Year: 2020

"You can put lipstick on a pig . . ." We are all familiar with this expression. I had no idea that its origins were in today's Daf. We learn,…

How do we know when a meal has ended? This question, for the Rabbis of the Talmud, raised religiously significant issues. We learned previously that there was an order to…

Recall that there are six rabinically approved blessings we can say before we eat, depending on what we are going to eat. The blessings are as follows: Borei p'ri ha'eitz…

Americans did not widely brush their teeth until after World War II. American soldiers were required to brush their teeth in the armed forces and the practice continued when these…

If you are ever dining with a famous Rabbi and she or he asks you to say the blessing before or after the meal, DON'T DO IT! Remember just a…

Continuing on my theme of growing up in the '70s, recall the Flinstones Chewable. Every morning before school, I would have a bowl of cereal and a Flinstones Chewable -…

Like most kids in the 70's, my mother packed me the same lunch every day for elementary school - a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, a small baggie of chips…

I love capers. The intense, salty flavor of the caper compliments pastas, salads, fish and martinis so well. Mediterranean cuisine of all sorts (Italian, Greek, Cypriot,etc.) make generous use of…

I listened to this podcast today. I thought it did a great job of explaining the concept of "holy" in the age of social media. I hope you enjoy.

We have been discussing animals and Shabbat in chapter five. Shabbat is a day of rest for our animals as well as us. Just as there are complicated rules as…