Passover I 5765-2005
"In Every Generation" by Rabbi Ephraim Buchwald Although the scheduled Torah portion for this week is Acharei Mot, I would like to dwell on the theme of Passover, since the festival…
Yom Ha’atzmaut 5760-2000
"Being Judged by a Different Yardstick" by Rabbi Ephraim Buchwald This coming week we celebrate Yom Ha'Atzmaut, Israel Independence Day. Yom Ha'Atzmaut occurs on the fifth of Iyar, which,…
Kee Tavo 5772-2012
“Persecution’s ‘Silver Lining’” by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald This week’s parasha, parashat Kee Tavo, is one of two weekly Torah portions that contain the verses known as the “Tochacha ,”…
Weekly Message,Acharei Mot,Kedoshim
Acharei Mot-Kedoshim 5778-2018
“The Extreme Sanctity of the Holy of Holies--Revisited” In parashat Acharei Mot, the first of this week’s double parashiyot, Acharei Mot-Kedoshim, we learn of the prohibition to enter the…
Leap Year
The Gregorian solar calendar used by the Western world, is based on the cycle of the sun. The tropical (solar) year is 365 days, 5 hours, 49 minutes and 16 seconds. Thus every four years…
A Brief History of the Jews of Georgia
Located between Russia and Turkey, at the intersection of Europe and Asia, Georgia was, until the mid-1800s, a place of relatively little anti-Semitism. According to tradition, Jews first…
Passover 2024-5784
Urgent message: It’s hard to believe that after all these months since the murderous attack on October 7th, that the most challenging situation in Israel continues, not only with little…
Conscripted for Life?
On August 26, 1827, Czar Nicholas I set into motion the terrible ordeal of the cantonists. Cantonist schools, which had originally served as pre-military boarding schools for military…
Leap Year
The Gregorian solar calendar used by the Western world, is based on the cycle of the sun. Technically, the tropical (solar) year is 365 days, 5 hours, 49 minutes and 16 seconds.…
National Hat Day
From a historical perspective, it seems rather strange that there is a “National Hat Day” even listed on the calendar. As recently as 100 years ago, it was not only common for most adults…