The Final Analysis
After the soul departs, it journeys to the gates of heaven where it must present its case for entry. The Talmud (Shabbat 31a) states, “When an individual is brought before the Heavenly…
Pinchas 5781-2021
"Loving the Land of Israel” (updated and revised from Pinchas 5762-2002) by, Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this week’s parasha, parashat Pinchas, we learn the fascinating tale of five…
Jokes On Us
In honor of the upcoming “Joke Day” which is on July 1st: “Knock. Knock” “Who’s There?” “Jewish” “Jewish Who?” “Jewish Treats”….Ok, not so funny, but, when you get to the bottom of…
Virginia is for Lovers…of Israel
While cities like Charleston, Philadelphia and New York contained Jewish communities during the pre-revolutionary period, Virginia, the largest of the colonies, did not. Individual Jews…
Smashing the Tablets
The sages declare that five tragedies occurred on the Seventeenth of Tammuz, (Sunday, June 27) which is why the day is observed as a fast day. Days of what we might now call “bad karma”…
The Three Weeks
Sunday, the Seventeenth of Tammuz, is the beginning of a period known as the Three Weeks, when we mourn the national tragedies that befell the Jewish people throughout the generations.
Protecting Widows
Today, June 23rd is the official date recognized by the United Nations as International Widows Day. The day was first observed in 2005, and, in 2010, it was ratified by the U.N. to…
On the Canadian Prairie
Thirty-three years old at the time of his immigration, Grodno-born Rabbi Israel Isaac Kahanovitch (1872-1945), was called to Winnipeg, Manitoba, after spending a year in Scranton,…
Those Who Made the Difference
Learn about the rabbis who were instrumental in building many of the thriving Jewish communities across North America.
Flexible Invention
This summer you will probably enjoy a plethora of cold, refreshing drinks and a good number of them will possibly be sipped through a straw while sitting by a pool (Hey, we are allowed to…