Korach 5768-2008
"Datan and Abiram: The Protagonists" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In the opening verse of this week's parasha, parashat Korach, we encounter the names Datan and Abiram for the first time.…
B’shalach 5766-2006
"The Bones of Joseph" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald This week's parasha, parashat B'shalach, opens with millions of Israelites, many of them former slaves, departing from Egypt. At this…
Devarim,Weekly Message,Genesis
Devarim 5772-2012
"The Al-mighty’s Relationship with the Nations of the World" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald As we have previously noted on several occasions (Devarim 5765-2005), the book of Devarim…
Chayei Sarah 5776-2015
"The Legacy of Ishmael" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald This week’s parasha, parashat Chayei Sarah, opens with the death and burial of the matriarch, Sarah, at age 127, and closes with the…
Bechukotai,Behar,Weekly Message
Behar-Bechukotai 5770-2010
"Making a Reckoning" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In parashat Behar, the first of this week's double parashiot-– Behar-Bechukotai, the Torah teaches a remarkable law intended to protect…
Bamidbar 5767-2007
"The Tribe of Levi--the Master Enablers" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this week's parasha, parashat Bamidbar, we learn about the structure and formation of the Israelites in the…
Jews and 2020
On Rosh Hashana eve 2007, late night comic, David Letterman, quipped, “It’s Rosh Hashana, the Jewish new year 5768, and I’m still writing 5767 on my checks.” As Jews worldwide woke up…
The Feast of Weeks
Shavuot, which we begin celebrating Tuesday night (May 30th), is the only holiday in the Torah not listed by the date on which it is to be observed. Rather, the Torah teaches that this…
Feast of Weeks
Shavuot, which we begin celebrating Saturday night (June 12th), is the only holiday in the Torah not listed by the date on which it is to be observed. Rather, the Torah teaches that this…