Chapters of Song
While the primary focus of the Shacharit (morning) service is the recitation of the Shema and the Shemoneh Esrei (also known as the Amidah), there are several sections of prayers that…
From Holy God To Holy King
On Rosh Hashana, God judges the world (and all the people therein), but their fates are not sealed until 10 days later, on Yom Kippur. It is during these ten days that we must present a…
Ah’nay’noo / Answer Us
On public fast days, the following prayer asking for communal forgiveness is added by the prayer leader to the repetition of the Amidah during morning and afternoon services. An…
A Lullaby Blessing
In the Talmud (Berachot 5a), Rabbi Yitzchak is quoted saying: "Whoever recites the Bedtime Shema is as though he held a two-edged sword in his hand [to protect him against demons]...”…
Tetzaveh 5781-2021
“The Korban Tamid--a Lesson in Consistency” (updated and revised from Tetzaveh 5762-2002) by, Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this week’s parasha, parashat Tetzaveh, after a lengthy…
Bamidbar 5776-2016
“A Tiny Letter Conveys a Profound Lesson" By Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald This week’s parasha, parashat Bamidbar, is the opening Torah portion of the fourth book of the Torah, Bamidbar, also…
Smashing The Tablets
The sages declare that five tragedies occurred on the seventeenth of Tammuz, which is why the day is observed as a fast day. Days of what we might now call “bad karma” (on which bad…
The Four Mitzvot of Purim
Purim is celebrated on Sunday, March 20th (beginning after Shabbat on March 19th). Four mitzvot are associated with the holiday: Megillah Reading - Book of Esther - The Megillah is read…
The Tragedy of the Idol
Ever since Moses saw the Israelites dancing around the Golden Calf and smashed the two tablets of the law, the 17th of Tammuz has been an inauspicious day for the Jewish people, a day on…
The Four Mitzvot of Purim
Purim is celebrated on Sunday, February 28th (beginning after Shabbat on February 27th). Four mitzvot are associated with the holiday: Megillah Reading - Book of Esther - The Megillah is…