Prayer Needs to Pierce Barriers

When we pray to God, we must envision our prayers as being potent enough to breach a wall.

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Shavuot 5765-2005

"Abba's Final Shavuot" by Rabbi Ephraim Buchwald Our father, of blessed memory, Moshe Aaron Buchwald, whom my sisters and I called "Abba," passed away on the 14th of Sivan 5752, June 15,…

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Balak 5772-2012

“Balaam, the Sorcerer, Becomes a Prophet” by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this week’s parasha, parashat Balak, we read of how Balak, the Moabite king, hired the pagan prophet, Balaam, to…

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Passover II 5773-2013

“The Final Days of Passover: A Call For Modesty in Jewish Life” by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald The Midrash, in Shemot Rabba 23:5, speaks of a purported conversation between G-d and Israel…

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Vayakhel-Pekudei 5775-2015

“Bringing Heaven Down To Earth” by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In parashat Pekudei, the second of this week’s double parshiot, Vayakhel-Pekudei, the Mishkan, the portable Tabernacle, is…

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Terumah 5777-2017

“ זִיכּוּי הָרַבִּים - Meriting the Broader Jewish Community” by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this week’s parasha, parashat Terumah, we read of the commandment to build a Tabernacle, a…

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Purim, Again?

Unique to the Jewish calendar, Purim is actually observed on different days depending on location. The majority of the Jewish people celebrate Purim on the 14th of Adar (yesterday).…

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The Buttonwood Jews

On the 17th of May, 1792, 24 businessmen met under a buttonwood (sycamore) tree and made an agreement to deal only with one another and to set a .25% commission rate on all…

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Purim, Again?

Unique to the Jewish calendar, Purim is actually observed on different days depending on location. The majority of the Jewish people celebrate Purim on the 14th of Adar (yesterday).…

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Operation Magic Carpet

A decade ago, the Wall Street Journal reported on the involvement of the United States’ government in a mission that brought approximately 100 Yemenite Jews to America, a little…

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