Just a Half Shekel
This Shabbat is Parashat Shekalim (shekels, the Biblical monetary units). The Torah portion that speaks of Shekalim (Exodus 30:11-16) is read, as the Maftir portion after the regular…
Kee Tisah 5767-2007
"Making Each Person Count" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this week's parasha, Parashat Kee Tisah, we read of the machatzit ha'shekel, the half shekel that was donated by all adult male…
Half Shekels For Purim
It is customary to give three half-shekels (or half-dollars in the U.S) at the synagogue before the evening Megillah reading on Purim (2/27/2010). Three half-shekels are given because the…
Half Shekels For Purim
It is customary to give three half-shekels (or half-dollars in the U.S.) at the synagogue before the evening Megillah reading on Purim (2/27/2010). Three half-shekels are given because…
Purim,Judaism,Purim Resources,Passover,Literacy ResourcesLiteracy,Judaism,Purim
Shabbat Parashat Shekalim
Shabbat Parashat ShekalimThe Sabbath of the Shekels The Sabbath of the Shekels is named for the special Torah reading that is…
Sukkot 5774-2013
"Half for You, and Half for G-d" by Rabbi Ephraim Buchwald In parashat Emor, the Torah states that creative labor is forbidden on the first and seventh day of the festival of Passover.…
You Count?
Take to heart that regardless of a person’s great wealth or the lack thereof, the half-shekel given by the Jewish people, as set forth in Parshat Shekalim in the Torah, reminds us that…
Shoftim 5777-2017
“Judaism and the Principle of the Sanctity of Human Life” by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald This week’s parasha, parashat Shoftim, focuses, for the most part, on the principle of the…
Counting on You?
Every nation seeks to know how many citizens it has, which can also inform the nation of the quantitative strength of its armed forces. In democratic countries, counting the nation also…
Not One, Not Two
Ever hear someone count out loud in the negatives: "Not one, not two, not three..." It may seem, strange, but in many traditional Jewish communities this is a common method for counting…