Behar,Weekly Message,Bechukotai
Behar-Bechukotai 5767-2007
"Reward and Punishment" by Rabbi Ephraim Buchwald In the second of this week's double parashiot, Behar-Bechukotai, we encounter the very challenging concept of Divine reward and…
Sukkot 5765-2004
"Worshiping G-d Wholeheartedly" by Rabbi Ephraim Buchwald There is a wonderful Sukkot story told about the Gaon of Vilna, Rabbi Elijah ben Solomon Zalman, 1720-1797, who was the foremost…
Balak 5772-2012
“Balaam, the Sorcerer, Becomes a Prophet” by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this week’s parasha, parashat Balak, we read of how Balak, the Moabite king, hired the pagan prophet, Balaam, to…
Re’eh 5772-2012
“The Gift of Self Esteem” by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald This week’s parasha, parashat Re’eh, contains many fascinating themes. Among the most fascinating and challenging are the laws…
Indirect Damages
“An eye for an eye” (Exodus 21:24) is one of the most commonly quoted phrases from the Hebrew Bible. This phrase, of course, is part of Jewish civil law and serves as the original…
Indirect Damages
“An eye for an eye” as is set forth in this week’s Torah portion, Mishpatim, (Exodus 21:24) is one of the most commonly quoted phrases from the Hebrew Bible. This phrase, of course, is…
Lech Lecha 5768-2007
"The Battle of the Four Kings Against the Five" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this week's parasha, parashat Lech Lecha, we read about what is generally known as the "Battle of the Four…
Va’etchanan 5766-2006
"A Small Verse that Started a Mighty Revolution" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald Some weekly Torah portions are considered particularly significant by virtue of the large number of mitzvot…
Bo 5768-2008
"Is This What You Call Borrowing?" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In parashat Bo we learn that after the ninth plague, the plague of darkness, Pharaoh has reached his wit's end, and agrees…
Vayikra 5774-2014
“The Essence of Sacrifice” by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this week’s parasha, parashat Vayikra, we once again encounter the challenging issue of animal sacrifice. In several previous…