Passover 1 5779-2019

“The Passover Seder–Focus on the Children” (Revised and updated from Passover 5760-2000) by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald As is the usual practice on all Shabbatot that coincide with Jewish…

Read More

Passover 5760-2000

"The Passover Seder–Focus on the Children" by Rabbi Ephraim Buchwald As is the practice on all Shabbatot that coincide with Jewish holidays, the Torah portion for this coming Shabbat is…

Read More

Shavuot 5769-2009

"Mother of Royalty" by Rabbi Ephraim Buchwald In I Kings 2:19, we read that Queen Bathsheba, the mother of the recently coronated King Solomon, came to speak to Solomon regarding his…

Read More

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…

Read More

Traditional Jewish Views on Birth Control

Judith, the wife of Rabbi Chiya, having suffered in consequence [of pregnancy] agonizing pains of childbirth, changed her clothes [in disguise, in order to get an unbiased answer] and…

Read More

Precious Creation

While there are many appropriate themes with which the Torah in Genesis 1 could have begun (Abraham, Mt. Sinai, etc.), it begins instead with a day-by-day description of the creation of…

Read More

Mishpatim 5767-2007

"The Hebrew Maidservant is Alive and Well" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this week's parasha, Parashat Misphatim (literally, "laws"), G-d sets much of the structure of Jewish civil…

Read More

Precious Creation

While there are many appropriate themes with which the Torah could have begun (Abraham, Mt. Sinai, etc.), it begins instead with a day-by-day description of the creation of the world,…

Read More

Precious Creation

While there are many appropriate themes with which the Torah could have begun (Abraham, Mt. Sinai, etc.), it begins instead with a day-by-day description of the creation of the world,…

Read More

Precious Creation

While there are many appropriate themes with which the Torah in Genesis 1 could have begun (Abraham, Mt. Sinai, etc.), it begins instead with a day-by-day description of the creation of…

Read More