Vayakhel 5779-2019
"Jewish Women and Jewish Destiny" (Revised and updated from Vayakhel 5760-2000) by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald The vast majority of this week’s parasha, parashat Vayakhel, deals with…
Women of Vision
Our sages teach that there were seven women famed for their prophecy. (Talmud Megilla 14a states that only prophecies with a message for the future were recorded. In reality,…
What’s In the Book: Judges
Once in the promised land (Book of Joshua), the Israelites formed a commonwealth of 12 tribes loosely ruled by judges and elders. After the first generation, the Israelites fell into a…
Hearing About Huldah
Among the many prophets who predicted the destruction of Jerusalem, only one prophetess is recorded. Huldah was a descendent of Joshua and Rachav, as well as a cousin of the prophet…
The Tribe of Naphtali
As the ancestors of the tribes of Israel, the lives and personalities of each of the twelve sons of Jacob significantly impact on the history and behavior of the tribe members who…
The Tribe of Ephraim
As descendants of the original 12 sons of Israel, the lives and personalities of the descendants of Jacob significantly impacted on the history and behavior of the future tribe members…
The Tribe of Dan
As the ancestors of the tribes of Israel, the lives and personalities of each of the twelve sons of Jacob significantly impact on the history and behavior of the tribe members who…
Mother of Alchemy
While we of the modern world scoff at the ancient alchemists who tried to turn lead into gold, many alchemical practices are at the root of today’s scientific experiments. Ironically, the…
She Was A Harlot
It sounds like a classic melodrama: A harlot endangers her life to protect two desperate spies, and, when the city falls, she ends up marrying the conquering leader. The harlot’s name was…
Forget The Top Forties
Thousands of years ago, the sages created a top ten song list of the important songs recited in the Tanach (Bible). Straight from the Midrashic collection of the Mechilta of Rabbi Ishmael…