Why Honoring Your Parents is About Much More than the Parents
At one point or another, almost every parent (religious or not) quotes the Ten Commandments to their child/children when they call upon them to “honor your father and mother!” This…
Vayeitzei 5771-2010
"The Hated Wife” by Rabbi Ephraim Buchwald In this week’s parasha, parashat Vayeitzei, we come face-to-face with the difficulties that are often encountered in polygamous marriages. In…
Mishpatim 5776-2016
“Jewish Women and Conjugal Rights” by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this week’s parasha, parashat Mishpatim, we learn the remarkable law of the Hebrew maidservant, known in Hebrew as,…
Relationship Builder
One of the most frequently misunderstood aspects of Jewish law is also one of its most private. These are the laws euphemistically known as Taharat Hamishpacha, the laws of family purity,…
Biblical Euphemisms
The Torah is not prudish. Nevertheless, the biblical stories in which sexual relations play a central role (e.g., Lot and his daughters - Genesis 19:30-38, Joseph and Potiphar’s wife -…
Kee Teitzei 5762-2002
"Transforming an Enemy Into a Friend" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald This past Thursday and Friday marked Rosh Chodesh Elul, the beginning of the new month of Elul, the month that leads in…
Shoftim 5770-2010
"Enmity" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this coming week's parasha, parashat Shoftim, we once again encounter the concept of the City of Refuge. It is to the City of Refuge that an…
Kee Teitzei 5781-2021
“Transforming an Enemy into a Friend” (updated and revised from Kee Teitzei 5762-2002) by, Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald We are now well into the month of אֱלוּל, Elul, the month that leads…
Holidays,Tisha b’Av,Fast Days,Tisha b'Av Resource
Tisha b’Av
Tisha b’Av The saddest day in the Jewish calendar, believed to be a day which is destined for tragedy. Guide…
,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
Va’etchanan-Tisha B’Av 5769-2009
"Tisha b'Av: Never Beyond Redemption" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this week's parasha, parashat Va'etchanan, we read the portion from Deuteronomy 4:25, which is read on Tisha b'Av,…