Toledot 5775-2014
“Good Families Bad Children, Bad Families Good Children” by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this week’s parasha, parashat Toledot, we read of the birth of Esau and Jacob, the twin sons who…
Noah 5777-2016
“Why was the World Destroyed by a Flood?” by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald This week's parasha, parashat Noah, features the destruction of the world at G-d's hands, by a massive flood that…
Ellen Lipkis Letter
A Note from Ellen Lipkis Dear Rabbi Buchwald, Thank you for always being there for the Lipkis family. It is not easy for me to express all that I would like to say to you. Words are not…
The Feast of Weeks
Shavuot, which we begin celebrating this Thursday night (May 28, 2020), is the only holiday listed in the Torah without the date on which it is to be observed. Rather, the Torah states…
Head Start
Get ready for Shavuot by downloading our free Ebook "Jewish Treats on the Ten Commandments" by clicking here.
A Scholar and a Playwright
As the epicenter of the Renaissance, Italy was filled with great centers of learning and creativity during the middle centuries of the last millennium. In one of these great centers of…
The Battle of Kibbutz Yad Mordechai
At the time of the Declaration of the State of Israel (May 14, 1948), Kibbutz Yad Mordechai was a five year old settlement, ten kilometers south of Ashkelon, just north of the Gaza…
Israel’s Memorial Day
The State of Israel's independence, as well as its continued survival, is a modern day miracle. But, it has come at great cost in human lives to its citizens. Therefore, before Israel…
Drama At The Seder
While the basic text of the Haggadah and format of the seder is the same around the world, each community has its own unique customs. One such custom that is pervasive throughout the…
Seek the Answer
The Four Questions (Mah Nishtana - What makes it different?) is one of the most famous features of the Passover Seder. In Ashkenazi homes, these four lines are recited by the…