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…
Crash Course in Jewish History with Rabbi Ephraim Buchwald on Zoom
Crash Course in Jewish History on ZoomJoin Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald for a Crash Course in Jewish History Forward to a…
Grandmaster R
When Samuel Reshevsky (born Szmul Rzeszewski, 1911-1992) was five years old, his father showed him how to play chess. Three years later, the boy was a recognized child prodigy who gained…
The Book of Lamentations
On Tisha b’Av, the ninth of Av, one of the ways that the Jewish people demonstrate their mourning over the loss of both Holy Temples is by refraining from Torah study that brings pleasure…
Educating American Girls
When Vichna Kaplan (1913–1986) arrived in America in 1937, her experiences confirmed the country’s reputation as a place where Jewish tradition was in danger. This was particularly true…
Pidyon Ha’ben – Redeeming the Firstborn
“You must redeem the firstborn of a person…when he is one month old, for the value of five silver shekels” (Numbers 18:15-16). God sanctified the firstborn male Israelites when He…
Book Respect
Because of the centrality of the Torah in Jewish life, the Jewish people are known as, “The People of the Book.” Perhaps the Jewish people could also be known as, “The People of the…
B’ha’alot’cha 5783-2023
"Searching for Eldad and Medad" (updated and revised from B'ha'a'lot'cha 5764-2004) by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald This week's parasha, parashat B’ha’a’lot’cha, brims with many fascinating…
The Book of Lamentations
On Tisha b’Av, the ninth of Av, one of the ways that the Jewish people demonstrate their mourning over the loss of both Holy Temples is by refraining from Torah study that brings pleasure…
Book Respect
Because of the centrality of the Torah in Jewish life, the Jewish people are known as “The People of the Book.” Perhaps the Jewish people could also be known as “The People of the Books,”…