An ancient 'slice of life.' Today’s daf finds us in the middle of an arcane and uncomfortable discussion. We have already established that a firstborn donkey, which is not kosher, is redeemed with a ...

Today, we reach the end of Tractate Chullin. Congratulations to everyone who made it through this difficult and “meaty” tractate! The Torah promises long life as a reward for the person who performs ...

The Jewish New Year is nearly here, which means it’s time to figure out what you’re going to eat. Many Sephardic Jews partake in a Rosh Hashanah seder before digging into a festive meal. And Jews from ...

While lots of breads are braided, the hallmark of a challah dough is its lack of dairy products. Challah is enriched with egg, olive oil, and honey—no milk or butter in sight. As the traditional bread ...

It was a long time before I made the connection between mandelbrot (also known as mandel bread), the twice-baked cookies commonly found in Ashkenazi Jewish households, and biscotti, the twice-baked ...

Jewish tradition requires that we treat dead bodies with the utmost respect and strictly prohibits any action that would desecrate them. Jewish tradition requires that we treat dead bodies with the ...

This slogan of Jewish resilience was popularized by the legendary songwriter Shlomo Carlebach. Am Yisrael Chai, literally “the people of Israel live,” is a slogan of Jewish continuity and resilience ...

Considered one of the crown jewels of Shabbat and holiday cooking, brisket has decidedly humble beginnings. Inexpensive due to its toughness and originally considered a throwaway cut, brisket became a ...

With its shiny, golden crust and soft, chewy crumb, this sourdough challah will be a welcome addition to your baking repertoire. By replacing the traditional yeast with sourdough starter, the dough ...

Whenever I had the slightest hint of a sore throat, the remedy in our Ashkenazi Jewish home was gogol mogol (kogel mogel in Polish). Gogol mogol is a Yiddish word for a shtetl recipe that dates back ...

Kadorei shokolad (chocolate balls) are one of Israel’s most popular desserts. Like many of the world’s most comforting foods, these sweet treats can typically only be found in home kitchens. They’re ...

Today’s daf contains one of those passages that present significant challenges to the modern reader. It deals with an emotionally challenging subject: sexual relations with children. Shmuel said: And ...