Korach 5768-2008
"Datan and Abiram: The Protagonists" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In the opening verse of this week's parasha, parashat Korach, we encounter the names Datan and Abiram for the first time.…
Naso 5771-2011
"Finding Variety in the Seemingly Identical" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald This week’s parasha, parashat Naso, is the longest parasha of the Torah. It is usually read on the Shabbat that…
Kee Tisah 5772-2012
"The Preeminence of Shabbat" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this week’s parasha, parashat Kee Tisah, we learn, among other things, of the preeminence of Shabbat, the Sabbath Day.…
Naso 5766-2006
"A Lesson from the N'seeim--the Tribal Leaders" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald This week's Torah portion, parashat Naso, is almost always read on the Shabbat following the festival of…
Korach 5772-2012
"Jealousy, Lust, and Thirst for Honor" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this week’s parasha, parashat Korach, we read of the contentious rebellion of Korach and his cohorts, and its…
Equal Tribes
Each of the twelve tribes of Israel descended from one of Jacob’s twelve sons, and each had distinct qualities for which they were renowned. The tribe of Issachar, for instance, was known…
Bereshith 5763-2002
"Being Moral in an Increasingly Immoral Environment" Rabbi Ephraim Buchwald This week's parasha, parashat Bershith, is one of the richest of all the narrative portions of the Torah. One…
Vayeira 5766-2005
"Confronting Adversity, Lessons from Father Isaac" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald This week's parasha, parashat Vayeira, includes chapter 22 of Genesis, the chapter that describes the…
Tzav 5770-2010
"The Command" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this coming week's parasha, parashat Tzav, the Al-mighty says to Moses (Leviticus 6:2): "Tzav et Aharon v'et bah'nahv lay'mor: Zoht toh'raht…
Acharei Mot-Kedoshim 5769-2009
"Blood–the Essence of Life" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In parashat Tzav, the Torah declares rather definitively, (Leviticus 7:26), "V'chol dahm lo toch'loo b'chol mohsh'voh'taychem,"…