The Truth About Gefilte Fish
There is a little known secret that, hidden in what was once the Russian Pale of Settlement (basically Belarus and Eastern Poland), there is a deep, fresh water lake stocked with the…
Selichot
In addition to the unique prayer services of Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur, the High Holidays are known for one other service: selichot. A collection of religious poems and verses, selichot…
Saying Amen
The word “Amen” seems to be one of those words associated with prayer throughout the Judeo-Christian culture, but what does it mean? The response Amen at the end of an oath or a prayer…
Kee Tavo 5784-2024
“Contemporary Implication of an Ancient Ritual” (updated and revised from Kee Tavo 5765-2005) by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In our message for parashat Kee Tavo for…
Kee Teitzei 5784-2024
“The Revolution that Started with a Fence” (updated from Kee Teitzei 5765-2005) by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald The extraordinary number of themes that are found in Parashat Kee Teitzei make…
What Goes Around, Comes Around
Is there any truth to the popular statement, “What goes around, comes around?” It is a pithy phrase that is all too often suggested (somewhat viciously) after a person falls on hard…
Honor The “Hoary Head”
Senior Citizen Day, an annual event observed on August 21st, is a day meant to both honor both older citizens and to remind the government that seniors are a large and powerful…
Pinchas 5784-2024
"Whatever Became of the Sons of Korach” (updated and revised from Pinchas 5765-2005) by Rabbi Ephraim Buchwald This week’s parasha, parashat Pinchas, opens with the Al-mighty’s…
Does the Torah Support the Belief in Extraterrestrial Life?
Today, July 2nd, is celebrated worldwide as "World UFO Day." On July 2, 1947, W.W. "Mac" Brazel discovered a metallic object on his Roswell, NM ranch. The U.S. government claimed that it…
A Trap of Wealth
If I were a rich man…The most important men in town will come to fawn on me…When you’re rich they think you really know… The now classic words from the Broadway show “Fiddler on the Roof”…