Yom Kippur,Weekly Message

Yom Kippur 5764-2003

"Smashing the Golden Calves" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald Virtually all of the holidays and festivals of the Jewish calendar revolve around important events in Jewish history. Passover…

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Weekly Message,Sukkot

Sukkot 5770-2009

"Sukkot: The Dialectic of a Festival" by Rabbi Ephraim Buchwald The festival of Sukkot is referred to in the Torah (Exodus 34:22) as "Chag Ha'ah'sif," the festival of the ingathering. It…

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Weekly Message,Sukkot

Sukkot 5769-2008

"The Imperative of Joy" by Rabbi Ephraim Buchwald The festival of Sukkot is known throughout Rabbinic literature as "Z'man Sim'chah'tay'noo," the Time of Our Rejoicing. But joy and…

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Weekly Message,Yom Kippur

Yom Kippur 5771-2010

"When Yom Kippur Occurs on Shabbat" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald The Hebrew calendar is designed so that Yom Kippur can never fall on Friday or Sunday. To prevent Yom Kippur from…

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Weekly Message,Yom Kippur

Yom Kippur 5772-2011

"The Magic of the Day of Atonement" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald The Jewish calendar has an abundance of "propitious" or "favorable" times and occasions. Nissan, the month of Passover, is…

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Jewish Treats

9/11 and Jewish History

The attack on the continental U.S. homeland on September 11, 2001, changed the entire complexion of the United States. Almost 200 years had passed since the last attack on the U.S.…

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Jewish Treats

The Fast of Gedaliah (Tzom Gedaliah)

The Fast of Gedaliah is observed to commemorate the murder of Gedaliah, the son of Achikam, which is described in the last chapter of the Second Book of Kings. This murder resulted…

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Jewish Treats

Happy Ravenniversary

From time immemorial, the Hebrew calendar has been the subject of great debate. The following discussion underscores the extent of this debate. Two weeks prior to the Children of Israel’s…

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Jewish Treats

Fast of Gedaliah

The Fast of Gedaliah is observed to commemorate the murder of Gedaliah the son of Achikam, which is described in the last chapter of the Second Book of Kings. This murder resulted in…

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Jewish Treats

The Fast of Gedaliah

The Fast of Gedaliah is observed to commemorate the murder of Gedaliah the son of Achikam, which is described in the last chapter of the Second Book of Kings. This murder resulted in…

Read More