Hearing What You Want to Hear
Every therapist emphasizes the importance of good communication. It sounds easy, but it isn’t always. Hearing what one wants to hear and ignoring the inflection and subtext, often leads…
Balak 5775-2015
“Uncovering the ‘Layers’ in the Biblical Narrative” by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald Although the opening verses of this week’s parasha, parashat Balak, seem straightforward, the nuanced…
Shemot 5771-2010
“Pharaoh’s Three Counselors” by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this week’s parasha, parashat Shemot, the intense suffering of the Israelites in Egypt begins. The rabbis of the Midrash are…
Shemot 5778-2017
“The Missing Years in the Life of Moses” by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this week’s parasha, parashat Shemot, we read of the enslavement of the Jewish people and the birth of…
Vayikra 5780-2020
“Moses, a Leader with a Calling” (Revised and updated from Vayikra 5761-2001) by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this week’s parasha, parashat Vayikra, G-d calls Moses from the…
Vayikra 5761- 2001
"Moses, The Leader With A Calling" by Rabbi Ephraim Buchwald In this coming week's parasha, parashat Vayikra, G-d calls Moses from the Tent of Meeting, the Tabernacle, and gives him…
Balak 5782-2022
“How Goodly Are Your Tents O’ Jacob” (updated and revised from Balak 5764-2004) by, Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this week’s parasha, parashat Balak, we read the dramatic story of the…
Love and Hate
The juxtaposition between love and hate is fascinating. The relationship between love and hate has been a muse for poets, a conundrum for philosophers and a source of anxiety for…
Pinchas 5783-2023
“The Conundrum of Pinchas: Do His Actions Set an Unacceptable Precedent?” (updated and revised from Pinchas 5764-2004) by, Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald This week’s parasha, parashat Pinchas,…
Matot-Masei 5763-2003
"The Massacre of the Midianites: Does Judaism Countenance Genocide?" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald We have learned in Parashat Balak that Balaam finally realized that the Jews could not…