Sacred Speech Series Jewish Family Education with Candace R. Kwiatek, The Dayton Jewish Observer On her 80th birthday, a feisty Jewish woman makes out her last will and testament, then visits her rabbi to discuss two final wishes. The first is that she be cremated. Knowing that argument is useless,

Sacred Speech Series Jewish Family Education with Candace R. Kwiatek, The Dayton Jewish Observer The Talmud tells of a man who prepared a party, but the invitation to his friend Kamtza mistakenly went to his sworn enemy, Bar Kamtza. When the host discovered his enemy at the party, he ordered,

Sacred Speech — a new series Jewish Family Education with Candace R. Kwiatek, The Dayton Jewish Observer The new rabbi was mystified. Every Shabbat, an argument broke out during the service when it came time to recite the Shema. Half the congregation would tell everyone to rise: “We stand for

Judaism’s Worldview Series with Candace R. Kwiatek, The Dayton Jewish Observer A slave of the Hasmonean king, Alexander Yannai, killed a man and was brought to trial. Since the Torah required that even an ox accused of goring a person to death be testified against together with its master, the

Judaism’s Worldview Series Jewish Family Education with Candace R. Kwiatek, The Dayton Jewish Observer Twenty-five miles southwest of Jerusalem, Tel Lachish towers over the Judean landscape, a multi-layered mound of destroyed and rebuilt settlements and major cities from 5,500 B.C.E. through the eras of Joshua, Kings, and Maccabees. There, archaeologists

Judaism’s Worldview Series  Jewish Family Education with Candace R. Kwiatek, The Dayton Jewish Observer Two men appeared as disputants before Rabbi Heschel of Kraków, stated their claims, and left. As the rabbi deliberated, one man returned with a bag of gold coins and a request to decide the case in

Judaism’s Worldview Series Jewish Family Education with Candace R. Kwiatek, The Dayton Jewish Observer Nearly 2,000 years ago, the Talmudic sages taught: “When the sun is eclipsed it is a bad omen for the entire world. The Gemara (commentary) tells a parable. To what is this matter comparable? To a

Judaism’s Worldview Series Jewish Family Education with Candace R. Kwiatek, The Dayton Jewish Observer As the Roman Emperor Hadrian travelled along the roads of Tiberias, he saw an elderly man digging holes to plant fruit trees. Hadrian called out, “Old man, old man, how old are you today?” He replied,

Judaism’s Worldview Series Jewish Family Education with Candace R. Kwiatek, The Dayton Jewish Observer Salonika, Greece, 1936. The people in Nico’s Jewish neighborhood called the little blond-haired blue-eyed boy Chioni, Greek for snow, because he never lied. He adored his grandfather, who once warned him about lies. “Sometimes, if you

Judaism’s Worldview Series Jewish Family Education with Candace R. Kwiatek, The Dayton Jewish Observer The brainchild of Jewish philanthropist Harold Grinspoon, PJ Library is a free Jewish book club for families that provides more than 1,100 unique stories for celebrating Jewish values, traditions, and culture, and strengthening Jewish connection and