Pinchas 5761-2001
"The Pain of Giving Reproof" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald On Sunday, July 8th, Jews the world over observed the fast of Shivah Asar B'Tamuz, the Seventeenth day of Tamuz. The fast marks…
Devarim 5773-2013
"The Price of Disunity" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald With this week’s parasha, parashat Devarim, the fifth book of the Bible, Deuteronomy, begins. Parashat Devarim is always read on…
Pekudei 5776-2016
“The Mishkan--the Tabernacle, as Collateral” by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald This week’s parasha, parashat Pekudei, opens with a reckoning and accounting of all the precious materials that…
Devarim 5774-2014
“Moses: The Lonely Leader” by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald This week’s parasha, parashat Devarim, opens the fifth book of the Torah, the book of Devarim, also known as Deuteronomy. Much of…
Mourning Jerusalem II: A Brief History of the Second Temple
The Babylonian Exile that followed the destruction of the First Temple lasted for 70 years. Under the leadership of Ezra and Nechemia, however, the Jews began to return to the land of…
Mourning Jerusalem II: A Brief History of the Second Temple
The Babylonian Exile that followed the destruction of the First Temple lasted for 70 years. Under the leadership of Ezra and Nechemia, however, the Jews began to return to the…
Mourning Jerusalem II: A Brief History of the Second Temple
The Babylonian Exile that followed the destruction of the First Temple lasted for 70 years. Under the leadership of Ezra and Nechemia, however, the Jews began to return to the…
Mourning Jerusalem II: A Brief History of the Second Temple
The Babylonian Exile that followed the destruction of the First Temple lasted for 70 years. Under the leadership of Ezra and Nechemia, however, the Jews began to return to the…
Fasting on Friday
The general rule of Jewish fast days is that they cannot occur on Friday. This rule is meant to protect the joy and happiness of Shabbat, for the sages felt that entering Shabbat hungry…
Mourning Jerusalem II: A Brief History of the Second Temple
The Babylonian Exile that followed the destruction of the First Temple lasted for 70 years. Under the leadership of Ezra and Nechemia, however, the Jews began to return to the…