Lech Lecha,Weekly Message

Lech Lecha 5781-2020

“Lot, Nephew of Abram: The Promise and the Tragedy” (updated and revised from Lech Lecha 2000-5761) by, Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this week’s parasha, parashat Lech Lecha, we encounter…

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Jewish Treats

Jabotinsky

When Vladimir Yevgenyevich Zhabotinsky was born on 13 Cheshvan (October 18) 1880, in Odessa, it was probably inconceivable that he would become a staunch advocate for the resettlement of…

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Behar,Weekly Message,Bechukotai

Behar-Bechukotai 5781-2021

“The Extraordinary Mitzvah of Tzedakah--Charity” (updated and revised from Behar-Bechukotai 5762-2002) by, Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald Once again, this week, we read two combined parashiot…

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Jewish Treats

Visiting Graves

Graveyard tours are often promoted in the month of October as an opportunity for spookiness. Judaism, however, encourages visiting the burial sites of relatives and holy people at all…

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B'shalach,Weekly Message

B’shalach 5782-2022

“Bringing G-d Home” (updated and revised from B’shalach 5763-2003) by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald This week’s parasha, parashat B’shalach, contains many historic and dramatic moments. The…

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Jewish Treats

Both Oral and Written

The development of the printing press had an incredible impact on Western civilization. Prior to the printing press, all documents were hand-written, limiting their dissemination and…

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Jewish Treats

A Synagogue in Mozambique

Mozambique is not the first place one would expect to find a stately Portugese-Baroque synagogue. Nevertheless, there is. And while for many years it was used for other purposes, there…

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Jewish Treats

The Jews of Luxembourg

When the small European nation of Luxembourg became independent in 1815, there were fewer than 100 Jews in the country. The earliest records of Jewish residence in Luxembourg, however,…

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Jewish Treats

The Four Species

The waving of the four species is one of the most beautiful and symbolic mitzvot of the year. Indeed, there is a special commandment (Leviticus 23:40) that one make a specific effort to…

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Jewish Treats

Don’t Wake Them

If you have ever had a noisy neighbor or lived next door to a construction site, then you know how frustrating it can be to lose sleep because of someone else’s actions. In order to…

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