Justice, Justice Shall You Pursue

The directive to create a judicial system is set out in this week’s Torah portion, Shoftim, in Deuteronomy 16:18-20. God commands the Israelites to appoint judges and law enforcement…

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Kee Teitzei 5783-2023

“The Torah’s ‘Secret’ for Longevity” (updated and revised from Kee Teitzei 5764-2004) by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald As we have previously noted, this week’s parasha, parashat Kee Teitzei,…

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Honor The “Hoary Head”

Senior Citizen Day, an annual event observed on August 21st, is a day meant to both honor older citizens and to remind the government that seniors are a large and powerful constituency.…

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Mission: Impossible

If you were to search the famous “Hollywood Walk of Fame” in Los Angeles for a star with the name “Solomon Krakovsky,” you would be on a mission impossible. Solomon Krakovsky, who…

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Burying The Dead

An unusually large body of Jewish law is concerned with interpersonal relationships, teaching how to properly respect each person, since all of humankind is created b’tzelem Eh-lokim, in…

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A Phoenix in Bnei Brak

Fifty-four years ago, corresponding to the 20th of Elul, which is today, Rabbi Joseph S. Kahaneman, known to the world as the “Ponevezher Rav,” passed away. Who was this man, and what is…

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The Five Prohibitions of Yom Kippur

“…on the tenth of the month, you shall afflict your souls and do no work at all…for on that day God will forgive you and cleanse you, that you may be clean from all your sins before God”…

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