A Friendly Emperor

On November 17th, in the year 331 C.E., Flavius Claudius Julianus was born. He was the son of the half-brother of Constantine, the first Roman Emperor to recognize Christianity as the…

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A Friendly Emperor

On November 17th, in the year 331 C.E., Flavius Claudius Julianus (also known as Julian) was born. He was the son of the half-brother of Constantine, the first Roman Emperor to recognize…

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A Friendly Emperor

On November 17th in the year 331 C.E., Flavius Claudius Julianus (also known as the Emperor Julian) was born. He was the son of the half-brother of Constantine, the first Roman Emperor to…

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The Fast of 17 Tammuz

The Fast of 17 Tammuz(Shiv'ah Asar B'Tammuz)Jews across the world will fast from sun-rise to night fall. This…

Behar-Bechukotai 5764-2004

"The Revolutionary Nature of Shemita and Yovel" by Rabbi Ephraim Buchwald In the first of this week's double parashiot, parashat Behar, we encounter the remarkable laws of Shemita--the…

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Bereshith 5777-2016

“The Decline and Fall of Humankind” by Rabbi Ephraim Buchwald With this week’s parasha, parashat Bereshith, we begin, once again, to read the first of the Five Books of Moses--the Book of…

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Rabban Yochanan ben Zakkai and the City of Yavne

Rabban Yochanan ben Zakkai lived during the tumultuous times when the Jewish residents of Judea rebelled against Rome, and the Romans besieged and then destroyed Jerusalem. At the time,…

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Bishop Bodo

Some of the most interesting figures of history may be discovered in obscure historical references. For instance, few have heard of Bishop Bodo (c. 814 - 876), but his fascinating story…

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A Maccabee’s Who’s Who

Mattityahu (Mattathias): A High Priest descended from the Hasmonean line, Mattityahu lived in Modi’in with his five sons. Mattityahu started the rebellion against the Syrian-Greeks…

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A Maccabee’s Who’s Who

Mattityahu (Mattathias): A High Priest descended from the Hasmonean line, Mattityahu lived in Modi’in with his five sons. Mattityahu started the rebellion against the Syrian-Greeks…

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