Discover The Backstory
When reading the Torah narratives, remember that the Written Torah contains basic information, but Oral Torah highlights the character development.
To Bee Or Not To Bee
Deuteronomy, the fifth book of the Torah written by Moses in first person, describes the highlights and low points of Moses’ tenure as leader of the Jewish people. While offering a…
Coming of Age
The assumption that every Jewish adult has had a Bar/Bat Mitzvah celebration is presumptuous. The assumption that every Jewish adult (other than a convert) has become a Bar/Bat Mitzvah is…
Off With His Head
Capital punishment is one of the modern era’s great controversies. Does a judicial system have the right to sentence a person to death? Like most such controversial topics, similar…
Rising Early
Anthropologists, sociologists and others who study the ways of different cultures all recognize the importance of language in understanding a people. It is commonly stated (whether true…
Coming of Age
The assumption that every Jewish adult has had a Bar/Bat Mitzvah celebration is presumptuous. The assumption that every Jewish adult (other than a convert) has become a Bar/Bat Mitzvah is…
Jewish Identity
Sign up for one of NJOP’s free Hebrew Reading Crash Courses starting Monday night January 17th (Level I for beginners) and Wednesday night January 19th (Level II for intermediates), and…
B’ha’a’lot’cha 5782-2022
“The Message of the Manna” (updated and revised from B’ha’a’lot’cha 5763-2003) by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this week’s parasha, Parashat B’ha’a’lot’cha, we encounter the…
And Now Let Us Say Amen
The word “Amen” seems to be one of those words associated with prayer throughout the Judeo-Christian culture, but what does it mean? The response “Amen” at the end of an oath or a prayer…
Emor 5778-2018
“The Great Moses Seems Not to Know the Answer” by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this week’s parasha, parashat Emor, we encounter the episode of the מְגַדֵּף, megadef, the blasphemer, which…