Mishpatim 5784-2024

Urgent message: Given the most challenging situation in Israel at this time, I urge all to pray for the bereaved families, the hostages, the missing and the many casualties. Please try to…

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Kee Teitzei 5773-2013

"The ‘Mitzvah’ of Divorce, Revisited" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald This week’s parasha, parashat Kee Teitzei, speaks of the "mitzvah" of divorce. Although we have previously discussed the…

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Maryland’s Jews

While the mid-Atlantic State of Maryland is often associated with un-kosher seafood, Maryland has a vibrant history of Jewish settlement. The state of Maryland’s “Act to Extend to the…

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In God We Trust

The First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution famously begins: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” Known as “The…

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The Giving Of The Get

Just as a Jewish marriage requires a ketubah (marriage contract), so too a Jewish divorce requires a get (bill of divorce). The ketubah is a contractual agreement in which the groom…

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Lord George Gordon

    As few members of the British aristocracy have converted to Judaism, the conversion of Lord George Gordon* (1751 - 1793) was a matter of note in British society.…

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Mishpatim 5765-2005

"The Conundrum of Charity--Who Benefits More?" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald This coming week's parasha, parashat Mishpatim, contains an abundance of interesting mitzvot. Among the 53…

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Kee Tavo 5766-2006

"Respect for the Person and the Office" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In the opening chapter of this week's parasha, parashat Kee Tavo, we read about the ritual of Bikurim -- the gift of…

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Kee Tavo 5762-2002

"A Contemporary Interpretation of an Ancient Reproof" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald This coming week's parasha, parashat Kee Tavo, is one of two parashiot in the Torah that are known as…

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History of the State Since 1948

History of the StateSince 1948 Table of Contents the war of independence population shifts 1956- the sinai campaign 1967 –…