Jewish Treats

Speedy

Buckle up, look both ways...follow basic safety procedures.The speed skating competition at the 1928 Olympics, held in St. Moritz, Switzerland, ended in a literal “melt down.” During the…

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Jewish Treats

A Formal Engagement

The picture perfect engagement brings to mind the scene of a sweet young man kneeling on one knee holding out a ring box to his flustered, joyful girlfriend. It’s both a romantic…

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Jewish Treats

The Original Little Red Riding Hood

The story of Dinah, the youngest child of Leah, and Jacob’s only named daughter, is often glossed over when it is first taught. When Jacob was camped outside the city of Shechem, Dinah…

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Jewish Treats

Shabbat Elevator

In the days when the Talmud was compiled (and certainly in the times of Moses), there were no high rise apartment buildings. Families lived on farms or in small villages, and those who…

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Jewish Treats

The Fascinating Life of Judah P. Benjamin

Raised in Charleston, South Carolina, Judah P. Benjamin (1811, St. Croix - 1884, Paris) was 14 years old when he left home to attend Yale Law School. (For unknown reasons, he did not…

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Jewish Treats

Chanukah-What’s The Mitzvah?

Here’s a quiz: What is the primary mitzvah of Chanukah? a) Eating latkes (potato pancakes)b) Giving Chanukah gifts or gelt (money)c) Publicizing the miracle of the oil that lasted 8…

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Jewish Treats

Chanukah – What’s The Mitzvah

Here's a quiz: What is the primary mitzvah of Chanukah? a) Eating latkes (potato pancakes) b) Giving Chanukah gifts or gelt (money) c) Publicizing the miracle of the oil that lasted 8…

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Jewish Treats

Chanukah-What’s The Mitzvah?

Here’s a quiz: What is the primary mitzvah of Chanukah? a) Eating latkes (potato pancakes)b) Giving Chanukah gifts or gelt (money)c) Publicizing the miracle of the oil that lasted 8…

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Jewish Treats

Priorities: The Lessons of Reuben and Gad

From early in our lives, we are drilled about “priorities.” It usually begins, in earnest, during the high school years, as teenagers are pushed to think about the future, to get their…

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Jewish Treats

Shield Of Our Fathers

The Talmud (Shabbat 119a) describes the various ways the sages would greet Shabbat, emphasizing particularly the custom of going out into the field just before sunset. This custom is not…

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