Matot-Masei 5783-2023
"The Mitzvah of Living in the Land of Israel” (updated and revised from Matot-Masei 5764-2004) by, Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In parashat Masei, the second of this week’s double…
Five Wise Sisters
Few women are mentioned by name in the Torah, and those who are, are generally major players (i.e. Sarah, Rachel, Miriam). Yet twice in the Torah, Mach’lah, Noa, Hoglah, Milcah and…
Thoughtful Questions
When someone poses a question, be sure to consider the seriousness of the question and the potential ramifications. When studying Torah, both the written and oral law, it is critical to…
Smashing the Tablets
Today's date on the Jewish calendar is the Seventeenth of Tammuz. The sages declare that five tragedies occurred on the Seventeenth of Tammuz, which is why the day is observed as a fast…
The Three Weeks
Today, the Seventeenth of Tammuz, is the beginning of a period known as the Three Weeks, when we mourn the national tragedies that befell the Jewish people throughout the generations.
Fleeing in the New World
The history of the conversos, those Spanish and Portuguese Jews who hid their identities by publicly behaving as observant Catholics, is tragic not only for the horrible auto-de-fes (mass…
Jews and the American Revolution
In honor of July 4th, Independence Day, Jewish Treats would like to share some of the contributions made by two Jewish patriots who helped shape the fledgling nation. In 1776 there were…
Pinchas 5783-2023
“The Conundrum of Pinchas: Do His Actions Set an Unacceptable Precedent?” (updated and revised from Pinchas 5764-2004) by, Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald This week’s parasha, parashat Pinchas,…
Kafkaesque
Franz Kafka was born into a Jewish family on July 3, 1883 near the Old Town Square in Prague, in the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Franz was the eldest of six children (two tragically died in…
Free To All
On June 30, 2008, the first Jewish Treat was published. There were fewer than 50 subscribers. Today, we are proud to say, that over 4,400 people receive Jewish Treats in their inboxes…