehicle of communication with the Divine. The central focus of every prayer service is…
When Adar Begins
Today is the first day of Adar Sheni, the month of second Adar. Since this year is a leap year, a second month of Adar is added to the calendar. The Talmud (Ta’anith 29a) states regarding…