Jewish Treats

The Food of Yom Kippur

Food on Yom Kippur? Isn’t Yom Kippur the most famous fast day on the Jewish calendar? "One who eats and drinks on the ninth, is considered by the Torah to have fasted on both the ninth…

Read More

Jewish Treats

The Importance of Dad

In honor of Father's Day, Jewish Treats presents this classic Treat on the importance of a father. Where does a child learn to be a mentsch (a good person)? From…

Read More

Jewish Treats

Seek the Answer

The Four Questions (Mah Nishtana - What makes it different?) is one of the most famous features of the Passover Seder. In Ashkenazi homes, these four lines are recited by the…

Read More

Jewish Treats

Kitniyot and Gebrouchts

Ashkenazi or Sephardi? Hungarian, Yekke (German), Lithuanian? At no other time on the Jewish calendar is it so important to know your ancestry as it is on Passover. What one does or does…

Read More

Jewish Treats

Five Names of Rosh Hashana

In Jewish tradition, Rosh Hashana has several names that can help us understand the importance and power of this holiday. Rosh Hashana literally means "Head of the Year" because Rosh…

Read More

Jewish Treats

In the Wilderness

The Torah was given to the Jewish nation in the midst of the wilderness on a tiny mountain called Sinai. Throughout the Torah, however, there is much focus on the “Promised Land” and the…

Read More

Jewish Treats

Putting Chanukah In Perspective

The events of Chanukah took place about 150 years after the death of Alexander the Great (323 BCE), which brought 40 years of civil war to his empire. Eventually, the empire was divided…

Read More

Jewish Treats

Green Cheesecake at Midnight

The holiday of Shavuot has three well-known, and well-loved, customs: Decorating our homes and synagogues with plants and flowers: According to the Midrash, at the time of the giving…

Read More

Jewish Treats

The Beauty of the Book

Illuminated manuscripts inlaid with gold or silver leaf and spectacularly illustrated are most often associated with the Medieval church (the Gospels, Psalters, etc), where texts were…

Read More

Jewish Treats

Tu b’Shevat is Coming

While it has been a difficult winter for many of us, it may be time to look beyond the turbulent weather and see that spring is just around the corner. You might wonder how one can…

Read More