Penny Lane
While the well-known adage requests, “A penny for your thoughts,” perhaps those coins should be sought, instead, in between the cushions of sofas and car seats, in washing machines and in…
Recognizing a Person’s Self Worth
If an inanimate object such as a penny has value, we should certainly recognize the inestimable value and intrinsic goodness to be found in each person who has been imbued with an element…
Kosher in Gracie Mansion
Although New York has one of the oldest Jewish communities in the United States (the first Jews arrived in 1654), the first openly Jewish mayor of New York City was not elected until…
Oh, My Aching Tooth
On some lists of quaint holidays celebrated in the month of February, today is marked as National Toothache Day. Anyone who has ever suffered the trauma of an aching tooth may wonder why…
The Elder of Slabodka
A person who chooses to study the history of the development of the twentieth century rabbinic leadership will likely come across the name “Slabodka.” The town for which the renowned…
Tetzaveh 5782-2022
“The Primacy of Jewish Education” (updated and revised from Tetzaveh 5763-2003) by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In last week’s parasha, parashat Terumah, we read of the appeal that was made…
History for Everyone
Barbara Tuchman (January 30, 1912 – February 6, 1989) never earned a doctorate in history, but the books that she authored injected new life into the layman’s study and understanding of…
The Divine Dwelling
In Judaism, there is a strong focus on the city of Jerusalem and the first and second Holy Temples that were built in that city. And while Jerusalem was the place God chose for His spirit…
Divine Presence
As God is everywhere, try and remember that all of our actions are performed in the presence of the Divine. To appreciate the Divine presence in the Mishkan, but perhaps more importantly,…
A Jewish Income Tax?
On February 3, 1913, the Sixteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified. “The Congress shall have power to lay and collect taxes on incomes, from whatever source derived,…