After A Snack
After eating a meal with bread, Birkat Hamazon/Bentching/Grace After Meals is recited as a way to thank and acknowledge God’s gift of sustenance. But what does one recite after eating a…
What’s In The Book: Isaiah
The Book of Isaiah is famous for its rich, metaphorical language. Isaiah ben Amoz was a prophet during the reigns of the Judean kings Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah. The inhabitants of…
Zmirot (Songs of Shabbat)
Singing zmirot, songs of Shabbat, on Friday night not only expresses joy for the gift of Shabbat, but also offers praise to God. While many of the zmirot specifically speak of the beauty…
Birkat Hamazon
Have you ever forgotten to tip the waiter after eating at a restaurant? Probably not, because that’s society’s conventional manner of thanking the wait-staff. While we do not usually have…
The Miracles of the Temple
The Jewish liturgy is filled with reminders of how we should mourn the loss of the Holy Temple, with prayers asking God to return the Holy Temple to us. While it is common knowledge, from…
The Hope
In November 2004, the Israeli Knesset formally adopted Hatikva as the national anthem of the State of Israel. The preceding 56 years since the founding Israel, Hatikva had only been the…
Vayeira 5781-2020
“Mount Moriah: Building for the Future through Love” (updated and revised from Vayeira 2000-5761) by, Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald Last week’s parasha, parashat Lech Lecha, began with G-d…
Vayigash 5781-2020
“Joseph Helps His Brothers Repent” (updated and revised from Vayigash 5761-2001) by, Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald Maimonides writes, at the beginning of the second chapter of the Laws of…
Eliezer Ben-Yehuda, the Father of Modern Hebrew
The official language of Israel is Hebrew, but until the end of the 19th century, almost no one spoke Hebrew colloquially. Lashon Hakodesh, the holy tongue, was used only for prayer and…
The Great Rae Landy
National Nurses Week begins each year, on May 6th and ends on May 12th, Florence Nightingale's birthday. Today, Jewish Treats honors Rae Landy. To Rachel “Rae” Landy, nursing was far more…