Simchat Torah 5784-2023

“The Evolving Holiday” (updated and revised from Simchat Torah 5767-2006) by, Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald The festival of Simchat Torah is one of the most joyous on the Jewish calendar. In…

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Vayigash 5768-2007

"And Jacob Sent Judah Ahead" by Rabbi Ephraim Buchwald As Jacob finalizes his plans to leave Canaan and reunite with his beloved son Joseph in Egypt, he sends a distinguished emissary…

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Simchat Torah 5767-2006

"The Evolving Holiday" by Rabbi Ephraim Buchwald The festival of Simchat Torah is one of the most joyous of the Jewish calendar. In Israel, following the conclusion of the festival of…

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Passover I 5772-2012

“Optimism and Faithfulness” by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald This week, Jews the world over will experience “Spring fever.” Since the Bible states (Exodus 23:15), that Passover is to be…

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The Buttonwood Jews

On the 17th of May, 1792, 24 businessmen met under a buttonwood (sycamore) tree and made an agreement to deal only with one another and to set a .25% commission rate on all…

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The History Around Purim

The story of Purim takes place at the very end of the era known in Jewish history as the Babylonian Exile.Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonian empire destroyed the Temple and Jerusalem and…

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The History Around Purim

The story of Purim takes place at the very end of the era known in Jewish history as the Babylonian Exile. Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonian empire destroyed the Temple and Jerusalem and…

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The History Around Purim

The story of Purim takes place at the very end of the era known in Jewish history as the Babylonian Exile. Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonian empire destroyed the Temple and Jerusalem and…

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In Honor of Armistice Day: A Jewish War Hero Remembered

Sammy Dreben, “The Fighting Jew,” (1878-1925) was a new immigrant to the United States when he enlisted in the U.S. Army. It’s ironic that one of the main reasons that Dreben fled from…

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The Buttonwood Jews

On the 17th of May, 1792, 24 businessmen met under a buttonwood (sycamore) tree and made an agreement to deal only with one another and to set a .25% commission rate on all transactions.…

Read More