Tetzaveh 5772-2012

"Where is Moses?" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald Parashat Tetzaveh focuses in depth on the special vestments that the lay priests and the High Priest wore when they officiated at the…

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Naso 5779-2019

"Traditional Judaism: Fundamentalist or Ascetic" (Revised and updated from Naso 5760-2000) by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald   In this week’s parasha, parashat Naso, we encounter the…

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Mikeitz-Chanukah 5761-2000

"What is Chanukah Really About?" by Rabbi Ephraim Buchwald This coming week's parasha, Parashat Mikeitz, deals with the continuing saga of Joseph, specifically Pharaoh's dream, Joseph's…

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Purim Night Megillah Reading

Purim NightMegillah Reading The Tan’ach, the Hebrew name for the complete Bible, is made up of Torah (the Pentateuch),…

Drinking on Purim

Drinking on Purim “A person should drink on Purim until the point where they cannot tell the difference between…

Shemini-Yom Hashoah 5767-2007

"Never Again!-Again!" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald Two great events have shaped Jewish life in the last 65 years: the Holocaust and the rise of the State of Israel. Ironically, sixty…

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B’shalach 5770-2010

"Va'chamushim - Armed or Otherwise" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this week's parasha, parashat B'shalach, after enduring slavery for 110 years (by rabbinic count), the Israelites are…

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Yitro 5762-2002

"Structural Secrets of the Decalogue" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this coming week's parasha, parashat Yitro, in Exodus 20, we encounter the Aseret Ha'dibrot, the Ten Commandments.…

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Terumah-Purim 5761-2001

"Amalek, Purim and the Mitzvah of Getting Drunk" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald This coming week's parasha, parashat Terumah, coincides with Parashat Zachor, the special reading from…

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Naso 5760-2000

"Traditional Judaism: Fundamentalist or Ascetic" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this coming week's parasha, parashat Naso, we encounter the curious law of the Nazir, the Nazarite. In…

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