The Surgery Is Elective
In the late twentieth century, there was, according to anecdotal evidence, an epidemic of “deviated septum” among American Jewish girls. The implication, along with many not-so-funny…
Bamidbar 5783-2023
“Surviving the Wilderness” (updated and revised from Bamidbar 5764-2004) by, Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this week’s parasha, parashat Bamidbar, the Israelites enter the…
Learning the Truth of Your Heritage at Age 59: The Amazing Story of Madeleine Albright
Madeleine Albright broke a glass ceiling when she became the first woman U.S. Secretary of State on January 23, 1997. A few weeks later, at age 59, Madeleine learned that her parents,…
Thank You Nurses
Today, May 12th, is International Nurses Day, and so, Jewish Treats honors a woman who made a tremendous impact on the world of public health. Lillian D. Wald (1867–1940) was born to…
Recognizing the Good
On International Nurses Day, remember to thank nurses and other first responders for their courageous work. In the fifth chapter of Pirkei Avot, Ethics of the Fathers, we are taught,…
Berlin’s Hildesheimer Rabbinical Seminary
On May 11, 1820, a child was born in Prussia who would, as a grown man, almost single-handedly change the face of German Jewry. Rabbi Azriel Hildesheimer attended yeshiva in Hanover, and,…
Rabbi and Statesman, Rabbi Moses Schorr
Rabbi Moses Schorr was a passionate academic who dedicated most of his indefatigable energy to the Jewish people. Born on May 10, 1874, in Przemyśl, Galicia, when it was still part of…
Take A Sabbatical
It is interesting that the two most common professions which offer sabbatical leaves are academia and clergy. These two professions are fields in which practitioners devote a great deal…
Recharge Your Spiritual Batteries
Recharge your spiritual batteries to make sure your spiritual connections remain strong.
Lag Ba’Omer
The period of mourning* (for the 24,000 students of Rabbi Akiva who died of plague) that is associated with Sefirat Ha’Omer, is observed on the 33rd day of the Omer, a day known as Lag…