The Jews of Charles Dickens
As has been frequently reported, anti-Semitism is on the rise. Beyond strengthening our own Jewish identities, what can we do? There are often simple, non-threatening actions that can…
Chanukah,Weekly Message,Mikeitz
Mikeitz-Chanukah 5768-2007
"Unexpected Parallels between Mikeitz and the Story of Chanukah" by Rabbi Ephraim Buchwald This week's parasha, parashat Mikeitz, is almost always read on Shabbat Chanukah. Could there be…
Chanukah,Weekly Message,Mikeitz
Mikeitz-Chanukah 5764-2003
"Chanukah--The Struggle of Joseph and Judah" by Rabbi Ephraim Buchwald It is not at all a coincidence that parashat Mikeitz coincides with the festival of Chanukah. After all, Joseph's…
Sukkot 5764-2003
"The Seven Protective Divine Clouds" by Rabbi Ephraim Buchwald The festival of Sukkot acknowledges our profound gratitude to the A-lmighty who watched over our ancestors after the exodus…
Tetzaveh 5763-2003
"The Primacy of Jewish Education" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In last week's parasha, parashat Terumah, we read of the appeal for donations to build the Tabernacle--the portable…
Mikeitz 5762-2001
"A Dysfunctional Family Becomes Functional" by Rabbi Ephraim Buchwald In this week's parasha, parashat Mikeitz, the soap opera, I mean, the saga of the family of Jacob continues. And what…
Shemot 5761-2001
"The Not-So-Obvious Process of Enslavement" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this coming week's parasha, parashat Shemot, we begin our annual encounter with the story of the Egyptian…
Fleeing in the New World
The history of the conversos, those Spanish and Portuguese Jews who hid their identities by publicly behaving as observant Catholics, is tragic not only for the horrible auto-de-fes (mass…
Great Scots
The story of the great masses of Eastern European Jews who arrived in New York and settled on the Lower East Side of Manhattan is more than simply conventional history. It is now regarded…
Fleeing in the New World
The history of the conversos, those Spanish and Portuguese Jews who hid their identities by publicly behaving as observant Catholics, is tragic not only for the horrible auto-de-fes (mass…