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Green Cheesecake at Midnight?

Editor — Tue, 14 May 2013 10:10:00 +0000

According to the Midrash, at the time of the giving of the Torah, Mount Sinai burst forth in blossoms of verdant greenery, covered with plants and flowers. This is the basis for the custom of decorating our homes and synagogues with plants and flowers on Shavuot.

The Book of Ruth

Editor — Tue, 14 May 2013 10:03:00 +0000

Ruth was the Moabite wife of Machlon, one of the sons of Elimelech and Naomi, a wealthy couple who had fled Bethlehem during a bitter famine. Elimelech's family had settled in Moab, a neighboring country with which Israel had a history of conflict.

A Different Set of Loaves

Editor — Mon, 13 May 2013 10:10:00 +0000

There are several well-known connections between the holiday of Passover and the holiday of Shavuot. The most obvious of these is that the celebration of Shavuot is dependent on the count of 49 days that begins on the second day of Passover.

In The Wilderness

Editor — Mon, 13 May 2013 10:03:00 +0000

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 mitzvot that can only be performed when the Israelites settle the land.

Fear Your Mother?

Editor — Sun, 12 May 2013 10:03:00 +0000

"Honor your father and your mother" (Exodus 20:12) is the fifth of the Ten Commandments.

Thank You, Mom

Editor — Sun, 12 May 2013 10:02:00 +0000

In honor of all our favorite Jewish Mothers, we've decided to re-Treat this special Mother's Day edition of Jewish Treats!

Give Them A Choice

Editor — Fri, 10 May 2013 10:10:00 +0000

There is an oft-cited Midrash (Sifrei, Dvarim 343) describing how God offered the Torah to the other nations of the world before He gave it to the Jewish people at Mount Sinai. According to this Midrash, the first nation to whom He offered the Tor...

Day of Distinction

Editor — Fri, 10 May 2013 10:03:00 +0000

On the first day of Sivan in the year 2448 (Jewish calendar), only seven weeks after leaving Egypt, the Israelites reached the Wilderness of Sinai. On the desert plain around the mountain, they set up camp and watched as Moses set off toward the mountain to hear God's will.

The Feast of Weeks

Editor — Thu, 09 May 2013 10:03:00 +0000

Shavuot, which we begin celebrating Tuesday night (May 14th), is the only holiday in the Torah not listed by the date on which it is to be observed. Rather, the Torah teaches that this festival takes place on the day following the 49th day after the fi...

Two Pillars of Five

Editor — Thu, 09 May 2013 10:02:00 +0000

Jewish law, and thus Jewish life, rests on two pillars, the mitzvot between a person and God and the mitzvot between one person and another. These two pillars of law are laid out in the Ten Commandments.According to the sages, the first five commandmen...