Passover II 5779-2019
“On the Seventh Day the Walls of Water Split” (Revised and updated from Passover 5765-2005) by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald The Passover holiday is divided chronologically into two parts,…
Weekly Message,Va'etchanan,Tisha b'Av
Va’etchanan-Tisha B’Av 5768-2008
"A Hopeful Message for Jewish Future" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this week's parasha, parashat Va'etchanan, we find the well-known citation from Deuteronomy 4:25-40, "Kee to'leed…
Perceiving Change
Parashat Ha’azinu, also called Shirat Ha’azinu, the poem or song of Ha’azinu in Hebrew, is literally laid-out in the Torah scroll as a poem, not as the typical prose one finds. Moses’…
The Importance of Fences
Transmitting words of wisdom to leaders of future generations, the Men of the Great Assembly advised: “Make a fence for the Torah” (Pirkei Avot/Ethics of the Fathers 1:1), which alludes…
The Torah’s Special Genetic Code
During Biblical times, our ancestors did not understand genetics, DNA codes, chromosomes and the transmission of physical attributes, as we understand them today. While the sages do note…
Until 120!
According to Wikipedia, "The oldest verified person on record was French woman Jeanne Calment (1875 - 1997), who lived to the age of 122 years." This fact is an excellent source of…
A Community Revealed
In 1492, four families in Belmonte, Portugal began to live secret lives that would last for generations. Like many Jews on the Iberian Peninsula, in response to the Inquisition, which…
Calligraphy
In honor of National Handwriting Day, Jewish Treats explores the unique calligraphy practiced by a Jewish sofer (scribe). The Hebrew letters used in a Torah scroll, as well as on other…
May His Name Be Erased
When a righteous person passes away, it is customary to add the following laudatory phrase after mentioning the deceased’s name: “zecher tzaddik liv'racha” (May the memory of this…
Spiraling From Adam
“The Chosen People,” as the Jews are sometimes known, has been misunderstood by some as an indication that Judaism disdains those who are not Jewish. This, of course, is not true. Adam,…