Vayechi 5767-2007
"Lessons in Child Rearing from the Patriarch Jacob" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this week's parasha, parashat Vayechi, Jacob's life draws to a close. Jacob insists that his son,…
Bechukotai 5763-2003
"Ma'aser Shay'nee--The Second Tithe" by Rabbi Ephraim Buchwald Toward the very end of this coming week's parasha, parashat Bechukotai, we learn the law of Ma'aser Shay'nee, the second…
Shemot 5774-2013
“G-d Recognizes His Peoples’ Sufferings” by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this week’s parasha, parashat Shemot, the enslavement of the Children of Israel by the Egyptians begins in…
Significant Seventy
Nothing in the Torah is by chance, and so it is not without significance that the Torah reports: “All those who descended from Jacob were 70 soul” (Exodus 1:5), using a singular word,…
Australian Pride
Among the Australian Jewish community, Sir Isaac Isaacs (1855-1948) was a man who was often far more admired than he was liked. In his retirement, after a long and illustrious political…
Jews and War
The Israeli Defense Force (IDF) is one of the world’s top fighting forces. This is not so surprising when one recalls that the Bible is filled with references to military might. Even…
Bechukotai 5782-2022
“Ma’aser Shay’nee--The Second Tithe” (updated and revised from Bechukotai 5763-2003) by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald Toward the very end of this week’s parasha, parashat Bechukotai, we…