Noah 5776-2015
"Noah - A Hero of Limited Proportions " by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this week’s parasha, parashat Noah, we read of the only living person whom G-d considered worthy of being saved…
Consequences
While God affords humans with freedom of choice, we must realize that in most areas of life, behaviors have consequences.
Va’eira 5760-2000
"G-d Hardens Pharaoh's Heart: Reconciling Omniscience and Free Will" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this coming week's parasha, parashat Va'eira, we encounter one of the fundamental…
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…
Va’eira 5780-2019
“G-d Hardens Pharaoh's Heart: Reconciling Omniscience with Free Will” (revised and updated from Va’eira 5760-2000) by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this week's parasha, parashat Va'eira,…
Nitzavim-Vayeilech 5767-2007
"The Choosing People" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald It surely cannot be mere coincidence that parashiot Nitzavim and Vayeilech are always read in the weeks that immediately precede or…
It Happened in Illinois
In honor of the anniversary of the State of Illinois’ entry into the union on December 3, 1818, Jewish Treats presents a brief overview of a 1977 Supreme Court case that helped…
Shemini 5766-2006
"Those Remarkable Dietary Laws" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald This week's parasha, parashat Shemini, embarks on an extensive excursion, that is devoted to the Jewish dietary laws. In fact,…
Bo 5768-2008
"Is This What You Call Borrowing?" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In parashat Bo we learn that after the ninth plague, the plague of darkness, Pharaoh has reached his wit's end, and agrees…
B’shalach 5769-2009
"Pharaoh Sends the People of Israel out of Egypt" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald Parashat B'shalach opens with a well-known verse describing Israel's dramatic exodus from Egypt. The Bible,…