May His Name Be Erased
“Purim Holiday/Purim Holiday/A big holiday for the Jews Masks and noisemakers/Songs and Dance/Let’s make noise rash rash rash.” (Classic Hebrew Purim Song - Hava Nareesha Rash Rash Rash)…
Fully Present
In Hebrew, one word can say so much. For instance, hineni. This seemingly simple phrase is understood as a powerful statement of a person’s state of mind. Literally, it is translated:…
Grammatic Multiples
Whereas grammar in most languages is generally assumed to be important because it creates structure and order, Biblical grammar also has a powerful effect on the meaning of a text. For…
The Power of Propaganda
In recent weeks, several celebrities have achieved notoriety for making anti-Semitic slurs. Their slurs were far from original and, thank God, far from potent. Indeed, such attacks…
Putting Chanukah In Perspective
Tonight we will light the final Chanukah candles. Let us take just a few more moments to make Chanukah real in our minds by placing it in its historical context: The events of Chanukah…
Thou Shalt Take A Surname
Goldberg, Rosenstein, Feldman...typical Jewish Ashkenazi names. Historically, however, until the early Industrial era, Jews were generally known by a patronymical : Rabbi Shimon ben (son…
Putting Chanukah in Perspective
Last night we lit the final Chanukah candles, and today is the last day of the holiday. Let us now take just a few more moments to make Chanukah real in our minds. We’ve talked about the…
Kedoshim 5760 – 2000
"The Revolutionary Idea of Holiness" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this coming week's parasha, Parashat K'doshim, we encounter that magical and revolutionary word which the Torah has…
Emor,Yom Ha'atzmaut,Weekly Message
Emor-Yom Ha’atzmaut 5763-2003
"The Counting of the Omer and the Celebration of Israel's Independence" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald This week's parasha, parashat Emor, coincides with the celebration of Yom Ha'atzma'ut,…
Progress For Women
On August 26, 1920, the 19th amendment to the United States Constitution went into effect, prohibiting all U.S. states and the Federal government from denying the right to vote to any…