Bo 5764-2004

"The More Things Change..." by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this coming week's parasha, parashat Bo, the enslavement of the Jewish people comes to a dramatic conclusion with the tenth…

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Tetzaveh 5764-2004

"Keeping the Priests Humble" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this coming week's parasha, parashat Tetzaveh, we read in rather minute detail, about the garments that were worn by the…

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Shelach 5764-2004

"Where Did the Spies Go Wrong?" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this week's parasha, parashat Shelach, G-d tells Moses (Numbers 13:2): "Sh'lach l'chah ah'nah'shim, v'yah'too'roo et Eretz…

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Balak 5764-2004

"How Goodly Are Your Tents O' Jacob" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this week's parasha, parashat Balak, we read once again of the non-Jewish prophet, Bilaam, who attempts to curse the…

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Emor 5764-2004

"The Blasphemer - A Midrashic View" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald This coming week's parasha, parashat Emor, deals, for the most part, with the laws of the Cohanim--the Priests. These…

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Kee Tavo 5764-2004

"The Centrality of Joy in Jewish Observance" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald Parashat Kee Tavo is one of the two parashiot in the Torah that features the terrifying prophecies known as the…

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Nitzavim-Vayeilech 5764-2004

"Hastening the Messiah" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald Parashiot Nitzavim and Vayeilech are always read together before Rosh Hashanah, unless there is a Shabbat in between Yom Kippur and…

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Chayei Sara 5764-2003

"Who Was the Matriarch Sarah?" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this week's parasha, parashat Chayei Sarah, the matriarch Sarah, Abraham's wife, passes away. The authors of the Midrash,…

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Vayeitzei 5764-2003

"In Praise of Humility" by Rabbi Ephraim Buchwald In this coming week's parasha, parashat Vayeitzei, we find Jacob fleeing from the death threats of his brother, Esau. As the sun sets in…

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Va’etchanan 5764-2004

"The Dialectic of Body and Soul" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this week's parasha, parashat Va'etchanan, we encounter several weighty and significant texts. Among the most prominent…

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