Tisha b’Av

This Wednesday night at sunset, the saddest day on the Jewish calendar begins. Known as the Fast of the 9th of Av (Tisha b’Av), the observances of Tisha b’Av are very similar to Yom…

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The Three Weeks

July 6-July 27, 2023The Three WeeksThe Seventeenth of Tammuz marks the beginning of a period known as the “Three Weeks.”…

Turn The Tables

During the Three Weeks, between the Seventeenth of Tammuz and Tisha b'Av, instead of baseless hatred and holding a grudge, embrace baseless love and kindness.

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The Three Weeks

Today, the Seventeenth of Tammuz, is the beginning of the period known as the Three Weeks, when we mourn the national tragedies that befell the Jewish people throughout the generations.

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New Season, New Month

The Talmudic term for the summer solstice is Tekuphat Tammuz, and at sunset tonight the first day of the Hebrew month of Tammuz begins. Celebrate Rosh Chodesh with a special meal or…

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The Law of Return

On July 5th, 1950, corresponding to the 20th of Tammuz, the Israeli Knesset unanimously passed the “Law of Return ”(LoR). The timing of the bill’s passage was intended to coincide with…

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The Ba’al Ha’turim

Spain in the Middle Ages was home to scholars of great renown such as Abraham ibn Ezra (1089 - c. 1164), Judah ha-Levi (1086-1145), Rabbi Moses ben Maimon (Maimonides/Rambam 1135-1204)…

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“The Rebbe”

Jews worldwide observe the yahrzeit (anniversary of death) of the seventh Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, of blessed memory, on the 3rd of Tammuz, which is observed…

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Algerian Purims

Previously, Jewish Treats has presented the history of “Minor Purims,” days on which particular communities commemorate being saved from tragedy. (See Purim of…

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Rabbi Shlomo Ganzfried and the Abridged Code of Law

When rabbinic authorities make halachic (Jewish legal) rulings, they generally consult the Shulchan Aruch (Code of Jewish Law), a compendium of halacha written in 1563 by Rabbi Joseph…

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