Mikeitz 5770-2009
"Pharaoh's Dream: The Variations and Nuances" by Rabbi Ephraim Buchwald In this week's parasha, parashat Mikeitz, Pharaoh's dream is repeated three times. The dream is first recounted in…
Kee Tisah 5770-2010
"Moses Wrestles with G-d" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this week's parasha, parashat Ki Tisah, we read of the fateful episode of the Golden Calf. Moses goes up the mountain for forty…
Food Fun
Try to find a kosher way to recreate tasty non-kosher foods. (Hint: Soy cheese and fake crab meat work wonders.)
Deep Thoughts
Share a thought on the parasha (weekly Torah portion) with whomever you are eating dinner tonight. Helpful hint, this week features the last three of the ten plagues.
Vayigash 5782-2021
“The Virtues of Assimilation” (updated and revised from Vayigash 5762-2001) by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this week’s parasha, parashat Vayigash, the dramatic story of Joseph and his…
Devarim 5782-2022
“The Gentle Reproof” (updated and revised from Devarim 5763-2003) by, Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald This week, congregations the world over finally align their Torah readings with Israel, and…
Naso 5760-2000
"Traditional Judaism: Fundamentalist or Ascetic" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this coming week's parasha, parashat Naso, we encounter the curious law of the Nazir, the Nazarite. In…
If There Are But 10…
While the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah is one of the better-known biblical narratives, it is preceded by an interesting dialogue between God and Abraham. God reveals to Abraham…
“Shabbos Goy”
While there are some mitzvot that are obligatory on all people (e.g. the seven laws of Noach), the observance of Shabbat is not one of them. It therefore seems entirely natural that if…
“Snakes, Why Did it Have to Be Snakes?”
Ophidiophobia is the fear of snakes. This is one of the most common phobias, and, in fact, it is so common and apparently instinctual that scientists have even taken to studying why this…