Tzav 5781-2021
"Understanding Shabbat Hagadol" (updated and revised from Tzav 5762-2002) This week, we read the second parasha of the book of Leviticus, parashat Tzav. Because it immediately precedes…
Re’eh 5781-2021
“The Elusive Blessing of ‘Peace’” (updated and revised from Re’eh 5763-2003) by, Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald This week’s Torah portion, parashat Re’eh, contains some of the most exalted…
The Jews Of Cyprus
The history of the Jews in Cyprus is surprisingly benign given the island’s proximity to both Europe and the Holy Land. The third largest island in the Mediterranean, Cyprus was home to a…
Thank You, Mom
Mother’s Day is a day set aside to show the moms in our lives how much we appreciate them. It’s a sweet and wonderful idea…but according to the Torah, every day is Mother’s Day! The very…
Diplomacy, Prayer, Action
As every diplomat knows, there is a time to talk, a time to pray and a time to take action. This very lesson is recorded in the Torah. When Jacob encounters his murderous brother Esau…
Passover I 5782-2022
“Chametz, Matzah and Faith in Redemption” (Updated and revised from Passover 5763-2003) by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald This week, the regular Torah portion is preempted by the upcoming…
Shabbat Chazon
This Shabbat is known as Shabbat Chazon, the Sabbath of the Vision (prophecy), named after the opening word of the Book of Isaiah, the first 27 verses of which are read as the haftarah on…
The Jews Of Cyprus
The history of the Jews in Cyprus is surprisingly “benign” given the island’s proximity to both Europe and the Holy Land. The third largest island in the Mediterranean, Cyprus was home to…
Labor, Technology and the Torah
Labor celebrations have taken place throughout North America since the 1880s, and in 1894, Labor Day became an official U.S. holiday. As students of history are well aware, in the decades…
The Seven Mitzvot
Jewish law places great emphasis on the way a Jew must live and the rewards for living according to Jewish law. Laws such as Shabbat and kashrut create a lifestyle in which Jews mingle…