Celebrating a Daughter

On his 8th day of life, a baby boy has his brit milah (circumcision) and is given a Jewish name. But how do Jews celebrate the birth of a girl? While there are no mandatory…

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Dinah, The Daughter of Jacob

Dinah, the seventh and youngest child of Leah and Jacob, was born the same year as her half-brother Joseph. In fact, the Talmud (Brachot 60a) notes that Leah specifically prayed that the…

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Celebrating A Daughter

On his 8th day of life, a baby boy has his brit mila (circumcision) and is given a Jewish name. But how do Jews celebrate the birth of a girl? While there are no mandatory rituals in…

Read More

Dinah, The Daughter of Jacob

Dinah, the seventh and youngest child of Leah and Jacob, was born the same year as her half-brother Joseph. In fact, the Talmud (Brachot 60a) notes that Leah specifically prayed for her…

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Mikeitz 5770-2009

"Pharaoh's Dream: The Variations and Nuances" by Rabbi Ephraim Buchwald In this week's parasha, parashat Mikeitz, Pharaoh's dream is repeated three times. The dream is first recounted in…

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The Story of the Exodus

The Story of the Exodus Table of Contents Going Down to Egypt Slavery Redemption From Slavery What exactly were the ten…

Mikeitz 5776-2015

“Joseph’s Bold Advice to Pharaoh-–Revisited” by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this week’s parasha, parashat Mikeitz, Joseph, the Hebrew slave boy, is hurried from the dungeon to stand…

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Shemot 5780-2020

Shemot 5780-2020 “Developing Commitment to Judaism: A Lesson from an Egyptian Prince” (updated and revised from Shemot 5760-1999)   by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this week's…

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Shemot 5760-1999

"Commitment to Judaism: A lesson from Moshe" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this coming week's parasha, parashat Shemot, we encounter one of the most challenging situations of…

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B’shalach 5772-2012

"Pharaoh's Ultimate Fate" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this week’s parasha, parashat Beshalach, we read of the splitting of the Red Sea and the miraculous salvation of the Israelites…

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