With Your Permission

Dear Miss Manners: Yesterday, a friend knocked on my door. I invited him in and he proceeded to grab a snack out of the fridge, watch a movie on my TV and then hopped on to my exercise…

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With Your Permission

Dear Miss Manners: Yesterday, a friend knocked on my door. I invited him in and he proceeded to grab a snack out of the fridge, watch a movie on my TV and then hopped on to my exercise…

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Vayechi 5766-2006

"The Passing of a Patriarch" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this week's parasha, parashat Vayechi, we read of the passing of the patriarch Jacob. The Torah tells us that as soon as…

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Balak 5777-2017

“Influencing the Will of G-d” by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this week’s parasha, parashat Balak, we learn that the Moabite king, Balak, the son of Zippor, is overwhelmed with fear as a…

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A Brief Synopsis of the Book of Esther

A Brief Synopsis ofThe Book of Esther Table of Contents Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter…

Bo 5768-2008

"Is This What You Call Borrowing?" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In parashat Bo we learn that after the ninth plague, the plague of darkness, Pharaoh has reached his wit's end, and agrees…

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Yitro 5772-2012

"Who is the Real Jethro?" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald Jethro, a man of great stature and distinction, is first encountered in the Bible in Exodus 2:16. The Torah describes Jethro as…

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Vayechi 5773-2012

"The Patriarch Jacob Did Not Die!" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this week’s Torah portion, parashat Vayechi, the patriarch Jacob, passes away at age 147. The Torah, in Genesis 49:33,…

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The Burial at Betar

In war, a common means of humiliating the enemy is to refuse them burial of their dead (which is forbidden by the Geneva Convention). Certainly, demoralization was the goal of the Romans…

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The Jews of Genoa

In honor of Columbus Day, Jewish Treats presents a brief history of early Jewish life in Columbus’ hometown of Genoa (also called Genova). Although it is generally presumed that Jews…

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