Jewish Treats

Chapters of Song

While the primary focus of the Shacharit (morning) service is the recitation of the Shema and the Shemoneh Esrei (also known as the Amidah), there are several sections of prayers that…

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Jewish Treats

He Shall Be Praised

Many of us remember learning to write research papers in school. Critical to receiving a good grade was composing a proper concluding paragraph to serve as a summation. While the prayer…

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Jewish Treats

Fortunate! Fortunate! Forunate!

Central among the morning prayers known as Pesukei D’zimra, Songs of Praise, is Psalm 145, which is more often referred to simply as Ashrei. Actually, Ashrei is included in the service…

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Jewish Treats

Heralded With Blessings

The opening prayer of Pesukei D’zimra is Baruch She’amar - Blessed is He who Said. It is a prose poem that uses an anaphora, a literary style in which the same word is repeated at the…

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Prayer,Judaism,ShabbatLiteracy,Judaism,Shabbat

Shabbat Prayers

Learn AboutShabbat Prayers Table of Contents Morning Blessings (Birkhot Hashachar) Verses of Praise (Pesukei Dezimrah)…

Deuteronomy,Re'eh,Weekly Message

Re’eh 5766-2006

"Adding or Subtracting" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald Parashat Re'eh is a rich and colorful parasha that contains 55 mitzvot, 17 positive and 38 negative. Among the most intriguing of the…

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Behar,Weekly Message,Bechukotai

Behar-Bechukotai 5766-2006

"The Economics of Torah" by Rabbi Ephraim Buchwald The very last chapter of the book of Leviticus chapter 27, which concludes this week's double parashiot Behar-Bechukotai, focuses on…

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Sources Commentators

Abarbanel (1437-1508, Spanish statesman, philosopher and commentator) Israel Abrahams (1858-1925) Achad Ha’Am (Asher Zvi Hirsh Ginsberg, 1856-1927) AJOP (Association for Jewish Outreach…

Weekly Message,Emor

Emor 5765-2005

"Priests and Death: An Unusual Relationship" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald This week's parasha, parashat Emor, continues the theme of holiness from last week's parasha, parashat Kedoshim,…

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Weekly Message,Bechukotai

Bechukotai 5763-2003

"Ma'aser Shay'nee--The Second Tithe" by Rabbi Ephraim Buchwald Toward the very end of this coming week's parasha, parashat Bechukotai, we learn the law of Ma'aser Shay'nee, the second…

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