Chayei Sarah 5781-2020

“The Personality of Isaac: The Passive Patriarch” (updated and revised from Chayei Sarah 5761–2000) by, Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this week’s parasha, parashat Chayei Sarah, we learn…

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Vayeira 5776-2015

“The Trials of Abraham” by Ephraim Z. Buchwald This week’s parasha, parashat Vayeira, includes at least three of the ten trials that Abraham faced during his life. Pirkei Avot, Ethics of…

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Chayei Sarah 5778-2017

“Who is Eliezer the Damascan?” by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald   In this week’s parasha, parashat Chayei Sarah, we read of the death and burial of Sarah, the betrothal and marriage of…

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His Wife Saved His Life

Ohn the son of Pelet was a Reubenite who fell under the sway of a rebellious Levite named Korach. Korach felt that a great injustice had been perpetrated in Aaron’s appointment to the…

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His Wife Saved His Life

Ohn the son of Pelet was a Reubenite who fell under the sway of a rebellious Levite named Korach. Korach felt that a great injustice had been perpetrated in Aaron’s appointment to the…

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Her Son Hur, His Grandson, and His Actions!

On the 15th of Tammuz, we observe the yahrzeit (anniversary of the day of death) of Hur, a relatively unsung hero from Biblical times, who was the first Jew to die al Kiddush Hashem,…

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Chayei Sarah 5769-2008

"Mourning and Eulogizing" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald Although this week's Torah portion is entitled Chayei Sarah, which literally means "the life of Sarah," the opening part of the…

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Chayei Sarah 5776-2015

"The Legacy of Ishmael" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald This week’s parasha, parashat Chayei Sarah, opens with the death and burial of the matriarch, Sarah, at age 127, and closes with the…

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Chayei Sarah 5771-2010

“What Shall I Do, My Parents Hate Him?!” by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this week’s parasha, parashat Chayei Sarah, we encounter the world’s first shidduch (arranged marriage) and the…

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Chayei Sarah 5780-2019

“Rebecca and Isaac’s First Encounter: a Revealing Insight into the Future” (updated and revised from Chayei Sarah 5760-1999) by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald   In this week’s parasha,…

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