The Importance of Flag Day
Today is celebrated as “Flag Day” throughout the United States. On this day in 1777, the Second Continental Congress adopted the “Stars and Stripes” as the flag of the United States. In…
Bnei Brak – A Unique City
In Israel, there are any number of towns that identify themselves as primarily religious. There are none, however, that are as distinct or well-known for being as intensely religious as…
Sustenance and Beauty
Cosmetics have been a part of civilization since…well, research cannot pinpoint where or when people started using products to paint their faces or subtly alter their appearances, but its…
Kissing the Mezuzah
A person might easily think of the mitzvah of mezuzah as a passive mitzvah. Simply recite the blessing before affixing the mezuzah to the doorposts of the house, and it is done. While…
Naso 5783-2023
“Our Brother, Our Sister--the Proselyte” (updated and revised from Naso 5764-2004) By, Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this week’s parasha, parashat Naso, we learn of an intriguing law…
Berlin’s Hildesheimer Rabbinical Seminary
On May 11, 1820, a child was born in Prussia who would, as a grown man, almost single-handedly change the face of German Jewry. Rabbi Azriel Hildesheimer attended yeshiva in Hanover, and,…
Bechukotai,Weekly Message,Behar
Behar-Bechukotai 5783-2023
“The Revolutionary Nature of Shemita and Yovel” (updated and revised from Behar-Bechukotai 5764-2004) by, Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In parashat Behar, the first of this week’s two…
Acharei Mot,Weekly Message,Kedoshim
Acharei Mot-Kedoshim 5783-2023
“The Jewish Attitude Toward Sexuality” (updated and revised from Acharei Mot-Kedoshim 5764-2004) by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald Both of this week’s parashiot, Acharei Mot and Kedoshim,…
Uncategorized,Weekly Message,Passover
Passover 5783-2023
“With G-d as Our Partner” (updated and revised from Chol haMoed Passover 5764-2004) by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald This Shabbat, Shabbat Chol HaMoed Pesach, the regular Torah portion,…
In Honor of National Doctor’s Day
If you enjoy television medical dramas, then you probably have certain pre-conceived notions about doctors. After all, we see the doctors on television far more often than we see our own…