Unlucky 13?
Our culture has planted in our minds that 13 is a particularly unlucky number (Triskaidekaphobia = fear of 13). “Friday the 13th” (Paraskevisekatriaphobia = fear of Friday the 13th) is a…
Toledot 5767-2006
"The Unanswered Prayer" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald This week's parasha, parashat Toledot, focuses on the life of the patriarch Isaac and his relationships with his wife, Rebecca and his…
Does God Experience Difficulty?
In the middle of parashat B’shalach, we encounter the great miracle of God splitting the Red Sea. The sages in the Talmud (Sotah 2a) used this great supernatural phenomenon to declare…
A Document Against Antisemitism
It was on this day in 1965 that the Catholic Church officially stopped blaming the Jewish people for the death of Jesus. This groundbreaking statement came after more than a millennium of…
Passover 5781-2021
“The Final days of Pesach - Days of Unity” (updated and revised from Passover 5761–2001) by, Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald The fact that the ancient Israelites happened to find…
Jews in the Fold
Yesterday, November 11th, was celebrated internationally as National Origami Day. Origami is a compound Japanese term: ori means folding and kami means paper. Origami was created in the…
Birkat Hamazon
Have you ever forgotten to tip the waiter after eating at a restaurant? Probably not, because that’s society’s conventional manner of thanking the wait-staff. While we do not usually have…
Shavuot 5783-2023
"The Concept of 'The Chosen People'" (updated and revised from Shavuot 5761-2001) by Rabbi Ephraim Buchwald On this coming weekend, Jews will celebrate the festival of Shavuot, which…