Bamidbar 5779-2019
“The Trials of Being a Public Figure” (Revised and updated from Bamidbar 5760-2000) by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this week’s parasha, parashat Bamidbar, we encounter a…
Tzav 5779-2019
"Remembering Amalek: A Contemporary View” (Revised and updated from Tzav 5760-2000) by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald Rather than focus on this coming week’s parasha, parashat Tzav, I have…
Terumah 5779-2019
“The Mishkan: Underscoring the Centrality of the Home in Jewish Life” (Revised and updated from Terumah 5760-2000) by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this coming week’s parasha, parashat…
Giving Gifts
"One who is diligent in lighting Chanukah candles will have children who are scholars" (Talmud Shabbat 23b). The desire for scholarly children was actually one of the…
A Special Yom Tov
Rabbi Gershon Shaul Yom Tov Lipmann Heller was born in Bavaria, Germany, to a renowned rabbinic family. He received a traditional Jewish education and studied under the legendary Maharal…
Celebrating Bar Ilan University
Would you believe that the founding of Israel’s second largest university (33,000 students) was conceived “deep in the heart of Dixie”? Two years after Israel’s founding in 1948, the…
Re’eh 5778-2018
"The Torah’s Definition of True Wealth” by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this week’s parasha, parashat Re’eh, we read some of the most exalted statements ever recorded in human…
Passover 5778-2018
Originally Published 5774-2014 “The Opening Act” by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald As every good scriptwriter, playwright or novelist knows, the opening act of a television presentation, a…
Educating American Girls
When Vichna Kaplan (1913 - 1986) arrived in America in 1937, her experiences confirmed the country’s reputation as a place where Jewish tradition was in danger. This was particularly true…
Kee Tisah 5778-2018
Safeguarding the Covenant by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald This week's parasha, parashat Kee Tisah, focuses primarily on the sin of the Golden Calf and Moses' successful invocation of…